Whereas the medieval minnelied speaks of the unfulfilled wooing of an unapproachable lady, the modern love song deals with the chequered relationship of a lover with his beloved. The present study is the first to enquire into the different literary and historical factors which led to the minnelied being superseded by the love song and to the love song's success in the modern age. Contrary to what was maintained by previous research, these transition processes can be traced back to the first half of the 14th century.