For the medieval nobility, love was not an initial factor in determining matrimony; instead, marriage often served as a political union of two wealthy families for the purpose of producing a legitimate heir. Because of this familial arrangement, nobles were very rarely permitted to select their own spouses. To establish this contract, men and women would exchange gifts during a period of courtship, which emphasized an idealized love along with the couple’s heraldry. By presenting each other with images of lovers from romances, the couple expressed the hope to become entangled in their own passionate love story.