Yes, service as he viewed it, that included making sure everyone else yielded to his will...whether they yielded due to being broken by torture, or by soft spoken words, made no difference. That’s not service.
He was just as much a sadistic bully as the rest of the wretched lot, he was just more soft spoken. His “relevations” and threats may have always been delivered in subtle and gentle tones, but there were always armed fanatics at his back as he delivered them.
He was no different in any way, from the rest of the lords and ladies leading their armies to grow their power and influence, other than he had no high birth or money to gather followers, so he wrapped himself in “religion” to gain his loyal army.
If those you claim to help, get their “help” with your sword at their throat, you are not offering help or service, only subjugation.
If he did not have armed fanatics at his back, the elites would have killed him and gone back to business as usual, the man was not an idiot.
Every person that he punished, was guilty of the crimes they were accused of and would have gone unpunished if not for him.