The Practice of Courtly Love
by Deirdre O'Siodhachain
http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/oak/04/court.htm
The term "courtly love" (amour courtois) is the invention of French medievalist Gaston Paris and was not used until 1883 (Singer, The Nature of Love Vol II, p 19). It is therefore a modern term used to describe a collection of medieval concepts regarding the nature and conduct of love relationships. These concepts came into flower for a brief time that lasted about one hundred years starting in the mid-12th century. This period represents a brief upsurge of humanist thought,which although short-lived, dominated the way medieval society would view human love. Its effects were clearly felt throughout the Renaissance and continued into modern times.
True courtly love is, of course, not workable in a modern world. Many of the behaviors advocated sprang from the necessity to deal with social systems which simply do not exist anymore. Often the advice medieval authors penned to guide lovers would be judged sexist or even criminal in our own time. Nevertheless, there is still much of value and interest to those in the current Middle Ages who choose, as Andreas Capellanus says, to enlist in the Army of Love.
Background
Out of sheer necessity for survival against the barbarian invasions, the period of the Dark Ages was dominated by communal thinking. At the center of this was the Roman Catholic church which kept intact much of what European culture was to survive the fall of the Roman Empire. Somewhere after the year 1000, when the successive waves of barbarian invasions and the Viking raids had stopped, Europe had a period of relative peace and prosperity; this was especially true in the southern regions of France.
In the years of calm, men had time to rediscover themselves as individuals. Once more the arts began to grow beyond the boundaries of monastic walls. The literature of the time -- especially the poetry -- reflected a new, more secular approach to life. Men and women did more than read the classical authorities; they actively thought and wrote about what was relevant to their lives. The troubadours of Provence discovered and enhanced a poetic tradition which had begun in the classical world, traveled through Moorish Spain, and came to rest in their own lands.
What is Courtly Love?
There is no definitive form of courtly love. Each writer had his own individual vision. Since most authors on the subject were men, the vast majority of writing was from the male viewpoint. Some believed in married love,some rejected it completely. Some sought the love of a single woman, others would be in service to all women. In general, courtly love has five basic premises:
Of course the church regarded these notions to be heretical. One's passionate love was to be reserved for Christ and to practice the secular religion of love was sure damnation. Even though many poets expressed the idea that to love here on earth was to strive for spiritual improvement, the church was jealous of its position and rejected most attempts to reconcile the two forms of love.
The Pursuit of Courtly Love
The form of courtly love with which we are most familiar with is that instituted by one of the greatest women of the Middle Ages, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitane. It was continued by her daughter, Countess Marie de Champagne, and also by her granddaughter Queen Blanche of Castile. This type of courtly love was codified in a treatise written by a cleric named Andreas Capellanus at the behest of Marie. It was entitled De arte honeste amandi (The Art of Honest Love, commonly called the Art of Courtly Love). Modern scholarshipdebates whether this book was written as a serious guide to lovers, or if it was a satire that was erroneously taken at face value. Certainly it would be a case of history repeating itself. Ovid's three satirical works on love, Ars amatoria (Art of Love), Remedia amoris (The Cure for Love), and Amores (Amours), were used as a source of much of the thought on human love during the Middle Ages. Because it was written by a classical authority,the precepts stated therein were taken unquestioningly. In any case, one cannot help but be aware of the irony of a cleric writing on such a subject.
Andreas uses the fiction of addressing a young man named Walter to instruct him in the correct behavior of a lover in wooing, winning, keeping, and/or rejecting a lady; there is a system for each social strata to follow. The work is broken into three books, each of which discusses some aspect of love. The vast majority of the work involves dialogues on the correct behavior for lovers and the rewards and penalties involved in following or transgressing that behavior.
According to Andreas, enlisting in the ranks of Cupid's army and serving in his court of Love is to be praised. In fulfilling the dictates of love, a true lover learns to be modest, graceful, discrete, attentive, well-groomed, generous, honest, faithful, and worthy of the praise of all men and women. Thus love is shown to be morally improving. It is clearly stated that only good character makes one worthy of love. To achieve this exalted condition, Andreas gives us the twelve laws that Cupid, King of Love, would have every lover obey. These are:
Later in Book Two, Chapter VIII, Andreas gives the more commonly known thirty-one rules of love, but these he says are secondary to these tweleve. Although the entire book is directed at men in the pursuit of women, women who fail to take a lover, or who do not cherish a lover sufficiently are chastised for their coldness and cruelty. It is only through the wholehearted participation of both sexes that the commandments of love can befully achieved.
In the final chapter, Andreas turns his coat and proceeds to vilify women as the source of all evil and chides the folly of men in allowing themselves to be used by such creatures. The change in attitude is abrupt and jarring. After reading so much praise of human love, one can only suspect that Andreas was trying to avoid the condemnation of his superiors while still pleasing the Countess Marie. Whatever the truth, most readers of the Middle Ages largely ignored the final chapter.
Andreas' work was often reproduced and translated and became the standard work on the subject of human love. The large number of extant copies made over the centuries in several languages attest to that. (Parry, p 22). In the end, however, the church succeeded in suppressing courtly love and forcing it underground. The generally accepted behaviors of chivalry continued to include an idealized view of women; this however confined itself to inspiring martial prowess and lost the morally improving overtones it had previously possessed. Yet courtly love never entirely disappeared. In an age when arranged marriages were the norm, love was almost always extramarital. Thus, those seeking some guide on how to conduct themselves returned to the treatise for instruction. It is no surprise that the popular entertainment of the Middle Ages kept alive the ideals of courtly love. Whether in the comic fabliaux (bawdy tales which mostly dealt with cuckholded husbands) or the more elevated tales of Tristan and Iseult, the audiences were well aware of the difficulties of being lovers. Many lords and ladies were faced with very real choices between honor and love in their everyday lives.
The Courts of Love
The original Courts of Love were held partly as entertainment, but primarily as a means to publicize the rules of love. The ladies who presided at the courts taught society about this new way to live and love. At an historical Court of Love, a group of ladies publicly debated and rendered judgement on cases between lovers which had been brought before them. Since noble society was full of instances of the difficulties faced by lovers, the Courts were rarely short of material. This publicity, however, meant that all cases were to be anonymous.
Each side of a case selected an advocate to plead for them. The advocates were not to reveal the names of the lovers and, if the circumstances of the case would lead to identification, must further disguise the facts to prevent detection. Andreas cites several judgements rendered by Marie and her ladies on questions submitted to them by letter.
All judgements were based on the rules of love as written down in Andreas' treatise. The judgements of the ladies encouraged participation in extramarital affairs, but the purpose of the affair was to teach the lover how to be a better man, and so be better oneself. To be sought in love meant that a man believed a woman to be far above all other ladies in virtue and wisdom.
It is a little difficult to take the judgements of the court seriously. The most extreme penalty was the exile of the offender from the company of all people of worth. Since the parties were anonymous, this was of course unenforceable. And one cannot truthfully believe that Eleanor, Marie, or Blanche would be so foolish as to follow their own advice and accept lovers (at least in a physical sense). What courtly love did was challenge the accepted viewpoint of women and enable them to claim a social power previously unknown. The court acted as a civilizing force in society. Women found a new standard by which to measure the behavior of men. They achieved some control over their lives by gaining control over their sexual identity.
Holding a Court of Love at an Event
At an SCA event, a Court of Love should be treated as a form of theater. That is to say, there must be a stage setting (however minimal), actors who know their characters and can direct the action and dialogue, and an audience willing to be led into participation (or at least be interested spectators).
A small, select panel of ladies should sit in front of the audience as the judges of the cases. Historically, Marieof Champagne would have as many as sixty ladies present in debating a question. This however would be unworkable in most SCA circumstances. Consider having three to five ladies. These ladies should be chosen for their familiarity with the rules of love as much as for their rank. Although in historical tradition this place belongs to the highest ranking ladies, there is no guarantee that every such SCA lady has the needed knowledgeor even the inclination to take a place as a judge. Use discretion, courtesy, and good sense when choosing the judges; remember that this court is to be held for the edification and entertainment of the populace and your judges are critical to its success.
After the judges are selected, do not rely on the populace to provide you with your cases. Many people feel shy about bringing up potentially uncomfortable questions regarding the conduct of a lover however hypothetical. (Remember that all cases should be argued anonymously.) To get started, arrange to have some cases ready by preselected advocates. In part this will demonstrate what type of material is suitable for the court and in part it will save you from waiting for the audience to think of something. One suggestion is to have a box next to pen and paper at a location in the hall where gentles may ask questions without revealing their identity. Although humorous cases are as welcome as serious ones, the Court of Love should never be used as a joke which may cause embarrassment to anyone. Questions on love bring up sensitive issues and should be treated with delicacy and discretion.
In general, a Court of Love works better at a small event where there is less competition for attention. Although Valentine's Day revels are the most common occasion, there is no restriction on when one may be held. It is an ideal forum to teach courtly behavior and re-enact an important legacy from the Middle Ages.