...

The Journey of Playing Cards: Origins, Evolution, and Modern Usage

The origin of playing cards has not yet been precisely established. Determining the period defining the origin of playing cards is not an easy task. However, finding the inventor of playing cards and explaining how they spread from one country to another worldwide should be easy.

Playing card games, like Spades four players game, has been in the USA and Europe for around over 600 years. While talking about Europe, the initial records of European playing cards date back to the end of the 14th century. Over the next century, they spread across Europe at an enormous rate. We can trace this expansion not to the cards themselves but to the numerous bans imposed on card games across the continent. Although knowing precisely how this rapid expansion occurred seems to be impossible, we do know some of its milestones. Therefore, different theories have been developed, and later discoveries have been validated or disproven.

Origins of Card Games: Theories and Myths

Card games came to Europe from the East. However, there is no concrete evidence yet. This information is mostly obtained from the stories and texts of travelers. So, the idea of playing cards spreading throughout Europe gave rise to the various models of “national” decks.

There are numerous theories about how playing cards reached Europe. Initially, Arabs were attributed to their introduction. Although Arabs brought so many things to the West, they did not have cards, nor did their religion let them reproduce human-like images. In fact, the only preserved “Arab” card game is Turkish.

The gypsies and their fortune-telling decks have also been mentioned. However, cards became known in Europe when the Great Gypsy Migrations (Romani people) reached the West.

Playing cards have also been attributed to Marco Polo, who brought them from China. Nevertheless, it seems that he did not reach China and that all the China-related tales he told had been heard in Gulf countries.

You can find other theories regarding this attributed to the Crusades in West. Even for an extended period, stories circulated associating the cards’ invention to Vilhan, Nicholas Papin, and other certain characters, who were proven fabricated. According to some in Europe, the most influential card game across the continent could be linked to a figure such as “Trump in Hand.” However, there is no substantiation for this concept.

Tracing the European Evolution of Playing Cards

Traditionally, there has been much interest in establishing the European origin of playing cards. It seems this is an illogical effort, as it has been accepted worldwide that Eastern countries were the spots for generating the idea of playing cards. Nevertheless, the answer to this mystery is very simple. Today, most of the cards used worldwide are, in their conception and characteristics – four suits, a series of number cards, and three face cards – of European style, as are most card games (considering that most American and Australian games are also of European origin).

The cards coming from the East evolved in Europe. From there, card playing spread fast across the world, and the role of English and Spanish decks was pivotal in this. You can see a relevant example of this influence in Japan, where the Portuguese-Spanish missions introduced in the 16th century, among other habitual practices, the card-playing game from the Spanish deck, exclusively the Portuguese variant.

Now, it is clear that it was Italy where playing cards began their spread across the European continent. At least the maximum number of oldest examples and evidence emerged from that country. From Italy, the card-playing game was quickly spread through the south of France – or directly through the kingdom of Naples, then belonging to the Aragonese crown – to Catalonia and the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. When playing cards spread northwards to France and Germany, the national decks of both countries became popular. The card game was spread in England from France, and the French model would become known as the English deck we currently play.

It is also the fact that except for the latter deck, French printers and engravers physically brought them from France to England; playing cards have been transmitted to a great extent through travelers crossing Europe. This suggests that the various European playing models emerged, often leaving a “Non Trump Card” to represent the unique variations in each region. In Europe, different countries follow unique variations and rules in card play. So, their interpretation of which cards are trump cards, their use, and their roles might be different from others.

Playing Cards Today

Today, it seems that playing cards have lost all the symbolic power they were endowed with in the past. Their figures and particularities are a witness to a sublanguage that current and future generations may probably ignore. They may continue to play because being human is directly associated with playing. This is how many organizations and institutions have understood it, which, in their enthusiasm to outspread their image in a world where advertising and corporate branding are significant, and have often chosen the deck of cards as another merchandising component.

It is been very straightforward in most cases: the card’s back would simply display the bank or a cigar brand logo. However, you can find the deck’s more creative and entirely new, using fresh themes, sometimes.

Wrapping Up

The playing cards have an interesting history, and their evolution is a fascinating journey spanning centuries and continents. Although their origins in the East is uncertain, there are evidences for their fast spread across Europe and around the world. Thus, playing cards have undergone substantial transformations. Numerous theoretical concepts exist about their introduction, but one thing has been established that cards have played a prominent role in the cultural exchange between East and West.

In this blog, we briefly shed light on the history of playing cards, compelling us to appreciate their journey from simple entertainment tools to intricate artistic works. You can find a broader story of cultural exchange and adaptation by knowing their evolution, indicating an interconnected world.

If you are interested in card playing, you can download the Skill Cat gaming app and play Spades with standard Spades Card Game Rules. It is a four-player game available on both iOS and Android devices.