King

King Karol for Casino logo
Card deck appeared in China in the VIII century during the reign of the Tang dynasty.
The time when the card deck appeared in Europe is also uncertain. Most historians agree that most likely they were brought along by crusaders in the XI-XIII century. However, it is possible that playing cards appeared as a result of the Saracens invasion of Italy in the X century. Nonetheless, in 1254, Louis the Holy published an edict that forbade card games in France under penalty of a whip.

In Europe, the Arabic original has undergone considerable processing, since the Koran forbade the faithful to draw images of people. Presumably, France was the birthplace of the cards with kings, queens, and squires likenesses. There Charles VI asked his painters to add the mentioned figures to the cards.