Play with the past: new card game 'Anjou' about the Anjou Bible

The Anjou Bible, a unique manuscript kept at KU Leuven, is the theme for a new card game: Anjou. Two or four players crawl into the role of the illustrator themselves and must create the most beautiful manuscript, using the original images from the Bible.

The Anjou Bible originates from the 14th century and is an exceptionally decorated manuscript. That gave Bram De Ridder, historical game designer, and postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven, the idea of developing a card game around it. "The players take on the role of medieval illuminators - the illustrators of the time - and try to outdo each other in creating the most beautiful manuscript," Bram explains. "They use cards with images taken from the Anjou Bible itself to do so. So you are actually playing with the past."

The link to KU Leuven was quickly established: not only does Bram conduct historical research there, but the Anjou Bible is also the medieval masterpiece of the Leuven Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. "It's a unique moment for me that the manuscript is the theme for a card game. As such, we can bring history into the living room in a fun way," says Professor of Miniature Art Lieve Watteeuw, who provided the historical context sketch to accompany the game. "To many people, the Middle Ages seem like a dark and gloomy period, but the beautiful images from the Anjou Bible prove that there was also room for fun and relaxation," adds Bram.