Courtly Love
Courtly Love shaped medieval literature and Arthurian romance, blending passion, duty, and chivalry in an idealized code of refined love.
Alternative Names
Amour courtois, Amor honestus, Arthurian Love, Chivalric Love, Fin’ amors
Introduction#
Courtly love is one of the most famous — and most debated — ideas to emerge from the Middle Ages. The term itself was coined in 1883 by the scholar Gaston Paris, and many argue it is misleading. Yet the phrase has endured, capturing the imagination of readers who encounter knights and ladies in Arthurian romance.
Origins and Ideas#
Courtly love, often compared with the Provençal notion of fin’ amors, described a love that was refined, secret, and often forbidden. It placed the lady on a pedestal, served by a knight who found joy in devotion rather than fulfillment. Some poets praised unconsummated passion as most noble, while others insisted that love without reward was folly.
Literary Expressions#
Writers such as Chrétien de Troyes and Andreas Capellanus developed the concept further in twelfth-century France. Andreas, in his De Amore, even listed “rules of love,” among them that true love and marriage were incompatible, and that a lover thought only of his lady, turning pale in her presence. Chrétien’s Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart gave one of the most famous portrayals: Lancelot’s duty was to serve Guinevere entirely, even at the cost of his own honor.
Tensions with Chivalry#
Courtly love often stood in tension with the knightly code. Chivalry demanded service to king and kingdom, but love demanded complete service to the lady. In Lancelot’s case, Guinevere rejected him not for dishonoring himself by riding in a criminal’s cart, but for hesitating before he did so — a moment of doubt that betrayed imperfect devotion. Such conflicts highlight the contradictions between love, honor, and reputation in Arthurian tales.
Arthurian Love#
The French scholar Jean Frappier suggested the idea of “Arthurian love,” blending fin’ amors with Celtic motifs of fairy enchantment. Stories like Marie de France’s Lanval show knights bound not just by passion but by magical devotion, extending the spirit of courtly love into the Breton tradition. This form of love — human and otherworldly at once — gave Arthurian romance its unique tone.
Alternative Names#
There are alternative names and related concepts often used alongside or instead of Courtly Love, depending on context and scholarly tradition. Some scholars also distinguish between “true love” (fin’ amors) and “foolish love” (amor mixtus or adulterous love), depending on whether the relationship was seen as ennobling or degrading.
Fin’ amors | Refined love
The original Provençal troubadour term, usually considered the “authentic” medieval designation.
Amor honestus | Honorable love
A phrase sometimes used in medieval texts, especially in connection with Andreas Capellanus.
Amor courtois
The French equivalent of Courtly Love, popularized in later scholarship and often used interchangeably.
Chivalric Love
A more modern descriptive term, emphasizing the link between love and knightly service.
Arthurian Love
As proposed by Jean Frappier, highlighting its distinct development within the matière de Bretagne, often blending with Celtic motifs.
