Card Games

15th Century Burgundian Playing Cards – Metropolitan Museum of Art

The rules for the following medieval card games have been reconstructed by Master Michel Wolffauer and Justin du Coeur.

Laugh and Lie Down is pairing card game mentioned as early as 1522,  and described in Francis Willughby’s Volume of Plaies, c1665. It is the earliest known example of a game of the Fishing family, as Willughby rightly remarks, “There is no other game at cards that is anything a kin to this.” The name seems to come from the fact that the first player or two who “lays down” their cards is met with laughter from the others still in the game.

Gleek (sometimes spelled Gleeke, Gleke) is a trick taking card game mentioned in several publications during the first half of the 16th century. The earliest is known reference is from a book titled The chirche of the euyll men and women, published in 1522.

Losing Loadum (or Loosing Lodum or Lodam) can currently be traced back to at least 1586 where it is mentioned in the Earl of Leicester’s household account book. In 1591 it is mentioned in John Florio’s Second Fruites to be Gathered of Twelve Trees. The 1653 English translation of Francois Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel lists a game called “losing load him”, whereas the original French from 1535 lists “à qui gaigne perd”. This translates roughly to “who gains loses”; a description which fits this game, but does not positively identify it.

Viconti-Sforza Tarocchi Deck

Game of Tarot is a 15th Century trick taking game.