3. The Church\u27s Bid for Worldwide Leadership

Abstract

The Church in the West had made the claim that it could and would bring all men into subjection to godliness, and that in so doing it would create a universal Christian society. Because of the great influence wielded in medieval society by the feudal nobles, the Church was particularly interested in directing their activities to what it considered to be useful ends. Accordingly, as we have already seen, it gave a religious coloration to knighthood and preached that knights should fight only in such just causes as defending the helpless and protecting the innocent. About the year 1000, synods in different parts of France began to proclaim what they called the Peace of God, which was an attempt to put such things as churches, peasants, and cattle beyond the range of feudal warfare. They also tried to establish the Truce of God, by which certain days of the week and seasons of the year (such as Advent and Lent) were to be free of fighting. These efforts met with indifferent success. [excerpt