The German term Dienstbote (servant) is documented in Central Europe since roughly the 13th century. In German-speaking areas, Dienstboten were also called Ehehalten (especially in southern Germany, Bavaria, and Carinthia), Brödlinge, or more generally Gesinde (from gesinden, “make someone a servant”; Servants in husbandry, 1.). Until the 19th century, the words Dienstbote and Gesinde were used…