In Western Europe in the Middle Ages, was it really the case that priests or monks could and did engage in deadly combat, so long as they used a blunt weapon (due to a very literal interpretation of a prohibition on shedding blood)?

by spikebrennan
MI13

No, this was not the case at all. Monks and priests often engaged in combat (in various ways) and utilized a wide variety of weaponry. Monks are recorded as having fought with lances, swords, bows, etc. From the perspective of the medieval warrior, this "technicality" doesn't really make sense at all. If you bash in someone's skull with a mace, you're going to be spilling some blood.