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João de Sá Panasco: The Freed Slave Turned Gentleman Courtier (Patreon)

Published:

2021-08-09 21:16:39

Imported:

2026-06

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Some people play the hand they're dealt, and others make fun of the dealer for being terrible at shuffling, then the king snorts a laugh and makes you his most trusted confidant.

Check out this week's article, written by our Editor-In-Chief, Jeff McLaughlin!

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João de Sá Panasco: The Freed Slave Turned Gentleman Courtier - The Modern Rogue

Unfortunately, we don't know a lot about the history of João de Sá Panasco, but we do know that he served as court jester for John III, King of Portugal during the mid-16th century. Presumably, most of his story was buried by racism, given that history seems to have recorded fewer accounts of his own jokes than the ones at his expense.