TRUCE OF GOD
A scheme set on foot for the purpose of quelling the violence and preventing the frequency of private wars, occasioned by the fierce spirit of the barbarians in the middle ages. In France, a general peace and cessation from hostilities took place A. D. 1032, and continued for seven years, in consequence of the methods which the bishop of Aquataine successfully employed to work upon the superstition of the times. A resolution was formed, that no man should, in time to come, attack or molest his adversaries during the seasons set apart for celebrating the great festivals of the church, or from the evening of Thursday in each week to the morning of Monday in the week ensuing, the intervening days being consecrated as particularly holy; our Lord’s passion having happened on one of those days, and his resurrection on another. A change in the dispositions of men so sudden, and which proposed a resolution so unexpected, was considered as miraculous; and the respite from hostilities which followed upon it was called the Truce of God. This cessation from hostilities during three complete days every week, allowed a considerable space for the passions of the antagonists to cool, and for the people to enjoy a respite from the calamities of war, and to take measures for their own security.
Fuente: Theological Dictionary
Truce of God
The Truce of God is a temporary suspension of hostilities, as distinct from the Peace of God which is perpetual. The jurisdiction of the Peace of God is narrower than that of the Truce. Under the Peace of God are included only: consecrated persons — clerics, monks, virgins, and cloistered widows; consecrated places — churches, monasteries, and cemeteries, with their dependencies; consecrated times — Sundays, and ferial days, all under the special protection of the Church, which punishes transgressors with excommunication. At an early date the councils extended the Peace of God to the Church’s protégés, the poor, pilgrims, crusaders, and even merchants on a journey. The peace of the sanctuary gave rise to the right of asylum. Finally it was the sanctification of Sunday which gave rise to the Truce of God, for it had always been agreed not to do battle on that day and to suspend disputes in the law-courts.
The Truce of God dates only from the eleventh century. It arose amid the anarchy of feudalism as a remedy for the powerlessness of lay authorities to enforce respect for the public peace. There was then an epidemic of private wars, which made Europe a battlefield bristling with fortified castles and overrun by armed bands who respected nothing, not even sanctuaries, clergy, or consecrated days. A Council of Elne in 1027, in a canon concerning the sanctification of Sunday, forbade hostilities from Saturday night until Monday morning. Here may be seen the germ of the Truce of God. This prohibition was subsequently extended to the days of the week consecrated by the great mysteries of Christianity, viz., Thursday, in memory of the Ascension, Friday, the day of the Passion, and Saturday, the day of the Resurrection (council 1041). Still another step included Advent and Lent in the Truce. Efforts were made in this way to limit the scourge of private war without suppressing it outright. The penalty was excommunication. The Truce soon spread from France to Italy and Germany; the oecumenical council of 1179 extended the institution to the whole Church by Canon xxi, “De treugis servandis”, which was inserted in the collection of canon law (Decretal of Gregory IX, I, tit., “De treuga et pace”). The problem of the public peace which was the great desideratum of the Middle Ages was not solved at one stroke, but at least the impetus was given. Gradually the public authorities, royalty, the leagues between nobles (Landfrieden), and the communes followed the impulse and finally restricted war to international conflicts.
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SEMICHON, La paix et la treve de Dieu (Paris 1869); HUBERTI, Gottes und Landfrieden (Ansbach, 1892).
CH. MOELLER Transcribed by S. Przeslak
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XVCopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Truce of God
a scheme set on foot by the Church in the Middle Ages for the purpose of quelling the violence and preventing the frequency of private wars, occasioned by the fierce spirit of barbarism. It was first proposed at the Council of Charroux in 989, adopted by the Council of Orleans in 1016, and by the Council of Limoges in 1031. In France a general peace and cessation from hostilities took place A.D. 1032, and continued seven years, through the efforts of the bishop of Aquitaine. A resolution was formed that no man should, in time to come, attack or molest his adversaries during the season set apart for celebrating the great festivals of the Church, or from the evening of Thursday in each week to the morning of Monday in the week ensuing, the intervening days being consecrated as particularly holy-Thursday as the day of our Lord’s ascension; Friday as that of his Passion; Saturday, when he rested in the grave; and Sunday, the day of his resurrection. In 1034 it was opposed by the bishop of Cambray. Later it was extended to nearly all the more important fasts, feasts, and holy seasons of the Church. England (1042) and Italy adopted the custom, which was further confirmed by the second and third Lateran councils (A.D. 1139,1179). A change in the dispositions of men so sudden, and one which proposed a resolution so unexpected, was considered as miraculous, and the respite from hostilities which followed upon it was called the Truce of God. This cessation from hostilities during three complete days every week allowed a considerable space for the passions of the antagonists to cool, and for the people to enjoy a respite from the calamities of war, and to take measures for their own security. The triumph of legal over feudal government eventually did away with the institution and the necessity for it. See Trench, Medieval Church History, p. 424 sq.