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THE COURTLY LOVE TRADITION

Troubadours travelling musicians 12th Century
songs of chivalry
courtly love
romantic ballads

Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine her son Richard the Lion

Heart.
she received the Troubadours at court and made courtly
love literature popular.

Click on the paper clip in the margin to read about the

background to Courtly Love.

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Troubadours
ThereweretwotypesofMedievalMusicianstheMinstrelsandtheTroubadours.Atroubadourwas
originallyatravellingmusician.TheearlyTroubadourstravelledfromonevillagetothenextandmany
alsotravelledabroad.SometravelledtothemajorcitiesofEuropewhilstothertroubadourstravelledto
theHolyLandaccompanyingthepeoplewhowentonCrusade.Thetravellingoftheearlytroubadours
allowedthemtospreadthelatestnews.ThethemesofthesongssungbytheTroubadoursmainlydealt
withchivalryandcourtlyloveromanticballads.Thetroubadourwouldplayforroyaltynobles.The
themesofthesongssungbytheTroubadoursalsodealtwithchivalryandcourtlylovebuttheyalsotold
storiesoffarlandsandhistoricalevents.
Troubadoursbecometheelite
Theroleofthetroubadourschangedtopartofanelitesocietyofroyaltyandnobles.Theseelite
TroubadoursoriginatedasaristocraticpoetandmusiciansofProvence,France.TravelintheMiddle
Ages,promptedbytheCrusades,ledtoanewandunprecedentedinterestinbeautifulobjects,elegant
manners,poetryandmusic.ManytroubadourswerenoblesandknightswhohadjoinedtheCrusades.The
aristocratictroubadourswerepoetswhooriginatedinthesouthofFrancewheretheywrotethelyricsin
Provencal(langued'oc).ThetroubadoursofthenorthofFrancewroteinFrench(langued'oil)andwere
calledcalledtrouvres.Thepoetryofthetroubadoursandthetrouvreswasinvariablylinkedwith
music.TheseelitetroubadoursevenincludednobilitysuchastheKingofNavarre,theKingofSpain
andKingRichardtheLionheartofEngland.RichardtheLionheartwasthesonofEleanorofAquitaine
<http://www.middleages.org.uk/eleanorofaquitaine.htm>whowasoneofthegreatestpatronsof
MusicandtheTroubadoursoftheMiddleAges.

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QueenEleanorofAquitaineandtheTroubadours
EleanorofAquitainewasthegranddaughterofWilliamIXofAquitaine.Hergrandfatherwasthefirst
influentialpatronofthearistocraticmusicofthetroubadours.HerfatherwasWilliamXcontinuedto
patronizethemusicandpoetryofthetroubadours.ItwasonlynaturalthatEleanorofAquitainewould
continueinthistradition.EleanorofAquitainemarriedKingHenryII<http://www.middle
ages.org.uk/kinghenryii.htm>on18May1152.SheencouragedtheTroubadoursandreceivedthematthe
Englishcourt.ThetraditionandartsoftheTroubadourssoonbecamepartoftheEnglishcultureandher
son,RichardtheLionheartbecameoneofthesearistocratictroubadoursandhisstoryhasincludedthe
legendofBlondel.
FamousTroubadours
TheelitetroubadoursincludedmanyfamousandinfluentialmenoftheMiddleAges.Themostfamous
troubadoursincluded:
KingRichardIofEngland(theLionheart)
KingThibautIVofNavarre
KingAlfonsoXofCastileandLen
JaufrRudeldeBlaia
BernartdeVentadorn
PeireVidal
RaimbautdeVaqueiras
FolquetdeMarseille(archbishopofToulouse)
BertranddeBorn
ArnautDaniel
GaucelmFaidit
RaimondeMiraval
ArnautdeMareuil
GuirautRiquier.

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Jongleurs
Thejongleurswereoftencollaboratorsorassistantsoftroubadoursortrouveres.Jongleursgaineda
reputationofitinerantentertainersoftheMiddleAgesinFranceandNormanEngland.Theirrepertoire
includedextravagantskillsindancing,conjuring,acrobatics,andjuggling.TheJongleursalsoplayeda
partinsinging,andstorytelling.Manywereskilledinplayingmusicalinstruments,althoughtheirskills
werenotgreatlyrecognisedorrewarded.
TheTroubadoursandCourtlyLove
Theidealsofcourtlylovewaspublicisedinthepoems,ballads,writingsandliteraryworksofvarious
authorsoftheMiddleAgesandsungbyTroubadours.GeoffreyChaucer,themostfamousauthorofthe
MiddleAges,wrotestoriesaboutcourtlyloveintheCanterburyTales.TheTroubadoursoftheMiddle
Agessangballadsaboutcourtlyloveandwereexpectedtomemorizethewordsoflongpoemsdescribing
thevalourandthecodeofchivalryfollowedbytheMedievalknights.TheTroubadourssangaboutthe
DarkAgemythsofArthurianLegendsfeaturingKingArthur,CamelotandtheKnightsoftheRoundTable.
TheTroubadoursoftheMiddleAgesthereforestrengthenedtheideaofaKnightsCodeofChivalryand
CourtlyLove.

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CourtlyLove
TheromanceofCourtlyLovepractisedduringtheMiddleAgeswascombinedwiththeCodeof
Chivalry.Therewerestrictrulesofcourtlyloveandtheartofcourtlylovewaspractisedbythe
membersofthecourtsacrossEuropeduringtheMiddleAges.Theromance,rulesandartofcourtly
loveallowedknightsandladiestoshowtheiradmirationregardlessoftheirmaritalstate.Itwasa
commonoccurrenceforamarriedladytogiveatokentoaknightofherchoicetobewornduringa
Medievaltournament.Therewereruleswhichgovernedcourtlylovebutsometimestheparties,who
startedtheirrelationshipwithsuchelementsofcourtlylove,wouldbecomedeeplyinvolved.A
famousexampleofarelationshipwhichwasstirredbyromanticcourtlyloveandromanceis
describedintheLegendofKingArthur,wherehisQueen,GuineverefellinlovewithSirLancelot.
Manyillicitcourtromanceswerefuelledbythepractiseandartofcourtlylove.
TheOriginsofCourtlyLove
TheoriginsofCourtlyLovewerebelievedtobeinAquitaineinFranceinthe12thcenturyandspread
tootherEuropeancountries.TheartofcourtlylovewaspractisedinEnglishcourtsfromthe1300'sto
the1500's.Duringthisperiodoftimemarriageswerearrangedandhadlittletodowithlove.A
successfulmarriagewasperceivedasonethatbroughtmaterialadvantagestotheparticipantsand
theirfamilies.Aslovewasclearlyunrelatedtomarriagetherequirementforromancecouldbegained
outsidemarriageaslongastherulesrelatingtochastityandfidelitywerestrictlyadheredto.

TheviolenceandwarsoftheMiddleAgesweretemperedbytheRulesofCourtlyLove.(Seethe
rulesin'LoveHandbook/Manual'.)

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CourtlyLovePoemsandSongs
Theidealsofcourtlylovewaspublicisedinthepoems,ballads,writingsandliteraryworksofvarious
authorsoftheMiddleAges.GeoffreyChaucer,themostfamousauthoroftheMiddleAges,wrotestories
aboutcourtlyloveinhisbookCanterburyTales.TheMiller'sTaledescribestheartofcourtlyloveand
satirisesit.GeoffreyChaucer,himselfexhibitedcourtlyloveforthebeautifulBlanche,thewifeofJohnof
Gaunt.WhereashismarriagetoPhillippadeRoetwasseenasagoodbutpracticalmatch.Thewandering
minstrelsandtroubadoursoftheMiddleAgessangballadsaboutcourtlyloveandwereexpectedto
memorizethewordsoflongpoemsdescribingthevalourandthecodeofchivalryfollowedbythe
Medievalknights.TheDarkAgemythsofArthurianLegendsfeaturingKingArthur,Camelotandthe
KnightsoftheRoundTablefurtherstrengthentheideaofaKnightsCodeofChivalryandCourtlyLove.

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THELOVE
HANDBOOK/MANUAL
TheRulesofCourtlyLoveAndreasCapellanus
Marriageisnorealexcusefornotloving.
Hewhoisjealouscannotlove.
Noonecanbeboundbyadoublelove.
Itiswellknownthatloveisalwaysincreasingor
decreasing.
Thatwhichalovertakesagainstthewillofhis
belovedhasnorelish.
Boysdonotloveuntiltheyreachtheageofmaturity.
Whenoneloverdies,awidowhoodoftwoyearsis
requiredofthesurvivor.
Nooneshouldbedeprivedoflovewithoutthevery
bestofreasons.
Noonecanloveunlessheispropelledbythe
persuasionoflove.
Loveisalwaysastrangerinthehomeofavarice.

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Itisnotpropertoloveanywomanwhomonewouldbe
ashamedtoseektomarry.
Atrueloverdoesnotdesiretoembraceinloveanyone
excepthisbeloved.
Whenmadepublicloverarelyendures.
Theeasyattainmentoflovemakesitoflittlevalue:
difficultyofattainmentmakesitprized.
Everyloverregularlyturnspaleinthepresenceofhis
beloved.
Whenaloversuddenlycatchessightofhisbelovedhis
heartpalpitates.
Anewloveputsanoldonetoflight.
Goodcharacteralonemakesanymanworthyoflove.
Iflovediminishes,itquicklyfailsandrarelyrevives.
Amaninloveisalwaysapprehensive.
Realjealousyalwaysincreasesthefeelingoflove.
Jealousyincreaseswhenonesuspectshisbeloved.

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Hewhomthethoughtoflovevexeseatsandsleepsvery
little.
Everyactofaloverendsinthethoughtofhisbeloved.
Atrueloverconsidersnothinggoodexceptwhathe
thinkswillpleasehisbeloved.
Lovecandenynothingtolove.
Alovercanneverhaveenoughofthesolacesofhis
beloved.
Aslightpresumptioncausesalovertosuspecthis
beloved.
Amanwhoisvexedbytoomuchpassionusuallydoes
notlove.
Atrueloverisconstantlyandwithoutintermission
possessedbythethoughtofhisbeloved.
Nothingforbidsonewomanbeinglovedbytwomen
oronemanbytwowomen.

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Research task:

Use the links provided to research:

Courtly Love
Chivalry The Knight's Code of Conduct
Pilgrimages in Chaucer's time
The role of the Church in Medieval England
E.M. Tillyard "The Elizabethan World Picture" check out
the chapter on 'The Chain of Being"

If the links don't work directly, copy and paste them into
your browser

Links:
www.middleages.org.uk/middleagessitemap.htm
www.middleages.org.uk/knightscodeofchivalry.htm
www.knightmedieval.com/
www.middleages.org.uk/middleagesreligion.htm
www.historylearningsite.co.uk/thomas_becket.htm
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/Tillyard01.html

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Attachments

AnexcellentsitetoresearchtheMiddleAges

ALiteratureTimeLine

THELOVEHANDBOOK.doc

Troubadours.doc