TheSagramental (Catalan: literallySacramental) was a type of paramilitary organization native from thePrincipality of Catalonia, appearing in the Middle Ages. They were mutual-protection agreements, made under oath and thus called "sacramental."[1]
Though they were institutionalised during the reign ofJames I, they had already been legislated in writing during the 11th century. In Catalonia, the textPrinceps namque' established the requirement that every man participate in the national defense in the event of external threat.
The participants were summoned, in times of peril, by bonfires lit on hilltops (similar to the SpanishHuestes), or by the sound of the horn, trumpet, or bells. By the 16th century, other forms of defense began to overtake the Sagramental.