Historia Amoris: A History of Love, Ancient and Modern

In Short

Edgar Saltus charts the historical evolution of human affection, tracing how a primitive biological drive transformed across centuries into a refined spiritual and aesthetic ideal. Beginning with the fear-filled isolation of early humanity and the utilitarian arrangements of antiquity, the narrative moves through the enchanted seductions of Greece, the martial dominance of Rome, the spiritualized devotion of medieval cloisters, and the cynical gallantry of French courts. Synthesizing philosophy, poetry, and historical anecdote, the work explores how artists, scholars, and lovers repeatedly redefined passion, surviving social collapse and shifting dogmas to shape modern sentiment.

The Story

The narrative opens in a distant past where love is entirely absent. In Eden, early humans experience no romantic hesitancy or gradual attraction; they are paired without the sacraments of courtship. Primitive man lives in speechless isolation, joining with partners momentarily before forgetting them. True affection only begins its long development when the concept of property and the lair gives rise to the family, transforming brute animality into structured society.

In the ancient East and early Greece, passion gains its first aesthetic dimensions. The Biblical Shulamite yearns for her betrothed from within Solomon’s seraglio, while Homeric epics reveal a transition from the violent capture of women in the Iliad to the subtle, enchanting seductions of Circe and Calypso in the Odyssey. Greece elevates beauty to divine status, acquitting figures like Phryne purely on the strength of their physical grace and establishing academies where the pursuit of earthly loveliness serves as a path to absolute wisdom. Plato synthesizes this impulse, arguing that earthly beauty evokes a soul’s memories of an anterior existence among eternal essences.

This ideal suffers when martial power takes precedence. Rome builds its empire on strength, citizenship, and the rigid authority of the family, leaving little room for romantic idealism. Mark Antony’s infatuation with Cleopatra showcases passion as a grand, destructive spectacle that fractures an empire rather than elevating the spirit. The rise of Christianity and the eventual fall of Rome close the book on paganism, replacing secular glamour with haircloth, cloisters, and ascetic renunciation.

Yet within medieval seclusion, a new sentiment takes root. Radegonde and the poet Fortunatus establish a romance of pure, spiritualized feeling within convent walls. Beyond the cloister, troubadours, Moorish poets, and the courts of love shape chivalric devotion. Dante immortalizes Beatrice as a divine guide whose growing beauty mirrors his own spiritual redemption, while Petrarch writes of his unrequited devotion to Laura.

The Renaissance reclaims classic aesthetics, ushering in an era of artistic brilliance and extravagant royal courts. In France, passion degenerates into cynical gallantry under the Valois and Bourbons, where figures like Queen Margot collect the embalmed hearts of former lovers and Louis XIV pursues short-lived courtly conquests. The narrative culminates in modern philosophical inquiry, where Schopenhauer strips away romantic illusion, defining passion as the drive of the species using individual happiness to secure the existence of future generations.

How It Unfolds

The missing Eden Humanity begins in fear rather than affection, with early ancestors forming fleeting unions without courtship or emotional resonance. The initial concept of the home emerges only when primitive man begins detaining partners in lairs to found the basic family unit.

The Greek elevation Greek culture transforms physical attraction into a sacred duty, deifying exceptional beauty and treating aesthetic charm as a matter of civic pride. Philosophers argue that beholding earthly loveliness awakens latent memories of divine perfection experienced by the soul prior to earthly birth.

The Roman conquest Rome prioritizes political authority and military might over sentiment, subordinating romantic ideals to the strength of the state. Antony’s ruinous attachment to Cleopatra demonstrates how intense passion threatens imperial order and leads to political collapse.

The cloistered sentiment The fall of paganism drives romantic impulses into monastic retreats, where medieval figures cultivate spiritualized affection away from worldly violence. Minstrels and Moorish poets gradually introduce rhymed verse and chivalric ideals, recasting devotion as a courtly art.

The ideal transcendent Dante transforms romantic devotion into a vessel for spiritual salvation, portraying Beatrice as an ascending guide whose presence purifies his soul. Petrarch similarly channels unrequited longing into poetic immortality, establishing the framework for modern romantic literature.

The cynical gallantry European royal courts turn devotion into a calculated game of prestige, luxury, and political maneuvering. Royal mistresses and dramatic courtly affairs replace spiritual romance with intricate rituals of flirtation and social ambition.

The cold metaphysics Modern philosophy analyzes passion through a cold, analytical lens, discarding romantic mythologies. The instinct is ultimately defined as an unconscious biological drive aimed entirely at perpetuating the species through future generations.

The People

• The Shulamite: A young woman confined within Solomon's seraglio who maintains an unyielding devotion to her shepherd lover. Despite abduction and the pressure of royal surroundings, her steadfast longing illustrates the resilience of early romantic fidelity.
• Sappho: The legendary poet of Lesbos whose lyric verse embodies the Greek worship of beauty. She represents an era that viewed aesthetic perfection as a direct manifestation of the divine.
• Phryne: A famed Greek woman whose extraordinary physical grace leads to her acquittal before the Areiopagus. Her trial demonstrates a culture that values visual beauty above legal severity.
• Cleopatra: The formidable queen of Egypt who captivates both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She utilizes her charm and intellect to command imperial leaders, turning romantic fascination into a tool of political power.
• Mark Antony: A powerful Roman general whose absolute devotion to Cleopatra eclipses his military judgment. His willingness to divide empires for his beloved highlights the destructive capacity of unrestrained passion.
• Radegonde: A queen turned abbess who establishes a refined monastic sanctuary. Her pious yet affectionate bond with the poet Fortunatus marks the birth of medieval romantic sentiment.
• Dante: The Italian poet who transforms his unfulfilled devotion to Beatrice into a monumental vision of spiritual ascension. He depicts affection as a purifying force capable of redeeming the human soul.
• Louise de la Vallière: A mistress of Louis XIV who seeks genuine affection rather than royal power. Overwhelmed by courtly intrigue and lost favor, she ultimately retreats to a Carmelite convent to spend her remaining years in quiet penance.

In Its Own Voice

"In Eden there was none. Adam and Eve emerged there adult. The phases of the delicate fever which others in paradise since have experienced, left them unaffected."

Before romantic sentiment existed, human union was entirely functional and devoid of emotional courtship.

"In Greece, let a woman be what she might, if beautiful she was deified, if charming she was adored. In either case she represented vivified aestheticism to a people at once intellectual and athletic..."

Hellenic culture elevated physical grace to a religious principle, viewing earthly charm as an essential expression of artistic ideal.

"In its essence love is always and everywhere the same, a meditation on the composition of the next generation and the generations that thence proceed..."

Stripped of poetic ornamentation, human attraction operates as a fundamental instinct designed to ensure the continuation of the species.

What It's Really About

Underneath its wide-ranging historical survey, the text examines how human consciousness continuously invents cultural myths to elevate a basic biological impulse into something meaningful. The core argument rests on a paradox: while nature uses attraction strictly for the preservation of the species, humanity constantly refines the feeling into art, religion, philosophy, and social ritual.

The narrative questions whether modern affection represents genuine moral progress or simply a more elaborate form of self-deception. By contrasting the stark realities of primitive survival and Schopenhauer's cynical metaphysics with the lofty ideals of Plato, Dante, and the troubadours, the book explores how culture attempts to disguise raw instinct under the polished surfaces of beauty, courtly gallantry, and spiritual devotion.

Why Read It Today

This historical survey will appeal to readers who enjoy sweeping intellectual histories, classical literature, and stylized prose. It functions as an erudite journey through European cultural history, weaving together literary analysis, historical gossip, and philosophical critique. The author’s voice is distinctively sharp, ironic, and detached, offering a grand perspective on how past civilizations handled intimacy and devotion.

Readers should be prepared for a dense, highly polished nineteenth-century literary style. The text assumes a strong familiarity with classical mythology, ancient history, and European literature, frequently referencing obscure historical figures and relying on uninterpreted Latin or French phrases. Its broad generalizations about primitive history and early human psychology reflect the outdated Victorian scholarship of its era rather than modern anthropological consensus.

What remains compelling is the author's ability to compress centuries of art and philosophy into vivid, memorable scenes. The book provides a sobering, sophisticated look at how human emotions are shaped by the values of their time.