The Constance-Egan Lecture: Chivalry and Courtly Love

Dr Janina Ramirez (University of Oxford)

‘Chivalry was less about damsels trapped in mystical gardens, and more concerned with framing the morality and behaviour of the knightly class. Through its coded messages and symbols, the art and literature of Courtly Love attempted to instil Christian virtues into a military elite, and curtail the violence of life within this section of society. Through close analysis of seminal texts like Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, and artworks like the Devonshire Hunt Tapestries, this talk will unpick the messages at the heart of Medieval Courtly Love and Chivalry.’

Fellowship decorations to be worn
Chairman : Arline Fisher