Playing cards are a kind of toy that everyone plays with, and it is a kind of intellectual toy that is very popular all over the world. In European languages, playing cards are commonly referred to as French-suited playing cards, and as the name suggests, the origins of playing cards are indeed closely related to France.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > the development of card games from China to France</h1>
However, in fact, the earliest card games similar to playing cards did not appear in France, or even in Europe, but in China. Many modern studies believe that in the 9th century AD, the Tang Dynasty scholar Su Yan wrote a notebook novel collection "Duyang Miscellaneous Compilations", it is said that the Tang Dynasty Princess Tongchang once played with a toy called leaf play, and this may be the earliest record of card games in the world. However, the poker that later appeared in France was not directly transmitted from China, but originated from the card game popular in the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt from the 12th to 13th centuries AD. At that time, this card was already very close to today's poker, with a full set of 52 cards and 4 decks.
Ming Dynasty game cards unearthed in Turpan, Xinjiang
Around 1370 AD, this card game of Mamluk was introduced to Europe, and appeared in France at the latest 7 years later. Over the next 100 years, Mamluk's card game gradually evolved into French tarot cards, and around 1480 AD, the French introduced four suits from another card game, German Poker, to replace the original mamluk cards in the deck classification.
Mamluk cards
So speaking of which, we have to talk about the poker head card, which is JQK. In fact, in the Mamluk card, there were already human head cards, but at that time there were only 3 male faces. In the 15th century AD, female head cards began to appear in popular cards in Italy. Later, the French added female head cards representing the Queen (Q) to the cards, so that modern poker basically took shape. Later, American merchants added two ghost cards (Joker) of German poker in Poker, and replaced the initials of the head card with English abbreviations, and modern poker is officially formed. Because ghost cards were added relatively late, there are still many ways to play Poker that don't require ghost cards.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="21" Who are the top cards of poker Kree >? </h1>
As we have just mentioned, the Q of Pokry stands for Queen, which is the English abbreviation for Queen. However, the early etymology of Queen in English is actually from the Germanic word woman, so in fact, the character archetypes of several Q characters in the playing card are not queens, but include other well-known female figures in European culture.
Scenes of European aristocrats playing poker in the 18th century AD
So what do J and K represent? Since there is a queen, it is certainly impossible to live without a king, so the old K in the head card is actually an abbreviation for the English word king King. J is an abbreviation for the word Jack. But don't get me wrong, Jack here doesn't mean Jack. Because in fact, the word Jack has a very rich meaning in English, it can refer to both men and villains, but also refers to jacks, so the J in the playing card actually roughly refers to a strong and evil, but also a very important historical figure, can also be said to be a warrior with a story. The JQK in modern playing cards is basically the famous warrior, female and monarch image in European culture. Let's give you a detailed introduction to who these images are.
J of Spades
J of Spades is the legendary general Ogier under Charlemagne, who was once close to unifying Europe. Some modern scholars believe that the prototype of the legendary figure of Ogier may be the general Ocharius, who once served Charlemagne's brother Carloman. Carloman had divided the territory of the Frankish kingdom equally with Charlemagne, which was equivalent to having fought with Charlemagne. After his death, Ocharius assisted his wife and children in continuing to fight Charlemagne, but eventually surrendered to Charlemagne. According to legend, Ogier was one of Charlemagne's paladins, who had made many achievements in battle, especially the Arabs who invaded Europe. However, he also rebelled against Charlemagne for a time, but eventually returned to Charlemagne's men. Ogier also became the protagonist of many French novels, and thus later became the J of Spades.
Statue of Ogier
Red Peach J
French general Lahir during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Lahir was not from an aristocratic background, but during the Hundred Years' War, the British invaded France and successfully carried out reconnaissance, ambush and settlement missions many times, and achieved outstanding military achievements. He was also the closest comrade-in-arms of Joan of Arc, the most famous French figure during the Hundred Years' War, and fought alongside Joan of Arc at the Siege of Orléans. In the important battle of Patti, he commanded the French vanguard to a great victory. This series of military feats and his own fiery personality made him a famous legend in French folklore, and thus later became the Red Peach J.
Portrait of Lahair
Plum J
Lancelot, a member of the Knights of the Round Table in the legend of King Arthur of Europe. This character is not a historical figure, but just a legendary figure. Some believe that he may have originated from a warrior in Irish or Welsh legends, meaning that his prototype may have been a Celtic knight. In the legend of King Arthur, Lancelot was thrown into the lake by a witch at an early age and grew up in the lake. After growing up and joining the Knights of the Round Table, he made a series of important achievements, but later had an adulterous affair with King Arthur's wife, which eventually split the Knights of the Round Table. Later, after a series of changes, King Arthur's wife became a nun and eventually died. The disheartened Lancelot also became a monk. Lancelot later played a heavy role in some French novels, so he became a well-known literary figure in France, so he later became Plum J.
Portrait of Lancelot
Block J
Block J is probably the most famous of all J in China, because he is the protagonist of the Trojan legend, that is, the Trojan prince and commander of the army, Hector. In Trojan legend, he is the brother of Prince Paris of Troy, who falls in love with the beautiful Helen. In the beginning he had opposed Paris and Helen eloping, but prevented the failure. After the war, he became the commander of the Trojan army, and in the war he bravely won the three armies and repeatedly defeated the Greek generals. In the end, he was killed by Achilles, the first Greek warrior, and became a tragic hero. The legend of Trojan was widely circulated in later Europe, which also made him a square J.
Painting depicting Hector preparing for an expedition
Q of spades
Among the 4 Q's, Q of Spades is definitely the most famous in China, because she is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, Athena was the daughter of her lord god Eus and the goddess of wisdom, Metis. During Metis' pregnancy, other gods prophesied that the children she gave birth to would have the power to overthrow Zeus, and As a result, Zeus swallowed Metis' life directly. But Metis did not die after being swallowed alive, and made a set of armor for the unborn Athena in zeus, which caused Zeus a headache. There was no way for Zeus to summon the god of fire to let him split his head, and as a result, after splitting, Athena, wearing armor and holding a golden spear, jumped out of Zeus's head, and Athena became the god of wisdom and war in Greek mythology, and thus became Q of spades.
Statue of Athena
Peach Q
Pink Q is a legendary figure in Christian history, Yodyd. According to some Christian legends, Yodd was a young and beautiful widow in the Palestinian city of Bethuria. When the city of Bethuria was invaded by the army of the Assyrian Empire, she led some female slaves out of the city and seduced many generals of the Assyrian army with beauty. Shortly thereafter, she decapitated the head of assyrian commander Gerovnis after he had drunk him. The leaderless Assyrian army soon broke up, saving the people of Yodyd. Yodid's story has long been regarded as part of the Christian Bible in Catholic and Orthodox history, so it is also widely circulated in France, which also makes her a peach Q.
A painting depicting the legend of Yodid cutting off the head of an enemy general
Plum Blossom Q
Plum Blossom Q is known as Argine in European languages, and the word is not a personal name, but the word Queen Regina in European languages is formed by transposition. Some believe that the image comes from the Wars of the Roses between the Lancastrian and York dynasties of England in the 15th century AD. At that time, the Lancastrian family used the red rose as a symbol, while the York family used the white rose as a symbol, so the war between the two sides that lasted for 30 years was called the War of the Roses. The plum blossom Q holds a red and white rose, which is believed to symbolize the final reconciliation of the two families.
The red and white rose logo used after the settlement between the two parties
Block Q
Block Q is also a figure derived from Christian legend, named Rachel. Rachel was the second wife and cousin of the Christian legendary figure Jacob. She was known for her beauty since childhood, and Jacob fell in love with her at first sight when he saw her. But after a series of twists and turns, Jacob finally married Rachel (and Rachel's sister) after 14 years of herding sheep for Rachel's father, his uncle. Later, Jacob changed his name to Israel and became the ancestor of the Jews, and Rachel gave birth to two sons for Jacob, which is also an important female ancestor of the Jews in legend. This also makes her a block Q.
A painting depicting the legend of Jacob's meeting with Rachel
K of spades
K of Spades is a character in the Christian Bible, King David. According to the Christian Bible, David's father, Jesse, was a dignitary in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, and David grew up shepherding the family's flock. Later, David stoned the Philistine warrior Goliath, the enemy of the Israelites, and became a hero, but it caused the jealousy and pursuit of Saul, the king of Israel. But David managed to escape the attack and became the new king of Israel after Saul's death. The Christian Bible believes that Jesus' parents, Joseph and Mary, are both descendants of David, so David has become one of the most important cultural figures in European history, which also makes him the K of spades in the playing cards.
Religious statue of David
Red Peach K
The Peach K is Charlemagne, which we have already mentioned. Charlemagne's grandfather was originally a high-ranking official in the Frankish kingdom, and later Charlemagne's father Pepin the Dwarf usurped the throne with the support of the Pope. After Pepin's death, Charlemagne annexed the domain of his brother Carloman and expanded over the decades that eventually gave the Frankish kingdom control of almost all of Western Europe. Charlemagne was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by the Pope in 800 AD, making the Frankish Kingdom nominally the successor to the Western Roman Empire. Behind Charlemagne, the Frankish kingdom was divided into three, becoming the prototype of the three kingdoms of Germany, France and Italy. So all of this made Charlemagne one of the most important historical figures in Europe, and also made him a peach K in playing cards.
Charlemagne's golden statue
Plum K
Meihua K is also a figure known to many people in China, that is, Alexander the Great of Macedon. There is some uncertainty about Alexander's related history, but it is generally believed that he was a real historical figure. According to the relatively mainstream modern understanding, Alexander was the son of Philip II of Macedonia, and in his childhood he studied under the famous greek philosopher Alexandria. At the age of 16, he replaced his expeditionary father as regent of the Kingdom of Macedonia, and after succeeding to the throne, he launched a series of conquests in today's Balkans, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and even Central Asia and India, and destroyed the Persian Achaemenid Empire and established a huge empire. Although his empire split soon after Alexander's death, Alexander himself became an important cultural figure in later Europe, which also made him a plum K.
It is believed to be a portrait of Alexander
Block K
Square K is also one of the most important historical figures in European history, the uncrowned king Of Ancient Rome, Caesar. Caesar's father, who was the governor of the Roman Empire in the provinces of Asia Minor, entered the political circles of ancient Rome at the age of 16. Caesar later held the positions of military conservator, treasurer, magistrate, high priest, magistrate and governor of the Spanish provinces, and was elected the highest-ranking consul of the Roman Republic at the age of 40 (60 BC). Later, Caesar led an army to conquer Gaul (present-day France), established his high prestige, and defeated a series of political enemies through a series of civil wars, gaining the position of dictatorship in Rome. During this period, he also largely brought Egypt under Roman control. Although Caesar was later assassinated, his reign played a decisive role in the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire, so his name later became the title of many monarchs of the Roman Empire and even Europe, making him the square K in the playing cards. (Image from the Internet, infringement notice deleted)
Statue of Caesar