João de Sá Panasco: The Freed Slave Turned Gentleman Courtier
For pretty much every slave throughout history, being freed doesn't instantly include things like attaining actual freedom, or even being able to walk around and do normal things without people being racist dicks. Sure, in the old days, legally you were no longer someone's property, but everyone knew that was mostly a technicality and you were almost certain to lead a life resembling some form of indentured servitude, or maybe wage slavery at best. And chances were it would stay that way, because it's not like you could get a job in the king's court and work your way up to being His Excellency's private valet.
And that, dear readers, is what is known as seamless foreshadowing.
Pixabay
Don’t look at me like that.
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. And that's pretty telling, that people felt it was important to document the level of ridicule he had to endure.
Which is really what makes Panasco's story so great — he used that mockery to his advantage, playing a sort of double agent in the court as both an “outsider and insider.” You see, as the court's fool, Panasco wasn't just kept around for people to hurl bigoted slurs at. As was true for many jesters, his role was that of an entertainer, which allowed him to poke fun at everyone else in the court without repercussions. So he was simultaneously despised for his “inferior condition,” but valued for his ability to verbally destroy anyone and everyone with impunity.
Like most kings, John III loved him some drama in the court, and he also loved his jester's ability to navigate that drama with his combo outsider/insider status. Panasco could act the fool, so to speak, then pivot to being the king's secret informer. He played the role well, all while getting a bunch of racist crap from a bunch of racist jerks, and then using those interactions to gain the trust of the monarchy. Which he absolutely did — John III freaking loved Panasco, to the point that he arranged a marriage for him, made him his own personal valet, sent him to help take over Tunis, and even made him a member of the Order of Santiago.
In fact, there's a painting called The King's Fountain from around that time that shows a Black man wearing an outfit adorned with the Cross of Saint James, and while there's no official list of names associated with the work to cross-reference, most people just assume it's Panasco because, seriously, who the hell else could it be?
Wikipedia
Just strolling along on his horse like a confident badass through … we’re not sure what, exactly.
Sadly, his spirit never really escaped the constant torment, and he spent most of his final years drinking and being depressed. So now we not only want to celebrate Pansaco's story, we want to make fun of all those jerks who bullied him centuries ago. Because guess what none of those guys ever did: work their way up from nothing to officially become “gentleman of the royal household.”
Hahaha, what idiots.
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