Ermenfrid Penitential facts for kids

The Ermenfrid Penitential was a special set of rules made by bishops in Normandy after the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066. It told William the Conqueror's soldiers who had caused violence during the Norman Conquest of England that they needed to make up for their actions. This document was probably created in 1067, though some historians suggest 1070.

The rules were given official approval by Ermenfrid of Sion, who was a special messenger (called a papal legate) for Pope Alexander II (who was Pope from 1063 to 1073).

The rules were divided into three different time periods. Each period had specific ways for soldiers to make up for violence they caused. These periods were:

• During the Battle of Hastings itself.
• In the time between the battle and William's coronation as King, which happened two months later on Christmas Day.
• After William became King.

These rules only applied to the winning Norman soldiers. What was unusual is that punishments were given not just for the harm caused, but also for what soldiers *intended* to do. For example, if a soldier wanted to kill someone but didn't actually strike them, they were still considered to have sinned. The rules also said that any goods taken from English churches had to be returned. However, if a soldier acted in self-defense, they received a lighter punishment.

Soldiers could make up for their actions by giving alms (donating food and money to the poor) or by helping to build new churches.

There is no mention of Duke William of Normandy having to do public penance himself. This suggests he might have been excused. However, some believe that William's decision to build an abbey at Battle (called Battle Abbey) was made *after* these rules were put in place. So, Battle Abbey itself might have been William's way of making up for his part in the fighting at Hastings.

Who was Ermenfrid of Sion?

As a papal legate, Bishop Ermenfrid of Sion was very important in making these rules official. Sion was a diocese (an area managed by a bishop) in what is now Switzerland. Even though Sion itself wasn't a huge city, it was in a very important location. It was on a main route through the western Alps, connecting Italy to northern Burgundy, France, and the Seine River valley.

Because of its location, the Bishop of Sion knew a lot about what was happening in the wider world. This made him an important person for popes and kings. He was a natural go-between for the Pope and regions like northwestern France and England.

We don't know much about Ermenfrid's early life before he became a bishop in 1054 or 1055. There aren't many records from that time. We don't know exactly when his predecessor (the bishop before him) died, or who made Ermenfrid a bishop. However, we do know that he was the Bishop of Sion for over 30 years. During this time, he led several important meetings (called Councils) as Pope Alexander II's special messenger.

What did the Ermenfrid Penitential say?

The original text of these rules was kept in a manuscript in Worcester. Later, an English historian named Henry Spelman (who lived from about 1562 to 1641) printed it. Historians like H. E. J. Cowdrey have studied the document and believe it is real and accurate. They found that it fits well with other similar rules from the early Middle Ages. There's no good reason to doubt that the Norman bishops would have created it, or that Ermenfrid of Sion would have approved it for the Pope.

Let's look at the specific rules for different times:

During the Battle of Hastings

• If a soldier knew they had killed a man, they had to do one year of penance for each person they killed.
• If a soldier wounded someone but wasn't sure if they had killed them, they had to do 40 days of penance for each person they remembered wounding.
• If a soldier didn't know how many people they had killed or wounded, their bishop would decide their penance. This could be one day of penance per week for the rest of their life, or they could pay for their sin with a lasting donation to charity.
• If a soldier didn't actually strike a man but wanted to, they had to do three days of penance.
• Archers, who couldn't easily know how many people they hit, had to do penance for three Lent periods.
• Clerks (church officials) and monks who fought or carried weapons had to follow the Church's rules, just as if they had sinned in their own land.
• Those who fought only for personal gain had to do the full penance for killing someone.
• Those who fought in a public war were given a lighter penance of three years by the bishops, out of mercy.

Between the Battle of Hastings and the King's Coronation

• Soldiers who killed men while trying to find food (and faced resistance) had to do one year of penance for each man. This was like killing someone in the Battle of Hastings.
• However, if they were looking for plunder (stolen goods) and not just food, they had to do three years of penance for each man.

After the King's Coronation

• Those who killed men had to do the full penance for intentionally killing someone. But there was an exception: if the person killed or wounded was fighting against the King, the penance was reduced. It was the same as for those who killed or wounded men in the Battle of Hastings.
• Damaging churches was treated similarly. Those who stole from churches had to return what they could. Selling items stolen from churches was forbidden.

The Church and War

For a very long time, people in the Church had discussed whether war was sinful. A scholar named Burchard of Worms was important in saying that any murder was a sin, no matter who ordered it. This idea lasted until the First Crusade (1096-1099).

The Peace and Truce of God movement also came about, which tried to limit fighting among Christians. The Ermenfrid Penitential might have been an attempt to stop fighting within Christendom (Christian lands) or to help William create a more unified kingdom.