The Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis

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When Saint Francis of Assisi died in 1226, he left behind an order already struggling to maintain its identity. As the Church called upon Franciscans to be bishops, professors, and inquisitors, their style of life began to change. Some in the order lamented this change and insisted on observing the strict poverty practiced by Francis himself. Others were more open to compromise. Over time, this division evolved into a genuine rift, as those who argued for strict poverty were marginalized within the order. In this book, David Burr offers the first comprehensive history of the so-called Spiritual Franciscans, a protest movement within the Franciscan order. Burr shows that the movement existed more or less as a loyal opposition in the late thirteenth century, but by 1318 Pope John XXII and leaders of the order had combined to force it beyond the boundaries of legitimacy. At that point the loyal opposition turned into a heretical movement and recalcitrant friars were sent to the stake. Although much has been written about individual Spiritual Franciscan leaders, there has • THE piritual FRANCISCANS • From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis c o n t i n u e d o n b a c k fl a p  D A V I D B U R R THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA | WWW.PSUPRESS.ORG B U R R • T HE  piritual F RANCISCANS • P E N N S TAT E P R E S S  David Burr’s new history of the Spiritual Franciscans is packed with enlightening observations and highly original interpretations. Again and again, Burr made me see figures I thought I understood in new ways. I know of no book in English (or in any other language, for that matter) that treats the Spiritual movement as Burr does and that is as up-to-date and sure in its analysis. Indeed, there is probably no other historian who could carry off this study so knowledgeably, authoritatively, and shrewdly.” —Kevin Madigan, Harvard Divinity School The need for a new history of the Spiritual Franciscans has been pressing for a long time. With its impeccable scholarship and breathtaking erudition, David Burr’s book is not only a major contribution to the field but also the capstone of decades of scholarship.” —Augustine Thompson, O.P., University of Virginia “ “ ,!7IA2H1-acbcih!:t;K;k;K;k ISBN 0-271-02128-4 been no general history of the movement since 1932. Few people are equipped to tackle the voluminous documentary record and digest the sheer mass of research generated by Franciscan scholars in the last century. Burr, one of the world’s leading authorities on the Franciscans, has given us a book that D A V I D B U R R is Professor of History at Virginia Tech. He is the author of numerous other books, including Olivi’s Peaceable Kingdom: A Reading of the Apocalypse Commentary (1993). Jacket Illustration: Giotto (attributed to), Life of St. Francis: Approval of the Rule, Assisi, Church of San Francesco. Copyright Scala / Art Resource, New York c o n t i n u e d f r o m f r o n t fl a p ...