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Charlemagne chessmen
The Charlemagne chessmen are a group of 11th century chess pieces made from ivory, now in the Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, France. In 1598 the set contained 30 pieces, but after the French Revolution only 16 pieces survived. Next to the Lewis chessmen, the set is thought to be the second-most important collection of medieval chess pieces in the world. It is one of the best-preserved sets of figures from the High Middle Ages.
The legend regarding the set states that these chessmen were given as a gift to Charlemagne by Caliph Harun al-Rashid, who was an avid chess player. The fact that the set displays elephants instead of bishops and chariots instead of rooks denotes a form of the Perso-Arabic game known as Shatranj, itself coming from the original Indian Chaturanga (which compound word means the 'Four Bodies' of the traditional army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots). If this story were true, it would be evidence that chess was played in Europe centuries earlier than previously thought. However, the ancient sources do not confirm the legend: in the book of anecdotes concerning the life of Charlemagne from the 880s by Notker the Stammerer, who describes the mission sent by Harun to Charlemagne in 802 AD, the list of gifts sent by the Caliph includes a (real) elephant and various other items but no set of chessmen, while Einhard's Life of Charlemagne and the Royal Frankish Annals provide also an arrival of an elephant named Abul-Abbas, again without mention of the chess pieces.
The other legend, according to which the game was a gift from the Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens (d. 803), lacks also of support. In fact, the pieces of the set were made at least two centuries later than this. Only the large elephant piece—the Elephant of Charlemagne—which was once treated as a part of the set, but is now recognized as a separate piece, of Indian origin (still interpreted as a Chaturanga or Shatranj piece), could have been given to Charlemagne together with the living elephant, since this single piece is dated to the 9th century.
There's another legend linking Charlemagne and the game of chess, located in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. According to the legend, Charlemagne was playing chess when he heard Roland's olifant. In the Museuf of Roncesvalles there's a reliquary resembling a chess-board (actually a 7x9 box) called Charlemagne's chess-board.
The set is estimated to have been made between 1050 and 1100 in Salerno, Italy. According to one historian, "The fact that these pieces are figurative representations of people and animals rather than abstract Islamic designs also suggest that they were made in Europe rather than imported from somewhere within the Caliphate."
Various theories concern its original owners. Possibly it was created for Robert Guiscard (died 1085), a Norman leader, or even for Pope Gregory VII. Later it was a gift to a French king, either Philip II or Philip III.
From the 13th to 18th centuries, the set was in the Treasury of Saint-Denis at Saint Denis Abbey near Paris. In 1598, the set was inventoried and stated to be a set of 30 pieces. In 1625, the set was first associated with Charlemagne in a report on the history of the abbey.
During the French Revolution, when property was confiscated from the clergy, only 16 of the 30 pieces survived and were stored at the Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale in 1794.
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Charlemagne chessmen
The Charlemagne chessmen are a group of 11th century chess pieces made from ivory, now in the Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, France. In 1598 the set contained 30 pieces, but after the French Revolution only 16 pieces survived. Next to the Lewis chessmen, the set is thought to be the second-most important collection of medieval chess pieces in the world. It is one of the best-preserved sets of figures from the High Middle Ages.
The legend regarding the set states that these chessmen were given as a gift to Charlemagne by Caliph Harun al-Rashid, who was an avid chess player. The fact that the set displays elephants instead of bishops and chariots instead of rooks denotes a form of the Perso-Arabic game known as Shatranj, itself coming from the original Indian Chaturanga (which compound word means the 'Four Bodies' of the traditional army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots). If this story were true, it would be evidence that chess was played in Europe centuries earlier than previously thought. However, the ancient sources do not confirm the legend: in the book of anecdotes concerning the life of Charlemagne from the 880s by Notker the Stammerer, who describes the mission sent by Harun to Charlemagne in 802 AD, the list of gifts sent by the Caliph includes a (real) elephant and various other items but no set of chessmen, while Einhard's Life of Charlemagne and the Royal Frankish Annals provide also an arrival of an elephant named Abul-Abbas, again without mention of the chess pieces.
The other legend, according to which the game was a gift from the Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens (d. 803), lacks also of support. In fact, the pieces of the set were made at least two centuries later than this. Only the large elephant piece—the Elephant of Charlemagne—which was once treated as a part of the set, but is now recognized as a separate piece, of Indian origin (still interpreted as a Chaturanga or Shatranj piece), could have been given to Charlemagne together with the living elephant, since this single piece is dated to the 9th century.
There's another legend linking Charlemagne and the game of chess, located in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. According to the legend, Charlemagne was playing chess when he heard Roland's olifant. In the Museuf of Roncesvalles there's a reliquary resembling a chess-board (actually a 7x9 box) called Charlemagne's chess-board.
The set is estimated to have been made between 1050 and 1100 in Salerno, Italy. According to one historian, "The fact that these pieces are figurative representations of people and animals rather than abstract Islamic designs also suggest that they were made in Europe rather than imported from somewhere within the Caliphate."
Various theories concern its original owners. Possibly it was created for Robert Guiscard (died 1085), a Norman leader, or even for Pope Gregory VII. Later it was a gift to a French king, either Philip II or Philip III.
From the 13th to 18th centuries, the set was in the Treasury of Saint-Denis at Saint Denis Abbey near Paris. In 1598, the set was inventoried and stated to be a set of 30 pieces. In 1625, the set was first associated with Charlemagne in a report on the history of the abbey.
During the French Revolution, when property was confiscated from the clergy, only 16 of the 30 pieces survived and were stored at the Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale in 1794.
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