Chicot ( fr. Chicot , circa 1540-1592) (real name - Jean-Antoine d'Anglera ( fr. Jean-Antoine d'Anglerais )) - a jester at the court of the French king Henry III .
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Content
Biography
Born in Gascony around 1540 under the name Jean-Antoine d'Angleur. Shiko is a nickname that translates as " stump, tooth fragment ." He graduated from Reims College in Paris . He was a soldier under the command of the Marquis de Villar (the future father-in-law of the Duke of Mayenne , who is shown in the novels by Dumas as the enemy of Chico). Later served Kings Francis II and Charles IX . Then became the favorite jester of Henry III, and later of Henry IV .
At first, Chicot was an ardent Catholic , and, according to Brantom , he took part with his brother Raymond in the murder of François de La Rochefoucauld , one of the leaders of the Huguenots , during Bartholomew’s night . True, Brant writes about this uncertainly. Over time, his religious jealousy became more moderate.
He served Henry III with great zeal and devotion during the time of religious wars . In 1569 he received the nickname “ porte-manteau ” of the Duke of Anjou: he served as a sort of living repository for such news and letters that it was dangerous to trust paper. He participated in the siege of La Rochelle in 1572-1573. In 1574 he received the rank of lieutenant and was appointed chief of security at the castle of Loches. In March 1584 he was granted the nobility.
After the assassination of Henry III, Schico immediately recognized Henry IV as the new king and was at his court in great honor. Participated in the battles of Ivry and Ark .
Character
Shiko was the only court jester of his time who participated in military and political life and who wore a sword. He enjoyed a reputation as a great swordsman and soldier.
Liberties of Shiko
| Shiko had the freedom to speak with the king as he wanted, and he was never angry with him. When the duke of Parma arrived in France, Chicot said to the king: “My friend, I see everything that you do, will not lead to anything unless you become or pretend to be a Catholic.” Another time: “Believe me, they went to hell, if necessary, and the papists and the Huguenots, if only you could calmly own the kingdom of France. After all, your brothers, they say, pretend that they believe something. ”“ No wonder, ”he told Henry the Fourth,“ that so many people run like dogs for the royal title: it is worth the effort. You work an hour a day and you know exactly what you have, how to live a whole week, and you can do without a neighbor's loan. But for God's sake, beware of falling into the hands of the Catholic League, they will manage with you like with a fried sausage, they will tell you to draw the French and Navarre coats of arms over your gallows and write: “Here it is the place for him.” |
Notes of French History (Quoted from Sully's memoirs)
Family
In 1575, Chicot married Rene Barre, they had five sons.
Shiko's death
In 1592, Chicot died during the siege of Rouen .
Information about the death of the famous jester varies. During the siege of Rouen by Henry IV, Chicot captured a League supporter, Count Henri de Chagni, half-brother of Queen Louise de Vaudemont , the widow of Henry III. However, he did not take the sword from the captive. According to the most common version, when Shiko brought the captive count into the king’s tent, he said, “ Look, Henry, what I give you .” De Chaligny considered himself offended and hit Chico with a hilt of the sword on the head. Shiko died of the blow: according to one version at once, according to another - in a few days. Other sources report that Shiko captured the dowager queen’s brother, but released him without ransom, and soon died of wounds received in battle.
In sources
- Sully, de. Memoires de M. de Bethune, duc de Sully ... T.1. - Londres, 1778.
- Brant . Gallant ladies. - M., 1998.
In literature
The fictionalized image of Chicot appears in novels:
- Alexandre Dumas (father) “The Countess de Monsoreau ” ( fr. La Dame de Monsoreau , 1846) (The Countess de Monsoreau is called “The Chicot Clown” in a number of British editions).
- Alexander Dumas (father) “ Forty-Five ” ( French Les Quarante-Cinq , 1847)
- Heinrich Mann “The Mature Years of King Henry IV” ( German Die Vollendung des Königs Henri Quatre , 1938)
- William Ensworth "The Queen's Conspiracy"
- Wolfram Fleischhauer "Purple Line" and others.
- Paul Makhalen "The End of Chicot" (1898).
- Auguste Macke “The Beautiful Gabrielle or Miller's Daughter” (1854–1855).
In the cinema
In the French film adaptation of “The Countess de Monsoreau” (1971), the role of Chico was played by Michelle Creton , in the Russian (1997) - Alexey Gorbunov .
In music
Shiko is the prototype of the protagonist of the song “Anthem of the Jester” of the group “ King and the Jester ”.
Links
- Louis Maïeul Chaudon, Antoine François Delandine. Nouveau dictionnaire historique, ou, Histoire abrégée de tous les hommes qui se sont fait un nom par une société de gens-de-lettres. Société des gens de lettres de France, G. Le Roy, 1786. Page 637
- Beatrice K. Otto. Fools are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World . University of Chicago Press, 2001. ISBN 0-226-64091-4 , 9780226640914 p. 104
- Doran (John). The History of Court Fools. R. Bentley, 1858. Page 282.