Written in the Cards
Written references about the playing cards
Due to the fact that playing cards were associated with gambling,
occult, and magic, many of the first written references to playing
cards are prohibitions of their use by governments.
The first known written mention was not for this reason, though, and occurred in Spain. In a Catalan document, dated 1371, playing cards are mentioned as naip. The modern day spelling in Spanish is naipes. The next written reference, on May 23, 1376, is a city statute in Florence, Italy, which forbids a new card game called naibbe.
A monk in Switzerland left a detailed, written description of playing cards in 1377. His text outlines the deck of 52 cards, the number cards, the court cards and the suits. "The game of cards has reached us in the present year, namely AD 1377," he had written.
A German written statute declares gambling games as punishable by fine if played outside of the permitted stakes in 1378.
By 1380, there are also written references to playing cards in Paris.
Although England probably had been exposed to playing cards much earlier, the first written reference doesn't appear there until the mid 1400's with a law prohibiting card playing and dicing. The law, from the parliament of Edward IV, prohibited playing cards and dicing throughout the year, except for the twelve days of Christmas.
During this time, many of the modern day characteristics of playing cards were developed in Europe then America.
Playing Cards get a Makeover:
New faces and new suits for the cards
It was in Europe that the current four suits system developed, along with the 52 card standard deck. The court cards developed, changed, and eventually became double sided pictures, to end the hassle of turning the cards over. The Joker and the current shape of playing cards were created in the United States.
Playing cards have evolved and changed over the last thousand years. Today, they are still evolving and changing, and show no signs of stopping their thousand year trek. From obscure origins before the dark ages to the modern day online card games, this popular pastime is continually changing and growing.
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