The Unter, formerly Untermann, nicknamed the Wenzel, Wenz or Bauer, and (in Swiss) also called the Under, is the court card in German and

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-suited playing cards that corresponds to the Jack in French packs. The name ''Unter'' (lit.: "under") is an abbreviation of the former name for these cards, ''Untermann'', which meant something like 'subordinate' or 'vassal'. Van der Linde argues that the King, Ober and Unter in a pack of German cards represented the military ranks of general, officer (''Oberofficier'') and sergeant (''Unterofficier''), while the pip cards represented the common soldier. The Unter is distinguished from the ''

Ober Ober may refer to: * '' Ober'', a 2006 Dutch black comedy film * Ober (playing card), a playing card value in the German and Swiss decks of cards * Ober, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Oberek, a Polish dance Surname * Bailey Ober (born ...

'' (lit. "over", formerly ''Obermann'') by the fact that the suit sign is located in the lower part of the image on single-headed cards or in the centre of the image on double-headed cards. Unters or ''Untermänner'' were described soon after the introduction of playing cards in Europe. In 1377,

John of Rheinfelden John of Rheinfelden (german: Johannes von Rheinfelden), also Johannes Teuto and John of Basle (born c. 1340), was a Dominican friar and writer who published the oldest known description in Europe of playing cards. Life and works Brother John was ...

wrote that the lowest court card was a

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

(cavalry commander) who held his suit sign hanging down. It is likely that the horses were dropped to simplify production in the late 14th or early 15th centuries. In the

Spanish pack Spanish-suited playing cards or Spanish-suited cards have four suits, and a deck is usually made up of 40 or 48 cards (or even 50 by including two jokers). It is categorized as a Latin-suited deck and has strong similarities with the Italian- ...

, jacks are known as ''sota'' which also means "under", a vestigial remnant of their common origin. The most common motifs used to depict the Unter are simple knights or even farmers. Packs with four ''Unters'' are used in card games such as Skat,

Mau Mau Mau Mau may refer to: * The Kenya Land and Freedom Army, a Kenyan anti-colonial force ** The Mau Mau rebellion, uprising in Kenya in the 1950s * Mau Mau Island or White Island, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City * Mau Mau (game), a card game ...

, Bavarian Tarock and Schafkopf, while packs used in games such as Gaigel and Doppelkopf use eight ''Unters''. In Skat games using the German style cards, and in German Schafkopf, the ''Unters'' are the highest trump cards. The German nickname ''Bauer'' ("farmer") for the Unter has given rise to the name "Bower" for the Jack in certain English card games such as Euchre. Blumen-Unter (Meister der Spielkarten).png, Early example: Unter with flower design, mid-15th century Vogel-Unter (Meister der Spielkarten).png, Early example: Unter with bird design, mid-15th century Swiss card deck - 1850 - Under of Acorns.jpg, An Under of Acorns in a Swiss German pack, c. 1850, with the acorn near the bottom

References

Literature

* Campe, Joachim Heinrich (1811). "Der Untermann" in ''Woerterbuch der Deutschen Sprache'', Vol. 5, Brunswick. * * Van der Linde, Antonius (1874). ''Geschichte und Literatur des Schachspiels'', Vol. 2, Springer, Berlin.

External links

{{Playing card Playing cards Card game terminology