Yesterday, I read Maurice Druon's historical novel 'The Iron King,' which is the first installment in the French author's popular series called 'The Accursed Kings.' Personally, I just love historical novels allowing me to take a glance at a world long since forgotten. Druon indeed was a great master of the written word. The intrigues of the royal court of those times depicted by the author are particularly interesting (almost breath-taking in their viciousness).
It was the reign of Phillip IV of France...Somewhere in the early middle ages...
The king had three sons and a daughter. The sons, Louis X, Phillip V and Charles IV, were all married to three princess rightfully accused of adultery. For their wrongdoing, two of the princesses were sentenced to eternal incarceration. When Phillip the Fair (they say that the guy was quite handsome) died, his son Louis X became king. Legend says that, seeking a convenient and rapid way to wash off the unfavorable reputation courtesy of his beloved wife and become a merry widower, the king sent a messenger to his imprisoned wife. The poor woman was found strangled the very next day after the visit.
You must be wondering what does this literature report have to do with the game of poker... Well, I must admit that the connection is quite loose: the guards at the Château-Gaillard castle where the queen (Louis X's wife) was held were playing some sort of a card game during their shifts...
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