A whipping boy was a boy educated alongside a prince (or boy monarch) in early modern Europe who supposedly received corporal punishment for the prince's transgressions in his presence. The prince was not punished himself because his royal status exceeded that of his tutor; seeing a friend punished would provide an equivalent motivation not to repeat the offence.
A whipping boy was a boy educated alongside a prince (or boy monarch) in early modern Europe who supposedly received corporal punishment for the prince's transgressions in his presence. The prince was not punished himself because his royal status exceeded that of his tutor; seeing a friend punished would provide an equivalent motivation not to repeat the offence.
Source: Wikipedia "Whipping boy" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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