A game with six centuries of history

History of Tarock

Tarock began as an innovative Renaissance card game and travelled across Europe long before its cards were associated with divination.

1430–1450

Born in northern Italy

Tarock emerged in northern Italy in the first half of the fifteenth century. Its exact birthplace is unknown; Milan, Ferrara and Bologna are among the most likely centres. The earliest reliable references date from the 1440s and 1450s.

15th century

From trionfi to tarocchi

The game was first known as trionfi, or triumphs. A special group of stronger cards—the ancestors of today's tarocks or trumps—was added to the ordinary four-suit deck. The Italian tarocchi later became tarot in French and Tarock in German.

16th–19th century

Across Central Europe

From Italy the game spread to France, the German-speaking lands and the Habsburg monarchy. Slovenian Tarock as played today belongs to the later Central European and Austrian tradition of the 54-card game.

Late 18th century

A game before divination

Tarock was created as a social trick-taking game, not for fortune-telling. The use of tarot cards for divination appeared only much later, in France toward the end of the eighteenth century.

Sources and further reading

01 Metropolitan Museum of Art 02 International Playing-Card Society 03 Victoria and Albert Museum