I'm writing an essay on courtly love at the moment, and i'm really confused by some of the sources i found. Most authors write about it purely as if it were a literary tradition only, others seem to assume it had at least some basis in reality. I cannot find any sources that deal with this question, apart from a short paragraph on wikepedia. The paragraph denies the existence of any evidence, but then why do so many authors seem to assume the opposite?
The problem with finding examples of courtly love is that you'd be hard-pressed to produce a clear-cut case where all parties agree that's what's happening. William IX of Acquitaine who did much to promote the term "courtly love" probably thought it applied to his relationship with the Viscountess Dangerose, but his vassal Aimery I de Rochefoucauld (her husband) undoubtedly saw it differently.