Another kind of love, one that flourished in medieval France and England was courtly love, a chaste love-more an ideal than reality. Love poetry flowered and men were nice to women. It was a necessary transition in the evolution of relationships, but romantic love has had consequences for modern society in that decisions are often made based on romantic ideals (do they drive a convertible) and not on who would make a good mate, provider, father/mother. Actually, our contemporary ideas of romantic love fall short of the ones below. I am running out of time, more later.

The Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus.

The Twelve Chief Rules in Love

Thou shalt avoid avarice like the deadly pestilence and shalt embrace its opposite.
Thou shalt keep thyself chaste for the sake of her whom thou lovest.
Thou shalt not knowingly strive to break up a correct love affair that someone else is engaged in.
Thou shalt not chose for thy love anyone whom a natural sense of shame forbids thee to marry.
Be mindful completely to avoid falsehood.
Thou shalt not have many who know of thy love affair.
Being obedient in all things to the commands of ladies, thou shalt ever strive to ally thyself to the service of Love.
In giving and receiving love's solaces let modesty be ever present.
Thou shalt speak no evil.
Thou shalt not be a revealer of love affairs.
Thou shalt be in all things polite and courteous.
In practising the solaces of love thou shalt not exceed the desires of thy lover.