The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes

In early seventeenth-century Europe, still troubled and wounded by the religious rifts originating in the Protestants Reformations, it is no wonder to see an English engraver transform an international political event such as the Twelve Years Truce into a victory of the Protestants against the Catho...

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Main Author: Gilles Bertheau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut du Monde Anglophone 2021-05-01
Series:Etudes Epistémè
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/12109
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author Gilles Bertheau
author_facet Gilles Bertheau
author_sort Gilles Bertheau
collection DOAJ
description In early seventeenth-century Europe, still troubled and wounded by the religious rifts originating in the Protestants Reformations, it is no wonder to see an English engraver transform an international political event such as the Twelve Years Truce into a victory of the Protestants against the Catholics. However, the use of the gaming metaphor (backgammon, cards and dice) in The Revells of Christendom complicates the interpretation of this satirical engraving, published when the contemporary English debates on the lawfulness of games of chance gave rise to many treatises. The presence of chance – symbolized by the three games represented there – compels us to question the vision of history underlying this engraving of Dutch origin, which went through several versions in England. The same questioning also arises in other engravings published in seventeenth-century Europe during the conflicts of the Thirty Years War and other later wars, the commercial motives of which vied with religious ones.
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spelling doaj-art-fbae959b903a4c378c3e0f95234b71982025-08-20T01:55:05ZengInstitut du Monde AnglophoneEtudes Epistémè1634-04502021-05-013910.4000/episteme.12109The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartesGilles BertheauIn early seventeenth-century Europe, still troubled and wounded by the religious rifts originating in the Protestants Reformations, it is no wonder to see an English engraver transform an international political event such as the Twelve Years Truce into a victory of the Protestants against the Catholics. However, the use of the gaming metaphor (backgammon, cards and dice) in The Revells of Christendom complicates the interpretation of this satirical engraving, published when the contemporary English debates on the lawfulness of games of chance gave rise to many treatises. The presence of chance – symbolized by the three games represented there – compels us to question the vision of history underlying this engraving of Dutch origin, which went through several versions in England. The same questioning also arises in other engravings published in seventeenth-century Europe during the conflicts of the Thirty Years War and other later wars, the commercial motives of which vied with religious ones.https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/12109satirepapacygamblingchessdiceThomas Cockson
spellingShingle Gilles Bertheau
The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
Etudes Epistémè
satire
papacy
gambling
chess
dice
Thomas Cockson
title The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
title_full The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
title_fullStr The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
title_full_unstemmed The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
title_short The Revells of Christendome (1609) ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
title_sort revells of christendome 1609 ou le dessous diplomatique des cartes
topic satire
papacy
gambling
chess
dice
Thomas Cockson
url https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/12109
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