In honor of April Fools’, let’s remember some of our favorite historical jokes – whether from or about history.

In 1340, the British and French navies fought the Battle of Sluys which proved one of the decisive battles in the early phase of the Hundred Years War. France’s King, Philip VI, learned about the disastrous outcome not from his ministers, who were too terrified to deliver the news to the capricious royal, but from the lowly court jester, who imparted the news in his characteristic fashion.

Having heard the news through a royal courtier, the court’s jester (whose name is unrecorded) began to mock “The coward English! the dastard English! the faint-hearted English!” The King, amused but confused, asked “Why do you abuse them?” “Because they would not jump out of their ships into the sea as our brave Frenchman did.”

Of course, not all French court jesters were so successful. The legendary Triboulet enjoyed a close relationship with his monarch, Francis I, but sometimes pushed his jester’s privilege beyond acceptable boundaries. Once he enlivened a comedy performance by spanking Francis’s behind with a paddle. The King angrily demanded he stop, and Triboulet apologized: “I’m sorry, I thought you were the Queen.”

Francis was not amused, and threatened the jester’s execution. He offered Triboulet a choice of deaths, to which the quick-witted clown responded, “Old age.” The King burst out laughing and spared the jester’s life, commuting the sentence to banishment from court. Historically, clown patrons haven’t been very supportive when you smack them in the ass.