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348:. Some were women or women who followed minstrels in their travels. Minstrels throughout Europe also employed trained animals, such as bears. Minstrels in Europe died out slowly, having gone nearly extinct by about 1700, although isolated individuals working in the tradition existed even into the early 19th century.
192:, and many became wandering minstrels, performing in the streets; a decline in their popularity began in the late 15th century. Minstrels fed into later traditions of travelling entertainers, which continued to be moderately strong into the early 20th century, and which has some continuity in the form of today's
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Minstrels performed songs which told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty and high society. As the courts became more
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340:. A guild of royal minstrels was organized in England in 1469. Minstrels were required to either join the guild or abstain from practising their craft. Some minstrels were retained by lords as
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began to be used to designate a performer who amused his lord with music and song. Following a series of invasions, wars, conquests, etc., two categories of composers developed. Poets like
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appeared in one category, wherein music was not a part. Minstrels, on the other hand, gathered at feasts and festivals in great numbers with harps,
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The
Minstrels of Beverley. Woodcut of 16th-century English musicians. Left to right: pipe and tabor, fiddle, windcap instrument, lute, and shawm.
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around 1480 by
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A history of
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Initially, minstrels were simply treats at court, and entertained the lord and courtiers with
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sophisticated, minstrels were eventually replaced at court by the
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Minstrelsy became a central concern in
English literature in the
37:"Jongleur" redirects here. For the chain of UK comedy clubs, see
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were three of many. Novels centring on minstrelsy have included
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566:"Entertainments from a Medieval Minstrel's Repertoire Book"
553:. Minneapolis, MN: Burgess Publishing Company. p. 72.
501:. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press. pp. 3–4.
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499:The English Medieval Minstrel
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409:Christabel Rose Coleridge
32:Minstrel (disambiguation)
634:Balladeering, Minstrelsy
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863:Second Bulgarian Empire
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1026:Renaissance Humanism
933:Medieval Warm Period
903:Republic of Florence
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385:The Village Minstrel
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30:For other uses, see
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810:Old Church Slavonic
795:Anglo-Saxon England
583:10.1093/res/hgad053
251:Anglo-Saxon England
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1064:Agriculture
928:Manorialism
923:Communalism
918:Monasticism
835:Reconquista
825:Kievan Rus'
417:Rhoda Power
393:Helen Craik
376:Lalla Rookh
363:In poetry,
322:troubadours
307:kettledrums
253:before the
233:ministralis
226:menestrello
222:ministrello
190:troubadours
183:Description
1313:Categories
1220:Land terms
1174:Technology
1154:Philosophy
1134:Literature
1099:Demography
800:Viking Age
589:2 February
484:References
477:Troubadour
389:John Clare
387:(1821) by
379:(1817) by
299:flageolets
297:, flutes,
287:John Gower
211:Old French
96:newspapers
85:"Minstrel"
1205:Dark Ages
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1109:Hastilude
878:Feudalism
334:jongleurs
326:trouvères
271:were the
214:ménestrel
126:July 2019
1344:Acrobats
1339:Juggling
1288:Category
1255:Timeline
1144:Minstrel
1139:Medicine
1021:Chivalry
976:Burgundy
898:Crusades
435:See also
399:(1800),
346:juggling
315:Midlands
303:citterns
295:bagpipes
279:minstrel
240:minister
228:), from
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162:medieval
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18:Jongleur
1354:Jesters
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1169:Slavery
1164:Science
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1084:Cuisine
1057:Culture
996:Castile
991:England
342:jesters
330:joglars
291:fiddles
283:Chaucer
274:gleemen
224:(later
194:buskers
173:acrobat
169:juggler
110:scholar
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1159:Poetry
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1094:Dance
981:Milan
472:Skald
452:Ashik
338:guild
244:minus
237:Latin
117:JSTOR
103:books
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503:ISBN
442:Bard
324:and
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