Peace of God

The Peace and Truce of God was a medieval European movement of the Church which applied spiritual sanctions in order to control and stop the violence of feudal society. The movement constituted the first organized attempt to control civil society in medieval Europe through non-violent means. It began in 989 and survived in some form to the 13th century.

Overview

The Peace and Truce of God movement was a weapon in the Church's arsenal to Christianize and pacify the feudal structures of society through non-violent means. When a region was suffering from disorder due to local conflicts, the local clergy, such as abbots, heads of monasteries, and bishops, would hold a town council. Invitations would be issued to nearby nobles demanding that they attend. Assuming the nobles showed up, the clergy would bring all the saints relics they had available. These relics could include bits of bone, vials of blood, clothing from saints.. anything that had at one time come in to physical contact with a saint. These would often be heaped in a pile or displayed dramatically and the clergy would use these relics to induce fear of the saints, fear of spiritual retribution, to intimidate the nobility to pursuade them to promise to obey the Peace and Truce of God. The belief in the power of saints relics was very strong.

Often, however, nobles simply did not show up and would ignore the invitation. In addition, nobles would often not swear to obey, or if they did, they would later break their promise. If a promise was made, it had to be renewed and documents show a renewal decade after decade in certain regions. The movement was not very effective. "In trying to control warfare without the use of physical coercion it rapidly foundered on the rocks of a violent feudal reality." (Richard Landes). However it set a precedent that would be followed by other successful popular movements to control nobles violence such as medieval communes, and the Crusades.

In addition to the Peace and Truce of God movement other non-violent, although less direct, methods of controling violence were used by the clergy. By adding the religious oaths of fealty to the feudal act of homage, and in organizing rights and duties within the system, churchmen did their utmost to Christianize feudal society in general and to set limits on feudal violence in particular. This can be seen as combining the spiritual (potestas) and secular authority (auctoritas) in a dual concerted action that had defined the idea of Christian government since the 5th century.

Peace of God

The Peace of God, or Pax Dei was a proclomation issued by local clergy that granted immunity from violence to noncombatants who could not defend themselves including clergy, children, women (virgins and widows), as well as farm animals. It prohibited nobles from invading churches, beating the defenseless, burning houses, and so on. Merchants and their goods were added to the protected groups in a synod of 1033. Significantly, the Peace of God movement began in Burgundy and Languedoc, areas where central authority had most completely fragmented. It was decreed in the late 10th century, specifically at the Council of Charroux in 989, and spread to most of Western Europe over the next century, surviving in some form until at least the 13th century.

"peace of God" can also be used as a general term that means "under the protection of the Church" and was used in multiple contexts in medieval society. For example, pilgrims who traveled on Crusade did so under the "peace of God" ie. under the protection of the Church. This general usage of the term is not always related to the Peace and Truce of God movement.

Truce of God

The Truce of God, or Treuga Dei extended the Peace by setting aside certain days of the year when violence was not allowed. It became a convention among the seigneurs of Roussillon and Catalonia and was first proclaimed in 1027 at a Council of Touluges— a commune of Roussillon— which was presided over by Oliba, bishop of Vic, the first notable patron of the movement. An initial ban on fighting on Sundays and holy days was extended to include all of Lent, and even the Friday of every week.

By the 11th century the two movements became synonymous, as the Peace and Truce of God.