Editing Playing card (section)

=== Spread across Europe and early design changes ===
{{See also|Tarot}}
[[Image:Knave of coins - Italy 2 deck.png|thumb|upright|right|Knave of Coins from the oldest known European deck ({{circa|1390–1410}})]]
[[File:Pietro_Longhi_-_Card_Players_-_KMSst426_-_Statens_Museum_for_Kunst.jpg|thumb|350px|Card players in 18th Century Venice, by [[Pietro Longhi]]]] 
Playing cards probably came to Europe from the East, specifically those used by the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]] in Egypt, and probably arrived first in Spain since the earliest European mention of playing cards appears in 1371 in a [[Catalan language]] rhyme dictionary which lists ''naip'' among words ending in ''-ip''. According to [[Trevor Denning]], the only attested meaning of this Catalan word is "playing card".{{sfn|Denning|1996|p=14}} This suggests that cards may have been "reasonably well known" in [[Principality of Catalonia|Catalonia]] (now part of Spain) at that time, perhaps introduced as a result of maritime trade with the Mamluk rulers of Egypt.<ref>Ferg, Wayland & Wayland (2007), p. 117.</ref>

The earliest record of playing cards in central Europe is believed by some researchers to be a ban on card games in the city of [[Bern]] in 1367,<ref name="Peter F. Kopp 1973 pp. 130">Peter F. Kopp: Die frühesten Spielkarten in der Schweiz. In: Zeitschrift für schweizerische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte 30 (1973), pp. 130–145, here 130.</ref><ref>Timothy B. Husband: The World in Play. Luxury Cards 1430–1540. Metropolitan Museum of Art 2016, S. 13.</ref> but this source is disputed as the earliest copy available dates to 1398 and may have been amended.<ref name="Hellmut Rosenfeld 1975 pp. 179">Hellmut Rosenfeld: Zu den frühesten Spielkarten in der Schweiz. Eine Entgegnung. In: Zeitschrift für schweizerische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte 32 (1975), pp. 179–180.</ref><ref name="trionfi.com">{{cite web| url = http://trionfi.com/0/p/01/| title = Early Prohibitions of Playing Cards (Trionfi.com)}}</ref>{{sfn|Dummett|1980|pp=11-13}} Generally accepted as the first Italian reference is a [[Republic of Florence|Florentine]] ban dating to 1377.<ref name="Peter F. Kopp 1973 pp. 130"/><ref name="Hellmut Rosenfeld 1975 pp. 179"/><ref>[[Detlef Hoffmann]]: Kultur- und Kunstgeschichte der Spielkarte. Marburg: Jonas Verlag 1995, p. 43.</ref> Also appearing in 1377 was the treatise by [[John of Rheinfelden]], in which he describes playing cards and their moral meaning.<ref name="trionfi_p10">{{cite web|title=Johannes of Rheinfelden, 1377 |website=Trionfi |url=http://trionfi.com/0/p/10/ |access-date=2015-09-28 |language=en}}</ref>  From this year onwards more and more records (usually bans) of playing cards occur,<ref>Wilhelm Ludwig Schreiber: ''Die ältesten Spielkarten und die auf das Kartenspiel Bezug habenden Urkunden des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts''. Heitz, Straßburg 1937.</ref><ref name="trionfi.com"/> first appearing in England as early as 1413.{{sfn|Depaulis|2013|pp=165–169}}

Among the early patterns of playing card were those derived from the Mamluk suits of cups, coins, swords, and polo sticks, which are still used in traditional [[Latin-suited|Latin decks]].<ref>[[Donald Laycock]] in ''Skeptical—a Handbook of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal'', ed [[Donald Laycock]], [[David Vernon (writer)|David Vernon]], [[Colin Groves]], [[Simon Brown (author)|Simon Brown]], Imagecraft, Canberra, 1989, {{ISBN|0-7316-5794-2}}, p. 67</ref> As [[polo]] was an obscure sport to Europeans then, the polo-sticks became batons or cudgels.<ref>[http://l-pollett.tripod.com/cards77.htm Andy's Playing Cards - The Tarot And Other Early Cards - page XVII - the moorish deck]. L-pollett.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2015-05-10.</ref> In addition to Catalonia in 1371, the presence of playing cards is attested in 1377 in [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Switzerland]], and 1380 in many locations including [[Florence]] and [[Paris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trionfi.com/0/p/01/|title=Tarot and its history|website=Trionfi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://trionfi.com/0/p/02/|title=Tarot and its history|website=Trionfi}}</ref><ref>J. Brunet i Bellet, ''Lo joch de naibs, naips o cartas'', Barcelona, 1886, quote in the ''"Diccionari de rims'' de 1371 : ''darrerament/per ensajar/de bandejar/los seus guarips/joch de nayps/de nit jugàvem'', see also [http://trionfi.com/0/p/28/ le site trionfi.com]</ref> Wide use of playing cards in Europe can, with some certainty, be traced from 1377 onward.<ref name="Banzhaf">{{Citation |last1=Banzhaf |first1=Hajo |title=Il Grande Libro dei Tarocchi |year=1994 |publisher=Hermes Edizioni |location=Roma |language=it |isbn=978-88-7938-047-8 |pages=16, 192}}</ref>

In the account books of [[Joanna, Duchess of Brabant|Johanna, Duchess of Brabant]] and [[Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg]], an entry dated May 14, 1379, by receiver general of Brabant Renier Hollander reads: "Given to Monsieur and Madame four peters and two florins, worth eight and a half sheep, for the purchase of packs of cards".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Guiffrey|first=Jules|date=1871|title=Recherches sur les cartes à jouer et sur leur fabrication en Belgique depuis 1379 jusqu'à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, par Alexandre Pinchar.|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/bec_0373-6237_1871_num_32_1_446412|journal=Bibliothèque de l'École des chartes|volume=32|issue=1|pages=198–199}}</ref> In his book of accounts for 1392 or 1393, Charles or Charbot Poupart, treasurer of the household of [[Charles VI of France]], records payment for the painting of three sets of cards.<ref>Olmert, Michael (1996). ''Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History'', p.135. Simon & Schuster, New York. {{ISBN|0-684-80164-7}}.</ref>

From about 1418 to 1450<ref name="trionfi20">{{cite web|url=http://trionfi.com/0/p/20/|title=Early Card painters and Printers in Germany, Austria and Flandern (14th and 15th century)|website=Trionfi}}</ref> professional card makers in [[Ulm]], [[Nuremberg]], and [[Augsburg]] created printed decks. Playing cards even competed with devotional images as the most common uses for [[woodcut]]s in this period. Most early woodcuts of all types were coloured after printing, either by hand or, from about 1450 onwards, [[stencil]]s. These 15th-century playing cards were probably painted. The [[Flemish Hunting Deck]], held by the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], is the oldest complete set of ordinary playing cards made in Europe from the 15th century.<ref name=label>{{cite web |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/475513?=&imgno=0&tabname=label |title=The Cloisters Playing Cards, ca. 1475–80 |publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] |access-date=19 May 2015}}</ref>

As cards spread from Italy to Germanic countries, the Latin suits were replaced with the suits of leaves (or shields), hearts (or roses), bells, and acorns. France initially used Latin-suited cards and the [[Aluette]] pack used today in western France may be a relic of that time, but around 1480, French card manufacturers, perhaps in order to facilitate mass production, went over to very much simplified versions of the German suit symbols. A combination of Latin and Germanic suit pictures and names resulted in the French suits of {{lang|fr|trèfles}} (clovers), {{lang|fr|carreaux}} (tiles), {{lang|fr|cœurs}} (hearts), and {{lang|fr|piques}} (pikes) around 1480. The ''trèfle'' (clover) was probably derived from the acorn and the {{lang|fr|pique}} (pike) from the leaf of the German suits. The names {{lang|fr|pique}} and ''spade'', however, may have derived from the sword ({{lang|fr|spade}}) of the Italian suits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trionfi.com/0/p/16/|title=Early Playing Cards Research|website=Trionfi|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> In England, the French suits were eventually used, although the earliest packs circulating may have had Latin suits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jducoeur.org/game-hist/seaan-cardhist.html|title=The Introduction of Playing-Cards to Europe|work=jducoeur.org}}</ref> This may account for why the English called the clovers "clubs" and the pikes "spades".

In the late 14th century, Europeans changed the Mamluk court cards to represent European royalty and attendants. In a description from 1377, the earliest courts were originally a seated "[[King (playing card)|king]]", an upper [[marshal]] that held his suit symbol up, and a lower marshal that held it down.<ref>[http://i-p-c-s.org/history.html History of Playing-Cards] at [[International Playing-Card Society]] website</ref><ref>Wintle, Simon. [http://www.wopc.co.uk/history/earlyrefs Early references to Playing Cards] at World of Playing Cards.</ref> The latter two correspond with the [[Ober (playing card)|''Ober'']] and [[Unter (playing card)|''Unter'']] cards still found today in [[German playing cards|German]] and [[Swiss playing cards]]. The Italians and Iberians replaced the {{lang|de|Ober}}/{{lang|de|Unter}} system with the "[[Knight (playing card)|Knight]]" and [[Jack (playing card)|"{{lang|it|Fante|nocat=y}}" or "{{lang|es|Sota|nocat=y}}"]] before 1390, perhaps to make the cards more visually distinguishable.

In England, the lowest court card was called the "[[Knave (playing card)|knave]]" which originally meant ''male child'' (compare German {{lang|de|Knabe}}), so in this context the character could represent the "[[prince]]", son to the king and queen; the meaning ''servant'' developed later.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barrington|first=Daines|author-link=Daines Barrington|title=Archaeologia, or, Miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity|volume=8|year=1787|publisher=[[Society of Antiquaries of London]]|page=141}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=2|year=1989|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England |chapter=knave, n, 2|title-link=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref> [[Queen (playing card)|Queen]]s appeared sporadically in packs as early as 1377, especially in Germany. Although the Germans abandoned the queen before the 1500s, the French permanently picked it up and placed it under the king.

In 1628, the Mistery of Makers of Playing Cards of the City of London  (now the [[Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards]]) was incorporated under a [[royal charter]] by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]; the Company received [[Livery company|livery status]] from the [[Court of Aldermen]] of the [[City of London]] in 1792.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://makersofplayingcards.org|title= A Brief company history|website=www.makersofplayingcards.org|access-date= 7 December 2020}}</ref> The Company still exists today, having expanded its member ranks to include "card makers... card collectors, dealers, bridge players, [and] magicians".<ref name="wcmp">{{cite web |title=Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards |url=http://www.makersofplayingcards.co.uk/ |website=Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards |access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref>

During the mid 16th century, Portuguese traders introduced playing cards to Japan. The first indigenous Japanese deck was the {{lang|ja|[[Karuta#Early Karuta|Tenshō karuta]]}} named after the [[Tenshō (Momoyama period)|{{lang|ja|Tenshō|nocat=y}} period]].<ref>[http://l-pollett.tripod.com/cards9.htm Andy's Playing Cards - Japanese and Korean Cards]. L-pollett.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2015-05-10.</ref>