Spread of Playing Cards

Timeline

1. 1371–1374Florence · TuscanyIn the taverns and squares of cities like Florence, games such as 'napoli' were popular, with cards distinguished by four suits of coins, cups, swords, and batons. Hand-painted faces were brightly colored, and some wealthy families commissioned gilded, decorated decks; cards became a common medium for civic sociability and gambling.
2. 1374–1377Barcelona · CataloniaDocuments from Catalonia and Castile record card games and gambling, with the Church and municipal authorities occasionally issuing prohibitions. In the 1370s the Spanish deck developed suits and court cards different from the Italian ones, so the spread of cards showed regional differentiation.
3. 1377–1380Nuremberg · FranconiaGerman craftsmen printed cards from woodblocks, lowering costs and further popularizing card games. In the late 1370s, card workshops in Nuremberg, Augsburg, and other cities supplied Central Europe, extending the spread of playing cards from the Mediterranean coast to the Rhine and Danube basins.