"She has all my heart, and my soul,
And herself the whole world;
And when she left, nothing remained
But desire and a longing heart."
-Bernart de Ventadorn, c. 1130-1200
Romance and love are always on the mind. Humans are fascinated with the subject, and they always have been. Love is a universal experience, one that transcends culture and time. Today, we write songs, movies, and books about it. We marry so that we can spend the rest of our lives with someone we love. We make laws trying to dictate who can love whom, and then we continue to love even when it’s forbidden. Love is all over popular culture, but it mars all of history, too.
Nowadays, we have very decided and particular opinions of what love means. Of what love is as well as what it isn’t. Of what marriage means. Of what, in traditional, heterosexual relationships, the man’s role is and what the woman’s role is. Of what it means to be gay, to say “till death do us part,” to live with and sleep with someone outside of marriage. And so on.
Every day, these opinions change. They evolve. They’re not the same opinions we had five years ago, ten years ago, fifty years ago. Soon, we’ll look back to this point in time and our “modern” thoughts on love will seem alien and outdated, just like how if we look back, today, on love in the Middle Ages, it seems alien.
Yes, some aspects are timeless—courtship and chivalry, for example. In popular culture, women often say they are “waiting for their knight in shining armor.” We tell stories of knights rescuing princesses, and even today, that is considered romantic. Other aspects of romance in the Middle Ages seem more strange to us—like, for example, arranged and therefore loveless marriages.
Really, chivalry and courtly romance, as well as arranged marriages, are just a small part of a complex and constantly-changing romance culture. It was a huge part of Medieval culture, too—perhaps not as much as it is today, but still a very large part. And it is crucial to understand this part of Medieval culture.
In this virtual exhibit, we will explore the various facets of marriage and romance in the Middle Ages. We will explore courtship, the evolution of marriage, sexuality within and without the confines of marriage, homosexuality, the church’s control over both marriage and sexuality, and the ideals both men and women were held to when it comes to marriage and chastity. Through this, we will be able to see how some modern ideals about love arose from the Middle Ages. Finally, we will be looking at all of these things in relation to our modern perspective, seeking out similarities and differences. As you will see, there are many ways in which love and sexuality differ from love and sexuality today. There are, however, many ways in which they are similar, too, and that may surprise you.
Nowadays, we have very decided and particular opinions of what love means. Of what love is as well as what it isn’t. Of what marriage means. Of what, in traditional, heterosexual relationships, the man’s role is and what the woman’s role is. Of what it means to be gay, to say “till death do us part,” to live with and sleep with someone outside of marriage. And so on.
Every day, these opinions change. They evolve. They’re not the same opinions we had five years ago, ten years ago, fifty years ago. Soon, we’ll look back to this point in time and our “modern” thoughts on love will seem alien and outdated, just like how if we look back, today, on love in the Middle Ages, it seems alien.
Yes, some aspects are timeless—courtship and chivalry, for example. In popular culture, women often say they are “waiting for their knight in shining armor.” We tell stories of knights rescuing princesses, and even today, that is considered romantic. Other aspects of romance in the Middle Ages seem more strange to us—like, for example, arranged and therefore loveless marriages.
Really, chivalry and courtly romance, as well as arranged marriages, are just a small part of a complex and constantly-changing romance culture. It was a huge part of Medieval culture, too—perhaps not as much as it is today, but still a very large part. And it is crucial to understand this part of Medieval culture.
In this virtual exhibit, we will explore the various facets of marriage and romance in the Middle Ages. We will explore courtship, the evolution of marriage, sexuality within and without the confines of marriage, homosexuality, the church’s control over both marriage and sexuality, and the ideals both men and women were held to when it comes to marriage and chastity. Through this, we will be able to see how some modern ideals about love arose from the Middle Ages. Finally, we will be looking at all of these things in relation to our modern perspective, seeking out similarities and differences. As you will see, there are many ways in which love and sexuality differ from love and sexuality today. There are, however, many ways in which they are similar, too, and that may surprise you.