The Roman History of April Fool’s Day

The Roman History of April Fool’s Day

The Roman Quarter-ly

Unbeknownst to much of the world, a short article appeared last month in the Roman Quarterly Academic Journal; and the Roman historical documents community was shaken by a new discovery.

The authors of the article, two archeologists from a small private university in Finland, described their discovery. While digging in the basement of an old church in the heart of the city of Rome, in an effort to seek and map the pomerium, they found a letter.

The letter was allegedly discovered between two pieces of rock, cemented together by old-age material used to seal the stones that made the walls of the pomerium, built by King Servius Tullius. King Servius, known to have reigned during the Roman Kingdom from between 578 and 535 B.C., was a mighty king who accomplished major domestic advancements during his 44-year reign. He initiated the first census, and implemented a new constitution.

The letter, or more specifically, the pieces of the letter that are still legible, have been translated as this:

Dearest Servi,

I have never meant to hurt you. But I have to be honest to you, as honest as I can be. I never loved you, dear Servi. But I need to tell you the truth now, for it is not only you, but I too have been betrayed by the one I love. [...] I have been, for a very long time, in love with your son-in-law. He commissioned me to entertain you […] while he planned the takeover of your kingdom. But he used me too you see. [...] I know you will never forgive me but I must tell you this. Keep a watchful eye on the company you keep from now on, dear Servi, for they plan their attack in short time.

[…] never see me again.

Abrillia Diana

Chilling, isn’t it? It is a letter shrouded in mystery. And the mere fact that it was never found must have meant some very bad things for its intended reader.Historians knew details about the reign of King Servius, but never any specifics on the plot for his murder. But with this new information, the writers of the article have pieced together the story:

The goddess Diana

King Servius had a lover in the later years of his reign, a woman known as Diana, a palace woman of the harem.

Meanwhile, the king married his daughter, Tullia, to the young son of former King Priscus, Prince Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. The boy had a charming effect, and it is said he could make any maiden fall in love with him. Lucius, given his new status as king-to-be, was allowed access to the harem women.

Servius was taken with Diana; he even erected a temple in honor of her god-name. Lucius saw this devotion and, plotting a scheme, won Diana’s confidence. Historians originally believed that Lucius paid Diana to occupy the King’s time. The letter proves now that Lucius actually used her affections for him to trick her into entertaining the king, while he secretly plotted his ouster. The others of the king's court and inner circle knew of Diana, and knew her to be taking advantage of the poor old king, but were not sure of her final intentions. But the king, upon hearing these accusations of his lovely Diana, refused to listen, and continued to love her blindly. Servius let Diana out of the harem, and set her up in a small apartment in the confines of Rome; meanwhile getting her a reading tutor in the hopes of elevating her class status.

Where the letter was found is of significant importance: it is believed that this place in the wall was a meeting place of the two lovers. Servius, hoping to keep Diana a secret after hearing the disdain of his peers, would meet her there, away from spying eyes. Historians are speculating that Diana asked to meet Servius there the night she left the letter, to give him the news of his son-in-laws scheming plot; probably mere hours of learning the truth herself. Diana left this letter instead of waiting, probably fearing reproach and disbelief by the king. Unfortunately, the king never received the letter, it must have fallen too deep into the crevice between the rocks, where it stayed for centuries, cemented in during times of renovation to the wall.

Servius never received the letter, so he had no idea that his daughter, Tullia, had been convinced by her thieving husband Lucius to plot his murder. No one knows what happened to poor Diana. It is believed Servius was killed shortly after by the young couple, and Lucius became King of Rome.

Although April Fool's Day's beginnings have always been murky and shrouded with mystery, these historians and archeologists believe they have finally discovered its origins.Historians now believe that this must be the start of the holiday April Fool’s. They speculate that Lucius, after hearing talk by the king’s court of how Servius fell fool to that damsel Abrillia, founded Abrillia's fool day. He held day long festivals every spring in his honor; to celebrate the holiday people were to trick and fool each other in silly ways, to prove their superiority. From that time forward, early spring rains marked the start of the "Abrillia's Fool" holiday. And as Rome conquered an empire for the century following, this fool’s holiday spread. And as the calendar was named in the later times of the empire, and the month of April was appointed, people started associating April with this silly holiday that had begun almost a century before. Slowly but surely, the holiday stuck as a fool’s day, throughout the vast reaches of the Roman Empire.

Incredible, isn't it? Hard to believe. But if you do . . . April Fools! (Using a few real historical facts, I contrived this story. Want to hear about more April Fool's Day hoaxes? Click here, or here, or here. If you dare.)