Truce of God

Truce of God, a measure by the medieval Roman Catholic Church to suspend warfare during certain days of the week and during the period of certain church festivals and Lent.

It is traceable to at least the Synod of Elne (1027), which suspended all warfare from Saturday night until prime on Monday. By 1042 the truce extended from Wednesday evening to Monday morning in every week and also, in most places, lasted during the seasons of Lent and Advent, the three great vigils and feasts of the Blessed Virgin, and those of the 12 apostles and a few other saints. The Truce of God was decreed for Flanders at the Synod of Thérouanne (1063) and was instituted in southern Italy in 1089, probably through Norman influence. The bishop of Liège introduced it in Germany in 1082, and three years later a synod held at Mainz in the presence of the emperor Henry IV extended it to the whole empire. It did not extend to England, where the strength of the monarchy made it unnecessary. The popes took its direction into their own hands toward the end of the 11th century; and the first decree of the Council of Clermont (1095) proclaimed a weekly truce for all Christendom. The Truce of God was reaffirmed by many councils, such as that held at Reims in 1119 and the Lateran councils of 1123, 1139, and 1179. The Council of Clermont prescribed that the oath of adherence to the truce be taken every three years by all men above the age of 12, whether noble, burgess, villein, or serf. The results of these peace efforts were perhaps surprisingly mediocre, but it must be borne in mind that not only was the military organization of the dioceses always very imperfect, but Continental feudalism, so long as it retained political power, was inherently hostile to the principle and practice of private peace. The Truce of God was most powerful in the 12th century, but with the 13th its influence waned as the kings gradually gained control over the nobles and substituted the king’s peace for that of the church.