Huck
By a humble note in a Ferrarese account book from Ferrara 1423 ... :-(
"1423, adi VIIII de octobre
Giovani Bianchin de havere per uno paro de carte da VIII imperadori messe d'oro fino che elo fé vegnere da Fiorenza per Madona Marchexana, le quale have Zoexe famio de la dicta dona; costono fiorini 7, nove, e per spexe da Fiorenza a Ferrara soldi 6 de bolognini; in tuto valgono
..... L. XIIII.VI. de bolognini
Io Giovani Bianchini scripsi adi soprascripto"
luckily translated by Ross Gregory Caldwell ...
"1423, on the day 9 October Giovanni Bianchini to have for one pack of cards of VIII Emperors gilded, which was brought from Florence for Milady Marchesana (Parisina d'Este), which Zoesi * (name of the servant) servant of said Lady had; priced 7 florins, new, and for expenses (of the transport) from Florence to Ferrara 6 Bolognese soldi; in all valued
….. L. XIIII.VI. Bolognese
I Giovanni Bianchini wrote it on the above-written day."
... we do know of the existence of Imperatori cards in this year.
For the first time.
The cards must be a novelty, otherwise an import of Florence would be unlikely.
In 1426 we do hear from Noerdlingen in Germany for the first time the word "Karnoeffel" and it refers to a card game - not to a deck. It's the oldest mentioned card-game.
Around 70 years later the bishop Geiler from Kaisersberg informs us in an opposing speech, that Karnoeffel or Karniffelius is the same game as a Ludus Caesarum.
In 16th century the Kaiserspiel is the most played card game in Suisse.
So far ... Imperatori means Kaiser and the word Kaiser comes from Caesar, so somehow all is the same and one could call it also Karnoeffel. So one could think ...
No, not really, there is very small contradiction, and that is that humble sign "VIII" in this Ferrarese document. It signals, that the "Imperatori cards from Florence are a deck", not a game. But from Karnoeffel it is clear, that it is a game, which could be played with any ordinary playing card deck .... And from other documents, also from Ferrara, we really know, that this "being a deck" is really a deck and not a game.
A game with 8 cards ... that seems rather absurd. Well, probably these 8 cards were considered to be addded to a normal deck and then it makes logic: 52 or 56 normal cards + 8 special cards. And this 56 + 8 special cards are very near to the formula of the 5x14 deck (= 56 + 14) or 56 + 22, as everybody knows the Tarot game.
From the Karnoeffel game we do know from later sources, that it developed Insider names for normal cards: One, the 6 of heart was called Pope, another Karnoeffel, a third was the Devil and there are also 4 Kaisers, which means Emperors, occasionally there were not 4 Kaisers but only one plus "Oberstecher, Unterstecher and Farbenstecher". Names and figures, which we partly do know from the Tarot game. The Karnoeffel knows only 7 special figures, in the Ferrarese account book appears the number 8, but our incomplete rules-informations from 15th century (2 sources are of some value) also present contradictions, Karnoeffel probably soon developed modifications in the rules, so probably one figure dropped out of the Karnöffel-game or the Florence Imperatori version invented an 8th card, so probably this is not a contradiction.
It should be clear from the context, that ... probably ... Imperatori deck and Karnoeffel are not the same, but have the origin in common, otherwise the identity in name would be a crazy accident.
And why ... so might ask a sceptical reader ...
... let's see, it's late here, the follow up I tell you in night 1002 ...
slowly growing, but steadily, not ready of course, autorbis' works about the Imperatori deck, see:
http://trionfi.com/01/c/
"1423, adi VIIII de octobre
Giovani Bianchin de havere per uno paro de carte da VIII imperadori messe d'oro fino che elo fé vegnere da Fiorenza per Madona Marchexana, le quale have Zoexe famio de la dicta dona; costono fiorini 7, nove, e per spexe da Fiorenza a Ferrara soldi 6 de bolognini; in tuto valgono
..... L. XIIII.VI. de bolognini
Io Giovani Bianchini scripsi adi soprascripto"
luckily translated by Ross Gregory Caldwell ...
"1423, on the day 9 October Giovanni Bianchini to have for one pack of cards of VIII Emperors gilded, which was brought from Florence for Milady Marchesana (Parisina d'Este), which Zoesi * (name of the servant) servant of said Lady had; priced 7 florins, new, and for expenses (of the transport) from Florence to Ferrara 6 Bolognese soldi; in all valued
….. L. XIIII.VI. Bolognese
I Giovanni Bianchini wrote it on the above-written day."
... we do know of the existence of Imperatori cards in this year.
For the first time.
The cards must be a novelty, otherwise an import of Florence would be unlikely.
In 1426 we do hear from Noerdlingen in Germany for the first time the word "Karnoeffel" and it refers to a card game - not to a deck. It's the oldest mentioned card-game.
Around 70 years later the bishop Geiler from Kaisersberg informs us in an opposing speech, that Karnoeffel or Karniffelius is the same game as a Ludus Caesarum.
In 16th century the Kaiserspiel is the most played card game in Suisse.
So far ... Imperatori means Kaiser and the word Kaiser comes from Caesar, so somehow all is the same and one could call it also Karnoeffel. So one could think ...
No, not really, there is very small contradiction, and that is that humble sign "VIII" in this Ferrarese document. It signals, that the "Imperatori cards from Florence are a deck", not a game. But from Karnoeffel it is clear, that it is a game, which could be played with any ordinary playing card deck .... And from other documents, also from Ferrara, we really know, that this "being a deck" is really a deck and not a game.
A game with 8 cards ... that seems rather absurd. Well, probably these 8 cards were considered to be addded to a normal deck and then it makes logic: 52 or 56 normal cards + 8 special cards. And this 56 + 8 special cards are very near to the formula of the 5x14 deck (= 56 + 14) or 56 + 22, as everybody knows the Tarot game.
From the Karnoeffel game we do know from later sources, that it developed Insider names for normal cards: One, the 6 of heart was called Pope, another Karnoeffel, a third was the Devil and there are also 4 Kaisers, which means Emperors, occasionally there were not 4 Kaisers but only one plus "Oberstecher, Unterstecher and Farbenstecher". Names and figures, which we partly do know from the Tarot game. The Karnoeffel knows only 7 special figures, in the Ferrarese account book appears the number 8, but our incomplete rules-informations from 15th century (2 sources are of some value) also present contradictions, Karnoeffel probably soon developed modifications in the rules, so probably one figure dropped out of the Karnöffel-game or the Florence Imperatori version invented an 8th card, so probably this is not a contradiction.
It should be clear from the context, that ... probably ... Imperatori deck and Karnoeffel are not the same, but have the origin in common, otherwise the identity in name would be a crazy accident.
And why ... so might ask a sceptical reader ...
... let's see, it's late here, the follow up I tell you in night 1002 ...
slowly growing, but steadily, not ready of course, autorbis' works about the Imperatori deck, see:
http://trionfi.com/01/c/
