King (playing card)

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King (playing card)

The king is a playing card

Playing card

A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin card, or thin plastic, figured with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games....
with a picture of a king on it. The usual rank of a king is as if it were a 13, that is, above the queen

Queen (playing card)

The queen is a playing card with a picture of a queen on it. The usual rank of a queen is as if it were 12 .In the standard English playing card deck, the Queen and the other face cards represent no one in particular, although legend states the Queen of Hearts is a representation of Elizabeth of York, queen consort of Henry VII of England...
. In some games, the king is the highest-ranked card; in others, the ace

Ace

The word "ace" comes from the Old French word 'as' meaning 'a unit', from the name of a small Ancient Rome coin. It originally meant the side of a dice with only one mark, before it was a term for a playing card....
is higher. In pinochle

Pinochle

Pinochle , is a trick-taking game typically for two, three or four players and played with a 48 card deck. Derived from the card game Bezique, players score points by trick-taking and also by forming combinations of cards into Meld ....
, both the ace and the 10 rank higher than the king.

In the standard English playing card deck, the king and the other face cards represent no one in particular (though the king of hearts is sometimes referred to as the "suicide king" because he appears to be sticking his sword into his head; evidently, the king of hearts is also the only one of the kings without a moustache).

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Encyclopedia

The king is a playing card

Playing card

Queen (playing card)

Ace

Pinochle

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
during the Interregnum

Interregnum

An interregnum is a period of discontinuity of a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next , and the concepts of interregnum and Regent therefore overlap....
, when the English Restoration

English Restoration

The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored under Charles II of England after the Interregnum that followed the English Civil War....
came and the court began playing card games, the suits

Suit (cards)

In playing cards, a suit is one of several categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several symbols showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or in addition be indicated by the color printed on the card....
in an English deck came from the French deck, but without all of the lore.

For a period, starting in the 15th century, French playing-card manufacturers assigned to each of the court cards names taken from history or mythology. This practice had largely disappeared by the 19th century. The most common names for the kings were:

King of Spades: David
David

David , was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet ....
(a biblical king)
King of Hearts: Charles (presumably after Charlemagne
Charlemagne

Charlemagne was List of Frankish kings from 768 to his death. He expanded the Franks kingdoms into a Carolingian Empire that incorporated much of Western Europe and Central Europe....
)
King of Diamonds: Caesar
Caesar

Caesar or C?sar may refer to the following:...
(presumably after Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar

'Gaius Julius Caesar' , July 13, 100 BC ? March 15, 44 BC,) was a Roman Republic military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, dictator of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
)
King of Clubs: Alexander
Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
(king of Macedon
Macedon

Macedon or Macedonia was the name of a monarchy centred in the northernmost part of ancient Greece. The homeland of the ancient Macedonians, it was bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east....
)

King (playing card)

See also