When you think of a 15th-century card written for Valentine's Day, it makes you feel love is eternal! Read on to know more about the first card ever written for the day of love.
The oldest valentine card known to survive today is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, addressed to his wife in 1415 from his cell in the Tower of London after he was captured in the Battle of Agincourt. (The note of greeting is currently preserved in the British Library's manuscript collection in London.) Also originating in France is the first known Valentine's love letter. Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote it while jailed in the Tower of London after being taken by the English after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The love poem is addressed to his wife, Bonne of Armagnac, and has multiple endearing references to "Valentine": I've already fallen in love with you, my very sweet Valentine.
The English rendition of this French text reads, "I am already sick of love, My very sweet Valentine." Unfortunately, the Duke's wife passed away before she could read his letters of love to her from jail, and those letters are now preserved at the British Library.
The oldest known Valentine written in English can also be found in British Library. The letter, which dates back to 1477 and was penned by Marjorie Brews to her fiance John Paston, expresses undying love. Despite Margery's inability to persuade her father to boost her dowry, she nevertheless asks John to marry her by calling him her "right well-beloved Valentine." (In the 15th century, romance focused as much on everyday life as it did on sexual desire.) Fans of happy endings, rejoice: the pair ultimately tied the knot.
William Shakespeare's writings contain one of the oldest literary references to Valentine's Day. Shakespeare wrote several epic romances (like Romeo and Juliet), but the play he refers to in his Valentine's Day quote is about something entirely different: revenge. Ophelia sings the following to the King on Saint Valentine's Day in Hamlet, published about 1600: "Tomorrow is Saint St Patrick's day, All in the day bedtime." And I'll be your Valentine—a maid at your window. This Shakespearean line alludes to the popular idea of the period that the first lady a man sees on Valentine's Day will be his soul mate.
In the 1660s, when famed diarist Samuel Pepys mentioned Valentine's Day several times, upper-class Londoners saw the holiday more as harmless pleasure than a serious attempt to find love. Choosing Valentines at a Valentine's Day eve party in 1661 was "very lively," as described by Pepys, followed by the men of the party seeing their "Valentine" early the next morning. In the days that followed, the Valentines were showered with tokens of affection in the form of inexpensive presents. A few days following Valentine's Day, Pepys went shopping with his wife & Valentine, Mrs. Batten and bought her several pairs of gloves.
Something resembling the present Valentine's Day greeting card first appeared in the 1700s. Because ready-made cards weren't available yet, the earliest greeting cards were hand-made and were sent in secret by being slipped under the recipient's door. In the 18th century, the equivalent of today's concept books for greeting sentiments was printed poetic manuals full of advice for how to woo one's sweetheart.
