Editing Law of war (section)

==Early sources and history==

The first traces of a law of war come from the Babylonians. It is the [[Code of Hammurabi]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=1999-01 |url=http://cref.u-bordeaux4.fr/Cahiers/1999-01.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060309074300/http://cref.u-bordeaux4.fr/Cahiers/1999-01.htm |archive-date=2006-03-09 |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=cref.u-bordeaux4.fr}}</ref> king of Babylon, which in 1750 B.C., explains its laws imposing a code of conduct in the event of war: {{blockquote|I prescribe these laws so that the strong do not oppress the weak.}} 

An example from the [[Book of Deuteronomy]] 20:19–20 limits the amount of environmental damage, allowing only the cutting down of non-fruitful trees for use in the siege operation, while fruitful trees should be preserved for use as a food source. Similarly, Deuteronomy 21:10–14 requires that female captives who were forced to marry the victors of a war, then not desired anymore, be let go wherever they want, and requires them not to be treated as slaves nor be sold for money.

In the early 7th century, the first [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslim]] [[caliph]], [[Abu Bakr]], whilst instructing his [[Rashidun army|Muslim army]], laid down rules against the mutilation of corpses, killing children, women, and the elderly. He also laid down rules against environmental harm to trees and slaying of the enemy's animals:

{{blockquote|Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.<ref>[[Muwatta Imam Malik|Al-Muwatta]]; Book 21, Number 21.3.10.</ref><ref name=Zuhur>Aboul-Enein, H. Yousuf and Zuhur, Sherifa, ''Islamic Rulings on Warfare'', p. 22, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, Diane Publishing Co., Darby PA, {{ISBN|1-4289-1039-5}}</ref>}}

In the history of the early Christian church, many Christian writers considered that Christians could not be soldiers or fight wars. [[Augustine of Hippo]] contradicted this and wrote about '[[just war]]' doctrine, in which he explained the circumstances when war could or could not be morally [[Just war theory|justified.]]

In 697, [[Adomnan of Iona]] gathered Kings and church leaders from around Ireland and Scotland to [[Birr, County Offaly|Birr]], where he gave them the '[[Cáin Adomnáin|Law of the Innocents]]', which banned killing women and children in war, and the destruction of churches.<ref>Adomnan of Iona. Life of St. Columba, Penguin Books, 1995.</ref>

Apart from [[chivalry]] in [[Middle Ages|medieval Europe]], the [[Roman Catholic Church]] also began promulgating teachings on [[just war]], reflected to some extent in movements such as the [[Peace and Truce of God]]. The impulse to restrict the extent of warfare, and especially protect the lives and property of [[non-combatant]]s continued with [[Hugo Grotius]] and his attempts to write laws of war.