I have been WAITING for a journalist to write this story. I specialize in manuscripts produced in England between 1300 and 1500. If this had occurred in the midst of writing my dissertation or first book, it would have exploded my career.

The Halloween special is here: The Ballad of a Dead Brother. 9th-century Balkans. Oaths, ruin, and a mother’s grief strong enough to wake the dead. Also, it's the first ever Court Jester episode on video. Come see. buff.ly/IJuqec8 🖼️ Vasso Katraki #storytelling #medievalsky #Halloween2025

The Court Jester is taking a little break for October, preparing new mischief for the winter season. In the meantime, here’s one from the archives: one of the most (in)famous stories of the genre. 🎧 Listen here: youtu.be/FLQ2J15Yr_M?... And have you followed The Court Jester on YouTube yet?

What happens when a priest, his lover, and a greedy clerk sit down to dinner? New episode is now live, give it a spin and find out open.spotify.com/episode/6aq6... #medievalsky

As a medievalist, I can confirm.

"Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions, and Functions" just got a warm review at HistoryMedieval! Spoiler: they liked it 👀 Read it: historymedieval.com/medieval-humour-expressions-receptions-and-functions #MedievalSky #HumorStudies #MedievalHumour #BookReview

Heaven doesn’t pay its debts. A medieval fabliau proves it. 🎧 New episode: The Poor Peddler, now live on Spotify and all platforms. buff.ly/3vEl3ke 📖 Valenciennes, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 101, fol. 191v. ca. 1230-1260 #MedievalHumour

A while ago, I polled listeners about the one fabliau I couldn’t make funny. You asked to hear it anyway, so here it is. It’s brutal and violent. Let’s talk about why medieval audiences laughed with that. 🎧 I give you The Gelded Lady: buff.ly/yJWfMjK ⚠️ Content warning: everything. #medievalsky

“His balls are WHAT?” A wife drags her husband before the bishop. The whole town shows up. Confusion, comedy and awkward anatomy lessons follow. This is Black Balls: a fabliau about medieval justice at its most bewildered. 🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/DseO6v9 #Medievalsky #TheCourtJesterPodcast

"Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions" is now featured on History Medieval! Read my article about the wit and laughter of the Middle Ages here: buff.ly/QUGIAIe 📖 @labnf.bsky.social, Fonds francais 854, fol.121v #medievalsky

A sly minstrel tries to ruin a clueless groom’s wedding night…but he didn’t account for the bride. By dawn, the prankster’s bed, clothes and dignity are buried under an avalanche of medieval payback. 🎧 New episode - Jouglet buff.ly/APjbRzg #MedievalHumour #Fabliau #TheCourtJesterPodcast

If this is not my favourite story from the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles, it is definitely my favourite illumination. Have you ever seen a friar and a nun masturbating under a tree while being watched by a weird man? You have now. 🎧Patreon Bonus: Payment for the Pears. buff.ly/ZVHOPey #medievalsky

A miller tries to trick a girl. Instead, he loses his pig, his pride and his dignity. By court order. 🎧 New episode: The Miller of Arleux buff.ly/DBnc8MC #TheCourtJesterPodcast #Medievalsky

🎧 New episode, complete with guest cat sounds! A penny-pinching husband suspects his wife is having an affair. So he sets a trap. But she’s got sharper instincts, a better plan, and the entire household on her side. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/6tF1... #Medievalsky #TheCourtJesterPodcast

The sound quality of The Court Jester's next episode has been seriously compromised by this furry nightmare, who couldn't stop yelling for attention. Please accept my apologies. He regrets nothing. #cat #storyteller #storytelling #TheCourtJesterPodcast #medievalsky

If you’re heading to #IMC2025, stick this in your ears on the train and arrive fully in the #medieval mood: curious, inventive and just slightly scandalised. And follow The Court Jester wherever you get your podcasts! 🎧https://open.spotify.com/show/1Do3IRSbyx0Ac1asD1RudD 📖BnF Fr. 25526, f. 111r.

Some fabliaux are about sex. Some are about power. This one is about a man who kisses a mysterious knight’s butt and doesn’t realise it’s his wife. “Bérangier au lonc cul” is all about status anxiety, gender performance and sexual frustration. youtu.be/nOSUexYEuso?... #fabliaux #medieval

Whether you're travelling or already queueing for conference coffee in #IMC2025, I’ve got you. This month’s newsletter dives into the Bal des Ardents, to give you some perspective on the importance of Health and Safety in event planning. Sign up and read it on the way to Leeds: buff.ly/7n4XYfI

Boivin had a purse full of lies and a knack for trouble. He scammed a brothel, sparked a riot and left with a payday. 🎧 New episode: open.spotify.com/show/1Do3IRS... 📖 Scene of a bathhouse, c. 1470. Berlin Staatsbibliothek, Ms. Dep. Breslau 2, vol. 2, fol. 244. #Medievalsky #TheCourtJesterPodcast

The Book That Almost Vanished A story about medieval humour, academic publishing and a book that deserves a second chance

If you ever find yourself in Akşehir in July, you might witness a man in 13th-century robes riding backwards on a donkey, leading a cheerful procession through the city. Welcome to the world of Nasreddin Hodja. Read all about him on this month's Patreon:. buff.ly/CaAccYV #medievalsky #jesterlore

Talking about my usual smutty medieval images at @prayticipate.bsky.social in @uniofstandrews.bsky.social and feeling like a rockstar. #medievalsky #medievalist #medievalistlife #conferenceseason #medievalhumour #deadseriousjokes #centnouvellesnouvelles

Voted most likely to survive a medieval power vacuum. Evangelist John on Patmos, and marginal detail of rooster holding a sceptre in left foot. Book of Hours. France, Provence, ca. 1440-1450. Morgan Library, MS M.358, fol. 13r. #medievalsky

In this month’s Patreon, I chat with actor, writer and medievalist @debsca.bsky.social , whose one-woman show "Green Knight" has been casting its spell on audiences for nearly a decade. #Storytelling, subtext and subversion, all in one very green conversation. buff.ly/Yb1iBNk #medievalsky

Sir Gawain and the #GreenKnight needs no introduction, and this week it's on #TheCourtJesterPodcast. Tune in as Debbie Cannon performs a fascinating excerpt from this masterpiece! Listen: buff.ly/BC6U6rz #KingArthur #Medievalsky #Arthuriana 📖 @britishlibrary.bsky.social , MS Cotton Nero AX2, f 95r

They came with pots, masks and loud noises. In medieval France, charivari was public shaming with a flair. Of Noise and (Mis)rule: Charivari, now on the blog. #MedievalSky #Folklore #History

What happens when Arthurian romance meets comic exaggeration and a hero who throws punches AND punchlines? Margaret Anne Purbrick explores the performative energy and humour of Jaufre in "Medieval Humour". Available via Trivent Publishing and JSTOR. buff.ly/h6pA4vW #Medievalsky #MedievalHumour

1,000 YouTube Listens! Apparently, over 1k of you voluntarily listened to medieval fart jokes and somehow didn’t flee the platform. I’m stunned, flattered and, frankly, alarmed. If you're not yet part of the medieval misrule...why? 🟥 Subscribe and Listen: buff.ly/3v8WiWD #medievalsky #storytelling

#medievalsky

Just a little reminder that medieval literature contains a fabliau in which a curious girl fed a squirrel too many nuts, and the squirrel got queasy. Yes, it's all innuendo, and it is my absolute favourite fabliau of all time. 📖 britishlibrary.bsky.social‬, Add 42130, fol. 33r#Medievalskyky

“He who doesn’t know how to write doesn’t see the labor. Three fingers write, the whole body works. If you read this, pray for me.” Revisiting Lucie Doležalová's contrubution in 'Medieval Humour' and giggling: buff.ly/h6pA4vW 📖 @labnf.bsky.social , MS Latin 9561 fol. 81v. #medievalsky #manuscripts

New episode! It's the Real Housewives of the middle ages. The contest is on, the three contestants are ready and a ring is the prize. Morals are optional. 🎧 buff.ly/Odwm9hL 📖British Library, Sloane 2435, f. 44v. #Thecourtjesterpodcast #medievalsky

Medieval emoji culture is real. I give you the itchiest inhabitants of the Book of Kells, because even in a Gospel, there’s room for a joke. I'm revisiting Donncha MacGabhann's chapter in 'Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions' and I am having great fun. #medievalsky #BookofKells

The first newsletter is out. It’s about the fabliau I couldn’t laugh at, and the moment I stopped mid-script and thought, “I can’t do this.” Subscribe to the blog and read it: buff.ly/yUs8seK 📖 BnF, RES-H-95. #Medievalsky #DigitalHumanities #Storytelling

This book on medieval humour came out over a year ago. Nobody noticed. That’s a shame. It’s actually hilarious. Let’s fix that. Read more or order here: buff.ly/fJXy4pf #MedievalStudies #MedievalTwitterRefugees #HistHumour

This meeting could have been an email. #medievalsky @gallicabnf.bsky.social Français 12400, f. 1r

My first ever newsletter drops this week. It’s about the medieval story I couldn’t laugh at, and what to do with stories that hurt more than they amuse. Get it by subscribing on the website or Patreon-link in bio. 📖 Beinecke MS.229, F. 326 #Medievalsky #Humour #Storytelling #DigitalHumanities

Can confirm, this works.

Dane Hew of Leicester: It’s Basically "Weekend at Bernie’s"! Seduced, murdered, re-killed, hanged and strapped to a horse. Still not the worst monk in fabliau history. 🔗 Listen: buff.ly/98yK9vt 🎧 Bonus chat: buff.ly/qn4f2GG Blog link in bio. #medievalsky #storytelling #fabliaux

Patreon special: a gloriously ridiculous geek-out with @slatteroo.bsky.social‬ about what medieval people found funny, alongside some humour theory, York court records, impotence laws, and some wonderful archival stories for dessert. 🔗 buff.ly/fCJKoHw #HumourTheory #HumorResearch #MedievalSky

What makes something funny? What used to make people laugh? What still does, and what doesn’t anymore? This month’s blog post dives into humour theories. If you’ve ever wondered “Was I supposed to laugh at that?”, this one’s for you. 🔗 buff.ly/8lmCcxH #MedievalHumour #HumorTheory #HumorResearch

#OTD 1182 the altar of Notre Dame de Paris was consecrated.In 1160 Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris,laid the 1st stone to replace the church of St Étienne in the new "Gothic" style initiated by Abbot Suger at St Denis.The pope laid the cornerstone in 1163.The cathedral was completed btw 1250-1350.

🎙️ New episode! Guest #storyteller @slatteroo.bsky.social revives the story of Dane Hew of Leicester, a wild medieval tale of crime, chaos, and one very unfortunate friar. Bonus chats on Patreon: buff.ly/fCJKoHw 🎧 buff.ly/K1jdI9m #Medievalsky #Storytelling #MiddleAges #TheCourtJesterPodcast

New book on the way! This one is about medieval stories that refuse to stay put. It brings together scholars from art history, literature, performance and digital humanities to look at stories that shapeshift, speak back, and still catch fire. #medievalsky #storytelling #medievalstudies

Here are some musicians playing music in the margins of a manuscript containing music. I can hear them. Can you? #marginaliamonday #medievalsky

What do you get for a jump, a whistle and a fart?💨 A manor in Suffolk, apparently. This month’s Court Jester Patreon dives into Roland the Farter and the high-stakes world of medieval flatulence. 🔗 buff.ly/K2I74qD 📖 Rothschild Canticles. Beinecke, MS 404, fol. 134r #MedievalSky

Slow clap.

“Three blind men walk into an inn…” Medieval Ethics 101: Trick the Poor, Lie to a Priest, Skip the Bill 🎧 New ep: Li trois avugles de Compiègne. buff.ly/FyLf1Tk 📖 @britishlibrary.bsky.social Add MS 62925, f. 47r #MedievalHumor #DisabilityStudies #TheCourtJesterPodcast #medievalsky

Surprise! All episodes at #TheCourtJesterPodcast have new titles & descriptions. Same stories, just easier to find. Because the fabliaux won’t market themselves. Go see if your favourite got a glow-up. @labnf.bsky.social, Français 2643, fol. 72r #medievalsky #storytelling #podcast

Meanwhile, I go to the forest and come back with twigs in my hair and one shoe missing. Calendar page for May. Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Musée Condé Ms.65, f.5v. #MayDay #Medieval #Illuminatedmanuscript #TheCourtJesterPodcast #TrèsRichesHeures