Playing cards emerged in 9th century China. Ancient Chinese "money
cards" have four "suits": coins (or cash), strings of coins (which may have
been misinterpreted as sticks from crude drawings), myriads of strings,
and tens of myriads. These were represented by ideograms, with
numerals of 2–9 in the first three suits and numerals 1–9 in the "tens of
myriads". Wilkinson suggests that the first cards may have been actual
paper currency which were both the tools of gaming and the stakes being
played for.
Rouen court cards traditional names
King of Spades: David
King of Hearts: Charlemagne
King of Diamonds: Caesar
King of Clubs: Alexander
Queen of Spades: Pallas
Queen of Hearts: Rachel
Queen of Diamonds: Argine
Queen of Clubs: Judith
Knave of Spades: Hector
Knave of Hearts: La Hire
Knave of Diamonds: Ogier the Dane
Knave of Clubs: Judas Maccabeus
Paris court cards traditional names
King of Spades: David
King of Hearts: Charlemagne
King of Diamonds: Julius Caesar
King of Clubs: Alexander the Great
Queen of Spades: Pallas
Queen of Hearts: Judith
Queen of Diamonds: Rachel
Queen of Clubs: Argine (origin Italian, meaning river bank; possibly an anagram of regina, which is Latin for queen)
Knave of Spades: Ogier the Dane/Holger Danske (a knight of Charlemagne)
Knave of Hearts: La Hire (comrade-in-arms to Joan of Arc)
Knave of Diamonds: Hector
Knave of Clubs: Judas Maccabeus
An Indian origin for playing cards has been suggested by the resemblance
of symbols on some early European decks (traditional Sicilian cards, for
example) to the ring, sword, cup, and baton classically depicted in the
four hands of Indian statues.
but modern research leads to the supposition that the word rendered
cards has often been mistranslated or interpolated.
In early games the kings were always the highest card in their suit.
However, as early as the late 14th century special significance began to
be placed on the nominally lowest card, now called the Ace, so that it
sometimes became the highest card and the Two, or Deuce, the lowest.
This concept may have been hastened in the late 17th century by the
French Revolution, where games began being played "ace high" as a
symbol of lower classes rising in power above the royalty.
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