A 13th or 14th Century gold brooch inscribed with words of love from the age of chivalry has been discovered in a field.
It was unearthed by a metal detectorist in a Norfolk field, in south east England, and its Anglo-Norman inscription - ENTRE AMI E AMIE ENSEIN - was translated by Dr Malcolm Jones as "a token between a lover and beloved". Historian Dr Helen Geake suspects it was given to a woman by a man playing the role of her champion under courtly love rules.
Geake says "there is the courtly love connection when a man could be a champion of a woman; he could shower her with gifts but not expect things from her in return." Mottos such as "I desire to serve you" and "I wish to obey" were often used by men wishing to serve their ladies as part of this courtly love tradition, which swept across medieval Europe.
"The words AMI and AMIE are the masculine and feminine forms, as in modern French, which normally mean friend, but in this context mean lover," Malcolm Jones told the BBC. "A lot of people are surprised to know that French was in use in England right up to the 15th Century."
Examination by Dr Geake revealed the inscription was designed to stay secret, worn inwards rather than outwards. "For most people, courtly love was probably never more than a fashionable affection," she says. "But it is undoubtedly part of the history of romantic relationships, or of romance, as we still call it in English."
Chivalry and courtly love are both concepts that were popular in medieval Europe and were closely associated with each other. Chivalry: A code of conduct for knights and other wealthy men that emphasized polite and helpful behavior, especially towards women. Chivalry included duties such as defending the church and the weak, and avoiding pride and treachery. Courtly love: An idealized form of love that was often written about in medieval literature. It described a knight's devotion to a noblewoman.
The brooch has been declared treasure and Lynn Museum in King's Lynn is hoping to acquire it.
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