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Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule

The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots, was appointed by lot during Christmastide to preside over the Feast of Fools. The Lord of Misrule was generally a young peasant or sub-deacon appointed to be in charge of Christmas revelries, which often included drunkenness and wild partying. Wearing animal masks or women's clothes, he sang obscene songs, played dice at the altar, and otherwise parodied the liturgy of the church. Afterward, they would take to the streets, howling, issuing mock indulgences, hurling manure at bystanders, and staging scurrilous plays. The Feast of Fools, was a popular festival during the Middle Ages, held on or about January 1. In spite of repeated prohibitions and penalties imposed by the Council of Basel in 1431, the feasts did not die out entirely until the 16th century. The problem with this popular account is that it is wrong.
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Title:
Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule
Caption:
The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots, was appointed by lot during Christmastide to preside over the Feast of Fools. The Lord of Misrule was generally a young peasant or sub-deacon appointed to be in charge of Christmas revelries, which often included drunkenness and wild partying. Wearing animal masks or women's clothes, he sang obscene songs, played dice at the altar, and otherwise parodied the liturgy of the church. Afterward, they would take to the streets, howling, issuing mock indulgences, hurling manure at bystanders, and staging scurrilous plays. The Feast of Fools, was a popular festival during the Middle Ages, held on or about January 1. In spite of repeated prohibitions and penalties imposed by the Council of Basel in 1431, the feasts did not die out entirely until the 16th century. The problem with this popular account is that it is wrong.
Credit:
Album / NYPL/Science Source
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Image size:
2892 x 4650 px | 38.5 MB
Print size:
24.5 x 39.4 cm | 9.6 x 15.5 in (300 dpi)
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