Second Lateran Council

April 4, 1139

Innocent II convened about a thousand prelates to patch the wounds of the eight-year papal schism, declare Anacletus's ordinations void, and forbid crossbows against Christians. The last prohibition was almost universally ignored, proving how seriously medieval people took crossbows. The council also banned tournaments, theatrical performances by clergy, and the practice of monks studying medicine for profit, a catalogue of vices that reveals the era's preoccupations.