Measure by the medieval Roman Catholic Church to suspend warfare on certain days of the week and for certain church festivals and Lent.
It was instituted in France as early as 1027, and elsewhere in Europe (excluding England) during the next several decades. The popes later took its direction into their own hands, and the first decree of the Council of Clermont (1095) proclaimed a weekly truce for all Christendom, with an oath of adherence to be taken by all men over age 12. The truce was most powerful in the 12th century but was never entirely effective.