Andreas Capellanus or Andrew the Chaplain is the author of The Art of Courtly Love. He is thought to have been the priest for Countess Marie de Champagne of Troyes in twelfth century France. Historians know little of his life. However, his name appears on charters as witnesses between 1182 and 1186. He refers to himself in the book as 'chaplain of the royal court' though there is no other evidence for this claim.