From ‘The World of Playing Cards’ : “Jeu des Drapeaux” is a game using a special pack in which the cards are depicted on banners carried by soldiers. These cards were issued in 1815 when the Emperor Napoleon I returned to France after a brief exile on Elba. The pack commemorates his greatest battles, and the cards illustrate his troops and those of his enemies. Hearts depict the French; spades show English, Scottish and Irish troops. The Germans are diamonds and the Russian soldiers are clubs.