The history of solitaire

It was especially loved by ladies-in-waiting, who saw it as a perfect way to kill time. Interestingly, for exactly the same reason, at the same time as noble families, prisoners serving long sentences were also interested in the game.

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Where does the name solitaire come from?

There are many theories and even more guesses about the source of the name of this popular game. The most credible version seems to be that the word solitaire comes from the French patiance , meaning patience. An interchangeable term is solitary, derived from the French solitaire . Linguists indicate that the second version is more appropriate because of today's games   are single-player versions, and Patiance is a multiplayer variant of this entertainment popular in 19th-century England.

The history of solitaire in Poland

The beginnings of the history of solitaire in Poland are well known. It all began in the early 18th century, when continental European powers and Great Britain joined the Fourth Coalition against Napoleon's empire. Solitaire was then the favorite entertainment of the French Grande Armée, which, after defeating the Prussian army, crossed the Oder and took over the pre-partition territories of Poland. Under the Treaty of Tilsit, the Duchy of Warsaw was established there, where French soldiers were stationed until the fall of Napoleon. It was from them that Poles learned the history of solitaire and the art of the game .

Since then, this card game has never left our country and over the years it has gained more and more popularity. It was described for the first time in Polish in the book by Juliusz Wildt entitled Pasyanse, i.e. card games for both individuals and groups , published in 1881 in Krakow. The proof of the popularity of the card game in the Duchy of Warsaw are Juliusz Słowacki's letters to his mother, in which he described in detail the techniques and rules of the game.

How did solitaire gain popularity around the world?

In the case of other European countries, the situation was similar to that in Poland. French troops marching across the continent exerted a cultural influence on the inhabitants of both conquered and allied countries. In other regions of the world, however, the dominant factor contributing to the popularization of the game was not war, but trade. The British Empire, thanks to its network of colonies and dominions, had a large number of traveling merchants. While doing business with representatives of other continents, the British spread their own customs and entertainment.

Who are the most famous solitaire players in history?

The most famous Polish solitaire players , apart from Juliusz Słowacki, include Marshal Józef Piłsudski. At one time he developed a real addiction to arranging cards. He also taught this to his daughter Jadwiga, as well as to close officers who, when visiting the leader in his office, could often find him bent over a puzzle.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president of the United States of America during World War II, was also passionate about solitaire . According to Lech Pijanowski, author of the Game Guide published in Warsaw in 1972, the American leader most appreciated the variant of the game called Saint Helena, which he often played in the oval office.

The most famous solitaire player in the history of solitaire was Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor who was sent into exile in 1815. His lifelong prison was the island of Saint Helena, where in the last years of his life he apparently spent his time playing cards. The veracity of this story is now questioned, but many variants of the game, including one named after the place where the emperor died, will always be associated with him. Some even credit Napoleon with creating the original version of the game.

If you are interested in the history of solitaire, it is also worth taking a look at the rules of the game:

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