An informative and welcoming site for Tarot History beginners, enthusiasts and scholars to explore the birth and development of tarot cards.
Home of the Tarot History Forum since 2008
Some starting points…
Explore how the card game of Tarot invented in the early 15th century has turned into one of the most popular forms of divination and mediums for creative expression.
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The Iconography and Order of Tarot Cards
Why these cards? Why this order? The cards are weird, aren’t they? Would you be able to quickly and easily memorise the order… continue
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Tarot is a Game of Triumphs
Francis Petrarch (1304 – 1374) was an early Italian Renaissance scholar and poet. One of his most influential series of poems were “I… continue
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Tarot is a Trick-Taking Game
Trick-taking games existed before Tarot Trick-taking card games have origins dating back to just before the emergence of Tarot, with Karnoffel in Germany… continue
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The Origin of Tarot Cards
Tarot cards were invented to play a new type of card game The game of Tarot originated in the 15th century and continues… continue
Explore the
Tarot History Forum
The Tarot History Website & Forum was established in 2008 as a comfortable and welcoming home for beginners, enthusiasts and scholars to explore the origin and development of Tarot Cards. If you’re curious to learn what we know, and what we don’t yet know, about the history of tarot cards, you’re most welcome here, we’d love to have you join in the discussions.
Forum Areas Include:
The Researcher’s Study (Documentation)
The Unicorn Terrace (Exploration)
Bianca’s Garden (Iconography)
The Exhibition Gallery (Comparison)
The Plush Parlor (Esoterica)
The Library (with several wings) (Resources)
and… the Private Rooms, (for Members Only).
Recommended Tarot History Websites
There are some excellent sites out there, we’d like you to know about them.
Rónán Ó Fearġaıl’s Tarot Website
Translations of French 19th-20th century occultist sources…
Sherryl E. Smith’s
Tarot Website
Sherryl E. Smith’s terrific Tarot History site, lots of content…
Andrea Vitali’s
Tarot Website
Andrea’s insightful and informative essays on Tarot studies…
Artisan Tarot
Exceptionally well made Tarot decks, many recreations of famous decks like the Dodal, Vieville and Noblet. Their Rosenwald is especially lovely…
MikeH’s Tarot History Essay Archive
Over 50 essays written by MikeH over the past 20 years…
Jean-Michel
David’s Website
Jean-Michel David has been a leading workshops on Tarot for decades…
Michael Hurst’s Tarot Website
Archive of Michael Hurst’s exceptional Tarot History site…
Hand-stencilled
Tarot card reproductions
Limited editions by Jean-Claude and Roxanne Flornoy
Artisanal Tarot cards on quality paper with gauche paints, hand-stencilled in very small batches. Available as 22 card decks or uncut sheets suitable for display. Want to have cards that look and felt like they were produced in the 1600s? Then look no further… Printed 78 card decks also available.
Huck’s Tarot
History Website
Huck’s website exploring the 5×14 theory & aspects of early Tarot…
Andy’s Playing Cards
Andy’s essays on Tarot History are a great place to start…
International Playing Cards Society
An essential resource for enthusiasts of Tarot and card games…
World of Playing Cards Website
Everything you ever wanted to know about Playing Cards & Tarot…
Tarot History Timeline
1215 First paper mills established in Italy, enabling later playing card production.
1342-1356 Boccaccio’s Amorosa Visione, includes triumphs of Wisdom, Glory, Wealth, Love, and Fortune accompanied by Death.
1356-1374 Petrarch writes poem I Trionfi, inspiring allegorical triumph processions later reflected in tarot imagery.
c.1365 Playing cards introduced to Europe via Islamic Mamluk cards.
1392 Gringonneur cards commissioned for Charles VI (later misattributed as early tarot).
1410s Marziano da Tortona’s game of sixteen gods (first game with a set of trumps).- 1420-1440 Earliest Italian carte da trionfi appear in Milan/Ferrara.
- 1440 First documented mention of carte da trionfi in Florence court records.
- 1440-1450 Increased trade of the new game, attested from Rome to Venice by 1453.
1450-1480 Tarot games flourish in northern Italian courts, with hand-painted luxury decks.
Late 15th centuryMinchiate, originally called Germini, a game like tarot with extended trumps.
Late 15th century Sola Busca and Boiardo decks created, showing experimental trump imagery.
Late 15th century Printing press enables mass production of playing cards, including Tarot.
Late 15th centuryThe Cary Sheet, an uncut sheet of cards showing earliest direct relationship to the Tarot de Marseilles.- 1503 Term Tarocchi first documented in Italian records, replacing trionfi.
- 1530s Tarocchi becomes common term in Italy; tarot spreads to France and Switzerland.
1589 Venetian Inquisition records mention a witchcraft spell featuring the Devil card in religious context.- 1637 First printed rules of Tarot game published in France.
Mid-1600s Belgian and Parisian patterns emerge; regional variations develop.
1660 Jean Noblet publishes early Tarot de Marseille Type 1 style deck in Paris.
1725 Governor of Bologna orders replacement of the four ‘Papi’ cards in Bologna with Moors.
1760 Nicolas Conver’s Tarot de Marseille becomes a popular French pattern.- Late 18th century Tarot’s popularity as a card game peaks across Europe.
1781 Court de Gébelin claims Egyptian origins for Tarot in Le Monde Primitif, sparking occult interest.
1788 Etteilla publishes first Tarot deck designed specifically for divination.
1850s Éliphas Lévi popularizes Tarot-Kabbalah correspondences and esoteric interpretations.
1888 Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn integrates Tarot into ritual magic and develops new symbolic systems.
1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck published, first to fully illustrate all pip cards.
1944 Aleister Crowley’s Book of Thoth completed (Thoth Tarot deck published 1969).
1960s–present Tarot experiences global revival, inspiring new decks and approaches in psychology, art, and self-development.
Exploring the Origins and Evolution
of Tarot Cards.
Contact us for inquiries and collaborations.
The Conversation
Continues
The Tarot History Forum welcomes beginners, enthusiasts and scholars to explore the incredibly rich history of Tarot cards. With over 18 years of contributions from visitors around the world.
1300+
Topics
The Tarot History Forum has over 1300 topics spread over 10 categories. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, start a new topic yourself!
24000+
Posts
The Tarot History Forum has almost 25,000 posts, starting in 2008, there’s a ton of information about the history of Tarot cards waiting to be explored.