The or '
[c.f]
Burgfriede
at Duden online. was a German
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
term that referred to imposition of a state of
truce
A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...
within the jurisdiction of a castle, and sometimes its estate, under which
feuds, i.e. conflicts between private individuals, were forbidden under threat of the
imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
.
The lord of the castle could also grant
asylum
Asylum may refer to:
Types of asylum
* Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome
* Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute
* Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea
...
in that way, place people under his protection and force his jurisdiction on people. If several parties held joint possession of a castle, being considered joint lords, so-called agreements were signed, which contained far-reaching rules for living together in the castle.
The granting of , especially in the Middle Ages, could not be ignored. When visiting other castles, including those of one's enemy, a feud could not be pursued because the also applied to adversaries within the castle grounds. The could be terminated by a special
feud letter A feud letter (german: Fehdebrief or ''Absagebrief'') was a document in which a feud was announced, usually with few words, in medieval Europe. The letter had to be issued three days in advance to be legally valid.
To prevent the feud from becomin ...
(), such as to be able to
besiege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...
the castle legally.
The could apply to the entire estate belonging to the castle or, for example, in , where it was intended primarily to govern relationships between the co-heirs of the castle, it might apply only to the area of the inner courtyard. If there was no natural demarcation, the area could be marked out by appropriate signs, such as so-called stones.
See also
*
Apage
*
Breach of the peace
Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct.
Public ord ...
* , a German term used for the political truce the political parties agreed to during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
*
Feud
* ''
Gottesfrieden''
*
*
War
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
Literature
*
Gerd Althoff
Gerd Althoff (born 9 July 1943) is a German historian of the Early and High Middle Ages. He presents himself (in words used as part of the title of one of his many books) as a researcher into the "political rules of the game" in the Middle Ages. ...
: ''Spielregeln der Politik im Mittelalter. Kommunikation in Frieden und Fehde''. Primus-Verlag, Darmstadt, 1997, .
* Herbert Obenaus: ''Recht und Verfassung der Gesellschaften mit St. Jörgenschild in Schwaben. Untersuchung über Adel, Einzug, Schiedsgericht und Fehde im 15. Jahrhundert'' (Veröffentlichungen des Max-Planck-Instituts für Geschichte; 7). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, 1961.
* Margret Sänger: ''Die Burgfrieden der Grafen von Katzenelnbogen'', in: Blätter für deutsche Landesgeschichte 116 (1980), pp. 189–234.
* Christoph Terharn:
Die Herforder Fehden. Ein Beitrag zum Fehderecht'. Schmitt, Berlin, 1994, .
* Thomas Vogel: ''Fehderecht und Fehdepraxis im Spätmittelalter am Beispiel der Reichshauptstadt Nürnberg''. Lang, Frankfurt/M. 1998, .
* Felix Busson: ''Ritterlicher Ehrenschutz''. Verlag Franz Pechel, Graz, 1907.
References
{{Authority control
Medieval law
Feuds in Germany
Codes of conduct