Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! The day of love, flowers and cards from secret admirers. In the Middle Ages potential lovers were fond of playing a game of chess to increase the mood…
From the eleventh century onwards European knights went on crusades to set the Holy City of Jerusalem free from the Muslims. This way they were introduced to much more refined cultures than the European one. In this period of time, the West European elite got more and more means of payment because of increasing prosperity. Population grew and the extra benefits that came out of labor and taxes went straight to the elite and the clergy. Members of the highest social classes had more time for leisure and they were looking for ways to fill that time. During the crusades the knights observed the art of pleasure of the civilized Arab people and they brought back home their impressions of this culture.
The French court spread out a new and refined ‘courtly’ culture all over Europe. Not only did this constitute the enjoyment of music, literature and love, but also good manners and respect for the fellow human being. Women played an important role in the courtly culture. The noble woman was put on a pedestal and was admired by knights.
Tristan and Isolde playing chess on their way to King Marke’s court, 14th century
Chess and literature
In this romantic and elitist culture the writing and recitations of songs and poems were the summit of civilization. Epic stories, impregnated with adventure and love were favorite among the European courts. Not only did the knights in these stories fight, they also passed their spare time with amenities. They would have a good glass of wine and listen to poems and music about love in the company of charming ladies, and they would play games.
Backgammon, rolling the dice, card games and draughts were popular games. Playing chess was more like going to war on a game board. The game was considered a symbol of love and as such a very suitable pastimes for the courtly culture. In many stories from the Middle Ages we can find references to chess or the characters playing chess. In the stories of Tristan and Isolda and Arthur and Guinevere, chess even brings lovers together.
The aristocracy became big fans of the game and references to it could to be found everywhere. Not only in literature, but also in paintings, tapestries and even in the ornaments of cathedrals. Chess was very important in the education of children from well-off families. Spanish writer and astronomer Petrus Alfonsi described playing chess as one of the seven skills every noble man and woman had to master. His book, Disciplina Clericalis, was published in the early twelfth century.
Ladies rule
Noblemen were able to fight miniature wars safely and in a relaxed way with their chess pieces. A game of chess could take days because each piece could only be moved one field per turn. Halfway through the fifteenth century an idea rose in Europe to accelerate the game. The biggest change would be the position of the queen: she got more freedom to move and was suddenly the most powerful piece of the game. This high ranking of the queen fitted in well with the courtly culture, where the lady was put above yearning knights. The Catholic Church wasn’t so happy about these new rules. In the new and improved game the king could take possession of two queens and that smelled of adultery. Despite the Church’s massive protest, the chess game survived the dark Middle Ages and is still a popular game amongst lovers.
When a new romantic period starts in the nineteenth century, all sorts of images of chess playing lovers make their appearance. This lovely porcelain statuette, part of the museum’s collection, is a beautiful example of this.
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