Courtly Love in Medieval Manuscripts

Courtly love referred to a stylised and idealistic relationship between a knight and his lady, which was motivated by the aims of chivalry and required by convention to be unrequited. Thought to have originated with the troubadours of the 11th century, courtly liasions became a popular and significant force in shaping the literature of the day. In this book, Pamela Porter, Curator of Manuscripts in the British Library, looks at courtly love within the context of romance, chivalry and 'real life' relationships in medieval society, accompanied by lots of lovely colour photos.