The practice of love service appeared first in
Medieval Europe and was modeled on a combination of
feudalistic class distinctions,
courtly love tenets, and gendered aspects of the
chivalric class code regarding respectful treatment of women. Love service had certain resemblances with
vassalage, especially the concept of obedience. According to Sandra R. Alfonsi the entire concept of love-service was patterned after the vassal’s oath to serve his lord with loyalty, tenacity, and courage. These same virtues were demanded of the male supplicant. Like the
liegeman vis-a-vis his sovereign, the male approached his lady with fear and respect, submitted obediently to her and awaited a
fief or in this case an honor of reception as did the vassal. The vocabulary of love service borrowed some terminology from the vocabulary of
feudalism indicative of the ties between a man to his lord. Examples are
servitium (service),
dominus (denoting the feudal Lord, or Lady),
homo ligius (addressing the Lord's
liegeman or 'my man'),
homage (duty toward Lord), and
honor (honoring gestures). The men were sometimes referred to as
domnei or donnoi, meaning an attitude of chivalrous devotion of a knight to his Lady based in servitude and duty. == References ==