Mendicant Orders
A Milestone Documents E-text
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Mendicant Orders
https://doi.org/10.3735/9781961844582.book.part.064

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Abstract

The term mendicant refers to a beggar, and the mendicant orders were those that emphasized lack of physical possessions, in money or land and, in some cases, literally supported themselves by begging. They were also referred to as “brothers,” or fratres in Latin, which was eventually corrupted into “friars.” The two most important founders of mendicant orders were the Italian wanderer Francis of Assisi of the Friars Minors, or “Franciscans,” founded in 1209, and the Spanish canon Dominic of the Order of Preachers, or “Dominicans,” founded around 1217.

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