In the eleventh century, during the height of feudalism, the church sought to influence for the better the behavior of the feudal barons. In addition to attempting to add Christian virtues to the code of knightly conduct called chivalry, the church tried to impose limitations on feudal warfare. Bishops inaugurated the Peace of God and Truce of God movements. The Peace of God banned from the sacraments all persons who pillaged sacred places or refused to spare noncombatants. The Truce of God established "closed seasons" on fighting: rom sunset on Wednesday to sunrise on Monday and certain longer periods, such as Lent. Unfortunately, both movements were generally ineffective.
[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, Peace-of-God, Truce-of-God[/tags]