When Was French Tarot Invented?

France was one of the first two countries outside Italy to start playing tarot, with Switzerland being the other. Tarot cards were first introduced in France during the period of French domination by the duchy of Milan in the early fifteenth century. The first Marseille Tarot decks were engraved wooden boards. In 1781, French Freemason and former Protestant minister Antoine Court de Gebelin published a complex analysis of the Tarot, revealing that the symbolism in the Tarot was derived from ancient Egypt, Kabbalah, the Indic Tantra, or I Ching.

Tarot cards were initially used for playing games and as a status symbol, but their association with occult and divination practices began to emerge in the late 18th century. French occultist Jean de Marseille developed the tarot deck from the 16th century onward, featuring suits like hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs. The adaptation of tarots to occult and fortune-telling purposes first occurred in France around 1780.

The French suit symbols we use today (diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades) were introduced into France in the early 16th century due to the First and Second Italian Wars (1494–1522). Etteilla’s tarot deck, published in 1789, was the year the French Revolution began. The earliest French-suited tarot decks were made by the de Poilly family of engravers, beginning with a Minchiate deck by François de Poilly in the late 1650s.

The use of the Tarot deck for Cartomancy dates back to the 1780s, several decades later. The first known Tarot game was played in Southern France when Brad and his partner were cycling.

What is the difference between tarot and French Tarot?

French Tarot, also known as jeu de Tarot in France, is a card game that originated in Europe around the end of the 14th century and may have been introduced first through Italy or Catalonia. Tarot cards were first mentioned in Italy in the mid-15th century, initially called trionfi, meaning “triumph”, and later called tarocchi as the idea of trumps spread to other card games. The game was introduced into France in the early 16th century as a result of the First and Second Italian Wars (1494–1522) and is widely recorded in French literature of that century. By 1622, it had become more popular in France than chess, with the earliest account appearing around 1637 in Nevers.

The game is a three-player, 78-card game played with an Italian-suited pack, with the Fool acting as an Excuse and the suits ranking in their original order. This ranking is retained in all Tarot games today except in France and Sicily. In France, Tarot remained in vogue until 1650, but its popularity steadily waned, with it being barely played outside the Provence region in the 18th century.

What culture are tarot cards from?

Tarot cards, originating in Europe during the mid-15th century, have been a fascinating tool for personal growth and divination. The earliest known tarot-like cards were created in Italy and used to play a game called tarocchi, similar to bridge. These early decks, such as the Visconti-Sforza deck, were hand-painted and commissioned by wealthy families as a symbol of their status. The history of tarot cards is a fascinating journey, examining its origins, symbolism, and interpretations throughout history.

The Major Arcana reveals universal archetypes, while the Minor Arcana focuses on everyday matters and personal experiences. The evolution of tarot from occultism to personal growth is explored, with a focus on accessibility and online communities. The art of tarot reading is also discussed, with a focus on finding personal connections and Symbolic Resonance. The timeless magic of tarot cards continues to captivate people’s imaginations and serve as a powerful tool for personal growth and divination.

What is the oldest known tarot spread?

Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy where practitioners use tarot cards to gain insight into the past, present, or future. The first to assign divinatory meanings to tarot cards was cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette (also known as Etteilla) in 1783. A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards, divided into the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. French-suited playing cards can also be used. The first written references to tarot packs occurred between 1440 and 1450 in northern Italy, where additional cards with allegorical illustrations were added to the common four-suit pack.

These new packs were called carte da trionfi, triumph packs, and the additional cards known simply as trionfi, which became “trumps” in English. One of the earliest references to tarot triumphs is given c. 1450–1470 by a Dominican preacher in a sermon against dice, playing cards, and ‘triumphs’. References to the tarot as a social plague or exempt from bans that affected other games continue throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, but there are no indications that the cards were used for anything but games.

What is tarot in French?

The masculine noun /taʀo/ (cartes) les tarots is used in a multitude of languages, including English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Arabic, Bangali, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Marathi, Russian, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

What is the oldest form of tarot?

French-suited tarot decks are the oldest decks used for the Tarot, which originated in Europe around the mid-15th century. These cards were used for card games such as Tarocchini and later evolved into a family of games including German Grosstarok and modern games like French Tarot and Austrian Königrufen. In the late 18th century, French occultists made claims about their history and meaning, leading to the emergence of custom decks for divination via tarot card reading and cartomancy.

Tarot has four suits that vary by region: French suits are used in western, central, and eastern Europe, and Latin suits in southern Europe. Each suit has 14 cards, including ten pip cards and four face cards. The tarot also has a separate 21-card trump suit and a single card known as the Fool. The Fool may act as the top trump or be played to avoid following suit.

The use of tarot playing cards was once widespread across Europe except the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula. However, they experienced a renaissance in some countries and regions, such as France, where French Tarot became the second most popular card game in France in 1973. Tarock games like Königrufen have experienced significant growth in Austria, with international tournaments held with other nations, especially those from eastern Europe.

Denmark is the only Scandinavian country that still plays tarot games, with Danish Tarok being a derivative of historical German Grosstarock. Italy continues to play regionally popular games with distinctive Tarot packs, such as Ottocento in Bologna and Sicilian Tarocchi in parts of Sicily. Troccas and Troggu are still played locally in parts of Switzerland.

When was the first tarot invented?

Tarot decks were invented in Italy in the 1430s, adding a fifth suit of 21 specially illustrated cards called trionfi (“triumphs”) and an odd card called il matto (“the fool”). These cards bore Italian suitmarks and belonged to an experimental period of card design when queens were often added to the series of court cards previously consisting of only a king and two male figures. In standard cards, the four figures were subsequently reduced to three again by suppressing the queen, except in French cards, which suppressed the cavalier (knight).

The trionfi each bore a different allegorical illustration instead of a common suitmark, possibly representing characters in medieval reenactments of Roman triumphal processions. They were originally unnumbered, so it was necessary to remember their order. When added to the pack, trionfi functioned as a suit superior in power to the other four, acting as a suit of triumphs or “trumps”.

Which is the strongest tarot card?

The Fool is a card in tarot games, not part of the Major Arcana. In most games, the Fool is independent of both plain suit cards and trump cards, and does not belong to either category. Tarot decks originally made for game playing do not assign a number to the Fool indicating its rank in the suit of trumps. The Fool is one of the most valuable cards in almost all tarot games.

In tarot games originating from Italy and France, the Fool has a unique role, sometimes called “the Excuse”. In these games, the player excuses the player from following suit or playing a trump. At the end of the trick, the player takes back the Fool and adds it to their trick pile, giving the trick’s winner the least valuable card from that same pile. If there are no cards to give in exchange, the Fool is worth one point less and an extra point is given to the trick-taker.

In a minor variant option of French tarot, a player dealt trump 1 but with no other trumps or the Fool can make trump 1 behave the same as the Fool. In official tournament rules, a player in this situation must declare their hand and force a redeal.

Where was tarot born?

Tarot cards, originating in Italy, have been used in card games throughout Europe. The decks have been modified by different regions and the rules of the games have remained consistent. There are various Tarot games played in Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland, with slight differences in rules. Although not widely popular in English-speaking regions, they are still widely played in Italy and France.

French Tarot, one of the most popular games, uses the full 78-card deck, including 14 cards of each suit, 21 trumps, and the fool. The goal is to earn the most points by capturing cards in a series of tricks, usually by playing a higher card than the rest of the players.

When was French tarot invented?

Tarot, a card game, was introduced into France in the early 16th century due to the First and Second Italian Wars. It became more popular in France than chess by 1622, with the earliest account appearing around 1637 in Nevers. Tarot is a three-player, 78-card game played with an Italian-suited pack, with the Fool acting as an Excuse. The suits rank in their original order, with numeral cards in the suits of Cups and Coins from Ace (high) to Ten (low).

In France, Tarot remained popular until 1650, but its popularity declined by the 18th century. A revival occurred in the late 18th and 19th centuries, with the original Italian-suited cards replaced by French designs, particularly the Tarot Nouveau. Napoleon’s troops introduced Tarot in the form of Droggn into Austrian Tyrol, and French soldiers were issued Tarot packs during the Franco-Prussian War, First World War, and Algerian War.

The French Tarot Federation was formed in 1973, and by the late 20th century, Tarot had become the second-most popular card game in France, trailing Belote. The game’s persistence can be attributed to its consistent rules, although details of play outside of officially sanctioned tournaments may vary.

When was French Tarot invented?

Tarot, a card game, was introduced into France in the early 16th century due to the First and Second Italian Wars. It became more popular in France than chess by 1622, with the earliest account appearing around 1637 in Nevers. Tarot is a three-player, 78-card game played with an Italian-suited pack, with the Fool acting as an Excuse. The suits rank in their original order, with numeral cards in the suits of Cups and Coins from Ace (high) to Ten (low).

In France, Tarot remained popular until 1650, but its popularity declined by the 18th century. A revival occurred in the late 18th and 19th centuries, with the original Italian-suited cards replaced by French designs, particularly the Tarot Nouveau. Napoleon’s troops introduced Tarot in the form of Droggn into Austrian Tyrol, and French soldiers were issued Tarot packs during the Franco-Prussian War, First World War, and Algerian War.

The French Tarot Federation was formed in 1973, and by the late 20th century, Tarot had become the second-most popular card game in France, trailing Belote. The game’s persistence can be attributed to its consistent rules, although details of play outside of officially sanctioned tournaments may vary.

What is the most popular tarot?

The Rider Waite Smith Tarot is a popular deck for tarot card reading, first published by the Rider Company in 1909. It was based on the instructions of academic and mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The deck has been published in numerous editions and inspired a wide array of variants and imitations. Over 100 million copies circulate across 20 countries.

The images in the deck are simple but feature abundant symbolism. Some imagery remains similar to earlier decks, but overall, the Waite-Smith card designs are substantially different from their predecessors. Christian imagery was removed from some cards and added to others, such as the “Papess” becoming the “High Priestess” and the “Lovers” card resembling naked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Minor Arcana is illustrated with allegorical scenes by Smith, unlike earlier decks.

Symbols and imagery in the deck were influenced by 19th-century magician and occultist Eliphas Levi and the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. To accommodate astrological correspondences taught by the Golden Dawn, Waite introduced several innovations to the deck, such as changing the order of the Strength and Justice cards to correspond with Leo and Libra, and based the Lovers card on Italian tarot decks.