Some people think that one of the playing cards with a picture of a king on it is, in fact, the portrait of Charles the Great although in pictures he was presented with a full beard and mustache.
In the deck of cards, king of hearts is the only king with no mustaches. Now, there are a few theories why that is the case.
The leading theory now is that this card was designed as a part of the poem.
Once upon a time there was a king …
The English legend says that the king once had four sons, whom he planned to divide the kingdom. And all the sons, except one, had mustaches.
He invited artists and asked them to paint all the sons, and then wrote a poem in which he stated that he would “omit the strange king” in the inheritance, which meant that the “barefaced” son would remain without his wealth.
Perhaps this is not true but is thought to be the origin of the idea of three kings with a mustache and one without them.
Alexander the Great and Charles the Great
There are those who consider bad press a culprit for the “strange” king theory, because he allegedly had mustaches in the beginning, and because of bad press they were lost. Some origins of such kings are seen in historical figures, such as Alexander the Great and Charles the Great, and it is said that the king of the hearts is the later one, although in the paintings he is represented with a full beard and mustache.
Standard English card games used today are derived from original French models that were produced in the 16th century. For the needs of mass production, the earliest cards were printed using wooden blocks.
CORRUPTION, WAR AND DEATH
Again, one theory says that the diamonds, clubs, and spades are associated with the corruption of wealth, war and death. On the other hand, the heart as a body organ is clean, open and does not carry anything artificial – so that is why we have a completely shaven king of hearts.
