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Secret love affairs and chivalry
Sir William:
And so I shall, thanks.
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Sir William on 2011-02-08, 21:54:21 ---Rodney, maybe you can add to the Library's list of books...I'm compiling them so if you get a moment, let me know what you've got in the way of medieval literature and I'll add the listing to the archive.
--- End quote ---
Here's a link to the books I have, though not all have been read yet: http://www.james-anderson-iii.com/library/pages/books
Most of them are available through Amazon, and I linked them from my page if I could find them. I have it broken down by topic, and I haven't added the "Castle" section yet.
--- Quote from: Sir Edward on 2011-02-08, 15:27:40 ---
This is an aspect of knightly life that we often don't consider (and probably with good reason). However, it's interesting to look at what life must have been like for knights, who within the bounds of chivalry and courtly behavior, were having secret affairs with married women.
http://www.hyw.com/books/history/Chivalry.htm
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Is that the correct link? I see a one-liner that mentions pillage, raping and burning, but nothing else that talks about secret love affairs.
Sir Edward:
Yes, it was just a short reference on the page:
--- Quote ---Much of what has passed down to us regarding chivalry has to do with that aspect of it involving noble men pursuing other mens wives. The "rules" for this game are roughly as follows;
1 Worship of the chosen lady
2 Declaration of passionate devotion
3 Virtuous rejection by the lady
4 Renewed wooing with oaths of eternal fealty
5 Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire
6 Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart
7 Consummation of the secret love
8 Endless adventures and subterfuges
9 Tragic denouement
Item 6 was often played out at tournaments , where the lady in question could watch her lover roar through the lists and make his mark jousting. Item 7 often took place the evening after the brave kinght won the tournament. Item 8 involved trying to keep the lady's husband in the dark and item 9 was the result of the husband discovering he was a cuckold.
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Sir Edward:
Another description of "courtly love" that describes the adulterous context of it.
http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/courtlylove.html
It really is remarkable how much we need to keep the medieval mindset in mind, and not our own cultural values, when studying history.
Sir William:
Amazing how far we've come and yet, still so far to go, eh?
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