The tarot deck you know was born from an Italian conquest
In short: Before it became a tool for mysticism, the Tarot de Marseille was a staple of 17th-century social life. Its journey from Milanese origins to French popularity reveals how war, economic depression, and religious tension shaped the very symbols we recognize today.
The Tarot de Marseille is not an ancient relic but a product of migration. Research by Michael Dummett suggests the tarot pack was invented in northern Italy during the early 15th century. It only entered southern France around 1499, following French conquests of Milan and Piedmont. While it became a cornerstone of French card culture in the 17th and 18th centuries, its design is a descendant of the 'Milan–Marseilles' type, which influenced nearly all Italian-suited decks except for specific early Belgian and French variations.
The deck’s iconography is steeped in historical transition. The abstract shapes of the swords and batons are actually echoes of Mamluk playing cards, where they represented scimitars and polo mallets. Interestingly, the name 'Tarot de Marseille' is relatively modern; it was coined in 1856 by historian Romain Merlin and popularized by occultists like Eliphas Levi to describe a variety of related designs produced in the southern French manufacturing hub.
The deck has also served as a canvas for religious and political navigation. For example, the 'Tarot of Besançon' variant emerged in the early 18th century to replace controversial images—like the Pope and Popess—with pagan figures like Juno and Jupiter to satisfy Catholic residents near Protestant borders. Similarly, during the French Revolution, certain cards were swapped out for Grandfather and Grandmother figures to avoid controversy, proving that even these 'timeless' symbols have always been subject to the shifting tides of human politics.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Tarot of Marseilles
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