Andersson Peter K.
Andersson Peter K. - Fool In Search Of Henry Viii's Closest Man - Hardcover
Andersson Peter K. - Fool In Search Of Henry Viii's Closest Man - Hardcover
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Description: The first biography of Henry VIII's court fool William Somer a legendary entertainer and one of the most intriguing figures of the Tudor age In some portraits of Henry VIII there appears another striking figure a gaunt and morose - looking man with a shaved head and in one case a monkey on his shoulder. This is William or " Will" Somer the king's fool a celebrated wit who reportedly could raise Henry's spirits and spent many hours with him often alone. Was Somer an artificial fool a cunning comic who could speak freely in front of the king or a natural fool someone with intellectual disabilities like many other members of the profession? And what role did he play in the tumultuous and violent Tudor era? Fool is the first biography of Somer and perhaps the first of a Renaissance fool. After his death Somer disappeared behind his legend and historians struggled to separate myth from reality. Unearthing as many facts as possible Peter K. Andersson pieces together the fullest picture yet of an enigmatic and unusual man with a very strange job. Somer's story provides new insights into how fools lived and what exactly they did for a living how monarchs and courtiers related to commoners and people with disabilities and whether aspects of the Renaissance fool live on in the modern comedian. But most of all we learn how a commoner without property or education managed to become the court's chief mascot and a continuous presence at the center of Tudor power from the 1530s to the reign of Elizabeth I. Looking beyond stereotypes of the man in motley Fool reveals a little - known world surprising and disturbing when comedy was something crueler and more unpleasant than we like to think.
Title: Fool In Search Of Henry Viii's Closest Man
Author(s): Andersson Peter K.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Barcode: 9780691250168
Pages: 224 Pages, 10 B/W Illus.
Publication Date: 9/19/2023
Category: Biography: Historical, Political & Military
Description: The first biography of Henry VIII's court fool William Somer a legendary entertainer and one of the most intriguing figures of the Tudor age In some portraits of Henry VIII there appears another striking figure a gaunt and morose - looking man with a shaved head and in one case a monkey on his shoulder. This is William or " Will" Somer the king's fool a celebrated wit who reportedly could raise Henry's spirits and spent many hours with him often alone. Was Somer an artificial fool a cunning comic who could speak freely in front of the king or a natural fool someone with intellectual disabilities like many other members of the profession? And what role did he play in the tumultuous and violent Tudor era? Fool is the first biography of Somer and perhaps the first of a Renaissance fool. After his death Somer disappeared behind his legend and historians struggled to separate myth from reality. Unearthing as many facts as possible Peter K. Andersson pieces together the fullest picture yet of an enigmatic and unusual man with a very strange job. Somer's story provides new insights into how fools lived and what exactly they did for a living how monarchs and courtiers related to commoners and people with disabilities and whether aspects of the Renaissance fool live on in the modern comedian. But most of all we learn how a commoner without property or education managed to become the court's chief mascot and a continuous presence at the center of Tudor power from the 1530s to the reign of Elizabeth I. Looking beyond stereotypes of the man in motley Fool reveals a little - known world surprising and disturbing when comedy was something crueler and more unpleasant than we like to think.
Title: Fool In Search Of Henry Viii's Closest Man
Author(s): Andersson Peter K.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Barcode: 9780691250168
Pages: 224 Pages, 10 B/W Illus.
Publication Date: 9/19/2023
Category: Biography: Historical, Political & Military
