Courtly Love

Courtly Love is believed to have started in France in the 12th century. It soon spread all throughout the European countries. The art of Medieval Courtly love was practiced in England courts from the 1300s to the 1500s.During this Medieval period unfortunately marriage was arranged and it had nothing to do with love. A successful marriage was one that brought material advantages to both parties. As love was not the main reason for marriages, it required romance. This could be gained outside of marriage as long as you followed the rules relating to chastity and fidelity were strict. The romance of Medieval Courtly Love practiced during these times was combined with the Code of Chivalry. There were strict rules one had to follow during this time. By following these rules it allowed knights and ladies to show their admiration and love towards each other. It was common for a married woman to give a token to a knight of her choice before a Medieval tournament. Even though there were rules, sometimes the couples were deeply involved in romance.




The rules of Medieval Courtly Love are these:
Marriage is no real excuse for not loving

He who is not jealous, cannot love

No one can be bound by a double love

It is well known that love is always increasing or decreasing

That which a lover takes against the will of his beloved has no relish

Boys do not love until they arrive at the age of maturity

When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is required of the survivor

No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons

No one can love unless he is impelled by the persuasion of love

Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice

It is not proper to love any woman whom one would be ashamed to seek to marry

A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved

When made public love rarely endures

The easy attainment of love makes it of little value; difficulty of attainment makes it prized

Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved

When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart palpitates

A new love puts to flight an old one

Good character alone makes any man worthy of love

If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely revives

A man in love is always apprehensive

Real jealousy always increases the feeling of love

Jealousy, and therefore love, are increased when one suspects his beloved

He whom the thought of love vexes eats and sleeps very little

Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved

A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved

Love can deny nothing to love

A lover can never have enough of the solaces of his beloved

A slight presumption causes a lover to suspect his beloved

A man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love

A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved

Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women

source: http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-knights/medieval-courtly-love.htm