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7/20/2025, 3:41:06 PM
>Roger of Hoverdon, writing at the turn of the twelfth to the thirteenth century, describes the end of the French siege at Châteauroux as follows: "Richard, Duke of Aquitaine, son of the King of England, remained with Philip, the King of France, who so honored him for so long that they ate every day at the same table and from the same dish, and at night their beds did not separate them. And the King of France loved him as his own soul; and they loved each other so much that the King of England was absolutely astonished at the vehement love between them and marveled at what it could mean." At first glance the passage appears unequivocal. What does it leave to interpretation? Richard Lionheart and King Philip Augustus loved each other "as their own soul" and share the same bed. Their affection is unapologetic; they make public gestures displaying it. The problem posed by the first glance is to explain how homosexuality could have asserted itself so baldly... at the highest level of power of the two greatest kingdoms of the twelfth-century west without raising comment... The text itself contains a few warnings against reading it as the mode of loving we call "homosexual." Henry II... "postponed his plans of returning to England until he could determined what plots this sudden love portended." This is the reaction of a betrayed general, not an outraged father. The king's only concern is strategy. His military campaign, not his family honor, is in danger. His sole response to his son's passion is a change in his travel plans. He sees "plots," not a gay love affair, portended by this sudden, vehement love.
From "Ennobling Love" by C. Stephen Jaeger
From "Ennobling Love" by C. Stephen Jaeger
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