A feud letter (german: Fehdebrief or ''Absagebrief'') was a
document in which a
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
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 becoming a case of
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
and thus become punishable by law, those involved had to abide by the following rules:
# The feud, whether between
knights
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
or between the
nobility and towns, had to be initiated by a formal feud letter.
# Killing innocent parties was forbidden.
# Razing of houses and laying waste to the land were allowed.
# During the feud, fighting was not permitted in churches or at home, and the parties were to be allowed to go to and to return from church or court without being molested.
Examples
* Around 1444, the town of
Soest declared war on the
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of
Cologne at the start of the
Soest Feud with the following famous, brief feud letter:
''"Wettet, biscop Dierich van Moeres, dat wy den vesten Junker Johan can Cleve lever hebbet alls Juwe, unde wert Juwe hiermit affgesaget"''
(''"Know this, Bishop Dietrich of Moers, that we prefer the steadfast
Junker, John of Cleves, to you, and hereby give you notice thereof."'')
See also
*
Throw down the gauntlet
A gauntlet is a variety of glove, particularly one having been constructed of hardened leather or metal plates which protected the hand and wrist of a combatant in Europe between the early fourteenth century and the Early Modern period. Toda ...
*''
Landfrieden'' - waiver of the right to feuding
Legal documents
Letter
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