Chess game of Charlemagne

The chess game of Charlemagne ( French: Le jeu d'échecs de Charlemagne or Jeu d'échecs dit de Charlemagne ) is the name given to sixteen chess pieces that are in the possession of the French National Library in Paris . For a long time they were associated with a legend about Charlemagne .

In fact, the ivory carvings were probably made in Salerno at the end of the 11th century , making them older than the Lewis chess pieces . Both sets of figures are considered to be the most important precious chess games that have come down from medieval Europe.

Legend of origin

As early as the 14th century it was said that Charlemagne owned a valuable chess game. Accordingly, on the occasion of his coronation as emperor in 800, Karl received a gift from Harun al-Raschid , the caliph of Baghdad. The fact that political relations existed between the famous rulers and that valuable gifts, such as the elephant Abul Abbas , were exchanged, forms a historical core of the legend. According to another version, the game was a gift from the Byzantine Empress Irene .

The ivory figures kept in the abbey of Saint-Denis were first associated with Charlemagne in 1625 in a report on the history of the abbey. The emperor had given the stones and a board made of the same material, which had since been lost, to the abbey. In fact, chess was still unknown in Europe at the time of Charles , and the chess pieces mentioned belong to a later period.

History of the Charlemagne game

The "Chess Game of Charlemagne" is one of the best-preserved sets of figures from the High Middle Ages . Research has identified southern Italy as the place of manufacture . The design and appearance of the jumpers and the peasant figure in terms of protective shields and nasal helmets date from 1080 to 1090. Of the Norman type, the military equipment shown resembles the soldiers on the Bayeux Tapestry , which was also made at the end of the 11th century. A certain similarity in style with the Lewis chess pieces produced in Norway after 1150 is recognizable. Further research also revealed evidence of Byzantine and Oriental influences.

figure	drawing	image	comment
king
Heel			later developed to the lady from
Alfil			later developed to the runners from
Jumper
tower
Farmer

The figures thus belong to the Norman-Sicilian style . Presumably they were carved in a workshop in Salerno. The city, located seventy kilometers southeast of Naples , was the main residence of the southern Italian Norman dukes during the period in question . The town's ivory workshops were famous; Finally, connections can be made between the Charlemagne game and other handicrafts from Salerno.

Regarding the client, obviously a politically powerful personality, one can only speculate. It is also unclear when and how the game of chess came into the possession of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. It is first mentioned in an inventory of the abbey in 1534. Of the originally up to 30 (of 32) figures, only sixteen had survived before the French Revolution . Church property was confiscated during the revolution, and so the "Chess Game of Charlemagne" became state property in 1793. Since then, the figures have been kept in the National Library's coin cabinet . Soon they aroused the interest of professionals. The pieces seemed to testify to the early spread of chess in Europe until a critical discussion about their origins began in the 19th century.

Description of the figures

The "Chess Game of Charlemagne" consists of detailed ivory carvings. In the current state the game consists of two kings , two queens , three chariots or towers , four knights , four elephants (instead of the modern bishops ) and a single pawn . Apart from the pawns and a rook, the game is complete.

The precious chess game was probably not intended for use. The unwieldy size of the figures, sometimes more than 15 centimeters, speaks against this. The kings weigh almost a kilogram. On some of the figures there are traces of red paint, which apparently contrasted with the white or gold on the other side. The opposing parties also show small differences in design.

The game comes from a time when the rules of chess differed significantly from today's. The queen moves one step diagonally, and the alfil or elephant, who later became a runner, moves two steps diagonally, whereby he can skip a piece. As the Paris chess game shows, in Europe the heel , the forerunner of the queen, was interpreted early on as a queen.

A characteristic of Norman-Sicilian art is a mixture of European, Arabic-Islamic and Byzantine styles. The foot soldiers (peasants) and knights (jumpers) show European pictorial forms. In addition to the elephants, the towers, which are designed as four-horse triumphs or chariots , show non-western influences . This refers to the medieval name of the figure, Roch , which is derived from the Indian word ratha for chariot. The original meaning of the word was not known in Western Europe, so the design of the figure can hardly be explained conclusively.

The "housing", which is elaborated with architectural details and emphasizes the king and queen, is peculiar. The carvings each show a semicircular pavilion with arcades on the back and a straight front in the form of a ciborium . In the scene, servants pull up a curtain on both sides, which previously shielded the appearance of the king or queen and the space behind. It is the revelation of the monarch, the climax of the Byzantine court ceremony .

the Indian king figure

The Indian king figure

Another valuable ivory figure that was one of the chess pieces in Saint-Denis is no longer included in the rest of the set of figures. The sculpture is finely worked out and shows a ruler enthroned on an elephant; next to and on the animal are other warriors, including two defeated enemy soldiers. The object, also known as the “Charlemagne King” in literature, was created under Indian influence in the 9th or 10th century. A kufic inscription indicates an Arab client. Due to its advanced age, the figure could theoretically be considered as a remnant of the legendary chess game. However, this consideration cannot be further substantiated. It is also controversial whether it is even a chess piece.

The Osnabrück chess game

Historically, the name has also appeared elsewhere. A “Chess game of Charlemagne” is kept in the cathedral treasury of the Diocese of Osnabrück . The fifteen rock crystal figures , which actually belong to several sets, date from the 10th to 12th centuries. The game is said to have counted 25 or 26 pieces in 1646. The game pieces were made in Arab workshops and imported to Central Europe as luxury goods .

Cultural dissemination and literary exploitation

The legend of Charlemagne's chess game proves to be tenacious, especially in the version with Harun al-Raschid it is reflected in popular representations to this day. It has even been speculated that the chess pieces may have been made from the tusks of the aforementioned elephant Abul Abbas. An imitation of the Parisian figures is available in toy shops.

Finally, literature took up the delightful subject. In the 1988 novel The Montglane Game - The Secret of Eight (original title "The Eight") by Katherine Neville, Charlemagne's chess game is the focus of the plot. It is excavated during the French Revolution in 1790 after being hidden in an abbey for a thousand years. So that the game, in which a key to power is supposed to be hidden, does not fall into the wrong hands, the abbess of Montglane has its parts scattered all over Europe.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Harold JR Murray: A History of Chess. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1913, pp. 758, 765 f. (Reprinted, special edition. Oxbow Books et al., Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-827403-3 ).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d “Le jeu d'échecs dit 'de Charlemagne'” - Presentation of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Tassilo von Heydebrand and the Lasa : The chess game Karl's the Great. Part One. In: Schachzeitung . Vol. 19, January 1864, pp. 1-7 and part two , February 1864, pp. 33-36.
↑ Reproduction from: Barthélemy de Basterot: Traité élémentaire du jeu des échecs. 2nd edition. Allouard, Paris 1863, pp. 89-93.
^ ^A ^b Hans Wichmann, Siegfried Wichmann : Schach. Origin and transformation of the character in twelve centuries. Callwey, Munich 1960, pp. 30 f., 288.
↑ In 1598 there should have been 30 figures, see: "The so-called Charlemagne Chessmen" .
^ Hans Wichmann, Siegfried Wichmann : Schach. Origin and transformation of the character in twelve centuries. Callwey, Munich 1960, pp. 16 ff., 281 f .; Illustration of the "pseudo-king" .
^ David Nicolle : Arms of the Umayyad Era: Military Technology in a Time of Change. In: Yaacov Lev (ed.): War and Society in the Eastern Mediterranean, 7th – 15th Centuries (= The Medieval Mediterranean. 9). Brill, Leiden et al. 1997, ISBN 90-04-10032-6 , pp. 9-100, here p. 44.
↑ Reference to the chess game associated with the Charles tradition, website of the Diocesan Museum .
↑ Image view of the Osnabrück figures , “Europe's center around 1000”, exhibition in the Reiss Museum Mannheim (2001/02); an older illustration in Harold JR Murray: A History of Chess. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1913, p. 767 (Reprinted, special edition. Oxbow Books et al., Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-827403-3 ), shows fifteen figures.
^ John M. Kistler: War Elephants. Foreword by Richard Lair. Frederick Prager, Westport CT et al. 2006, ISBN 0-275-98761-2 , p. 189.
↑ See: Charlemagne Themed Chess Set ( Memento from September 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Katherine Neville: The Montglane Game. Roman (= Goldmann. 44238). License issue. Goldmann, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-442-44238-9 ; on the content of the novel, see the English article The Eight (novel) .

literature

Hans Wichmann, Siegfried Wichmann : Chess. Origin and transformation of the character in twelve centuries. Callwey, Munich 1960.
Tassilo von Heydebrand and the Lasa : The chess game Karl's the Great. Part one in: chess newspaper . Vol. 19, January 1864, pp. 1-7 and part two , February 1864, pp. 33-36.

Web links

"Le jeu d'échecs dit 'de Charlemagne'" - Presentation of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (French)
"The so-called Charlemagne Chessmen" - images of the characters including the "pseudo-king" (English)

[murray-1] Harold JR Murray: A History of Chess. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1913, pp. 758, 765 f. (Reprinted, special edition. Oxbow Books et al., Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-827403-3 ).

[BNF-2] “Le jeu d'échecs dit 'de Charlemagne'” - Presentation of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

[Lasa-3] Tassilo von Heydebrand and the Lasa : The chess game Karl's the Great. Part One. In: Schachzeitung . Vol. 19, January 1864, pp. 1-7 and part two , February 1864, pp. 33-36.

[4] Reproduction from: Barthélemy de Basterot: Traité élémentaire du jeu des échecs. 2nd edition. Allouard, Paris 1863, pp. 89-93.

[Wichmann-5] A ^b Hans Wichmann, Siegfried Wichmann : Schach. Origin and transformation of the character in twelve centuries. Callwey, Munich 1960, pp. 30 f., 288.

[6] In 1598 there should have been 30 figures, see: "The so-called Charlemagne Chessmen" .

[7] Hans Wichmann, Siegfried Wichmann : Schach. Origin and transformation of the character in twelve centuries. Callwey, Munich 1960, pp. 16 ff., 281 f .; Illustration of the "pseudo-king" .

[8] David Nicolle : Arms of the Umayyad Era: Military Technology in a Time of Change. In: Yaacov Lev (ed.): War and Society in the Eastern Mediterranean, 7th – 15th Centuries (= The Medieval Mediterranean. 9). Brill, Leiden et al. 1997, ISBN 90-04-10032-6 , pp. 9-100, here p. 44.

[9] Reference to the chess game associated with the Charles tradition, website of the Diocesan Museum .

[10] Image view of the Osnabrück figures , “Europe's center around 1000”, exhibition in the Reiss Museum Mannheim (2001/02); an older illustration in Harold JR Murray: A History of Chess. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1913, p. 767 (Reprinted, special edition. Oxbow Books et al., Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-827403-3 ), shows fifteen figures.

[11] John M. Kistler: War Elephants. Foreword by Richard Lair. Frederick Prager, Westport CT et al. 2006, ISBN 0-275-98761-2 , p. 189.

[12] See: Charlemagne Themed Chess Set ( Memento from September 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

[13] Katherine Neville: The Montglane Game. Roman (= Goldmann. 44238). License issue. Goldmann, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-442-44238-9 ; on the content of the novel, see the English article The Eight (novel) .