Summary

This book explores the formation and development of the Franciscan Order in the XIIIth century, and its transformation from an apostolic religious movement to a medieval academic corporation. The research progressed within the concept of competition between norms and reality (S. Cerutti). The Order considered the apostolic movement of st. Francis and his first companions as described in hagiographies to be the norm. Although the apostolic movement denied institutionalization, in reality the Order inevitably became institutionalized while integrating into such medieval institutions as the Roman Curia, universities, and the Capetian Curia Regis. The author proves that the internal community history as presented in its founder hagiographies was revised depending on the phases of the Order integration into these institutions.

In the first part of the research, the author analyzes the "pious legend" of Saint Francis of Assisi, i.e. the complex of the Saint perceptions within the Order (memoria). Primary focus is on the "official" hagiographies that were sequentially approved by the Roman Curia and the Order administration: the "Vita Prima" (1228–1230) and the "Vita Secunda" (1244–1247) by Thomas of Celano and the "Legenda Major" (1260–1263) by Bonaventure. The author demonstrates how the traditionally conservative authors of hagiographies search for the ways to integrate Francis of Assisi image into the church-controlled Sacred History domain of notions, so that to shape the understanding of the Order place and role as part of church and "divine" hierarchy.

In the first chapter, the author analyzes Franciscan historiography and defines its particular characteristics.

In the second and third chapter the author points out that the traditional rhetorical tools employed by Thomas of Celano were poorly accommodated to the incredibly dynamic transformation of the Franciscan community, that the Roman Curia — being the ordering party of the first official hagiography — tried to control. His failures were aggravated by the fact that the Order didn't possess a definitive institutional document, which was the Rule of Order in other religious orders. But it was being constantly edited by the Papacy. The Order, in turn, was rewriting the "pious legend".

The author proves that to get out of the institutionalization crisis the Order entered in 1250s, the administration should have not only reviewed their founders history and image, but also brought the reflection about the past to such representation space that could have only been interpreted within the given limits. The author further demonstrates that the "Major Legend" by Bonaventure, the Minister General of the Order and the professor at the University of Paris, resolved all contradictions between the world, the Order and the Curia by utilizing scholastic writing as a new technique of hagiographie narrative. Besides, "Constitutiones Narbonenses" emerged as a new Rule of Order during his tenure, which excluded any annotations made by both the Roman Curia and the brethren.

The analysis of the hagiographies dated the second half of the XIIIth century ("post-Bonaventure") lets the author prove that the roots of the historiographical myth about the "Conventuals" and "Observantists" confrontation in the pre-Bonaventure times (see chapter one, part one) originate from the polemics of Bonaventure disciples, "Constitutiones Narbonenses" supporters, and spirituals supporting regression to nonregulated apostolic activity. The author concludes that pre-Bonaventure age was characterized by active interaction of all movements within the Order, while the Order policy was determined by the actual affiliation of the current Minister General who was also able to shape the official "pious legend".

The second part of the research is dedicated to the "conflict-based" interaction between the Franciscan Order and the University of Paris. This part also considers interaction between the Franciscans and the Dominicans. In this part the author demonstrates how, despite the unification policy introduced by the Roman Curia, the Franciscans gain awareness as a movement separated from all other mendicant orders, and how they opt for an "academic corporation". The author relies on the research of the concept of "learning" in the pious legend of Francis dated XIIIth century and the complex of cotemporary cartularies from the University of Paris.

In the first chapter the author analyzes historiography and defines its blind spots and debatable issues. Then, in the second chapter the author points out that the brethren came to the University in the wake of apostolic commitment to transform the world in all of its spheres and aspects, but they had no particular purpose to engage scholastic studies and didn't aspire to imitate the Dominican Order which, on the contrary, intentionally integrated into universities. The author proves that up until 1230 Pope didn't consider the university to be a necessary domain for the Franciscan Order to integrate into. Still, after Gregory IX facilitated theological specialization in the University of Paris by announcing it a "theological center", the sovereign pontiff could have changed his priorities and make the Order brethren intentionally integrate into the University, similarly to the Dominicans and in line with the unification policy for mendicant orders. The author considers this integration to be one of the factors of the institutionalization crisis of the Order, the founder of which was more and more radical in preferring sermons to academic studies, according to both hagiographies by Thomas of Celano.

In the third chapter the author demonstrates that despite part of the Order was established as an academic corporation by 1250s, the majority still developed in the direction of radical mysticism being supported by the Minister General and the "pious legend". The mystical model of world transformation by preaching was proposed in the "Second Life" and served as a means of rapid penetration of Joachimite heresy into the Order, and also led to the emergence of "Introductorius in Evangelium aeternum" treatise in the beginning of 1250s. This period is also marked with the beginning of the conflict between Parisian professors and the Dominicans in which the Franciscan Order took its "invisible" part. The professors tried to banish the Dominicans from the University by accusing them of Joachimite heresy based on the emergence of the aforementioned treatise.

The author considers that the Roman Curia management unification policy for all mendicant orders gave the professors opportunity to accuse the Dominicans of Franciscan heresy and led to conflicts both among new communities and between them and traditional corporations. That said, despite the Order was able to reorganize and survive in the 1260s by developing into an academic corporation, it couldn't overcome the crisis of new communities coming to manage the Roman Curia. In the end of the XIIIth century this was demonstrated by a new round of conflicts.

The author demonstrates that the new understanding of learning as shaped by Bonaventure in the "Major Legend" allowed the Order to fully develop the scholastic movement. However, when the Franciscans became an integral part of the University, they stepped into a new conflict with the Parisian professors on a par with the Dominicans. That said, while the professors appealed to the Roman law and subsequently to the secular authority of the king, the mendicants cried out to the Roman pontiff whose authority was about to run out, but who strived to resolve the conflict by the same methods used in the middle of the century.

In the third part the author explores Franciscan understanding of authority that allowed brethren to permeate all spheres of medieval society on the one hand, and let the institutions use them as vehicles of their will on the other. Author s conclusions are based on the analysis of authority understanding as given in the "pious legend" and personal correspondence of Alphonse, Count of Poitiers, brother of Louis IX.

In the first chapter the author points out the insufficiency of historiographical research in this area and considers different approaches to the given problem.

In the second chapter the author proves that the collaboration between the Curia Regis and the Franciscan Order was, first of all, stipulated by the understanding of authority established in the Order by Francis himself. He and his followers denied the authority offered by the traditional feudalists world, but were paradoxically eager to rule the whole world, which desire expressed in spontaneous spreading of Minor Friars and their penetration into all structures of the medieval society without mixing with them (which was demonstrated in the second part of the research). Secondly, the extraordinary Franciscans service in the Curia Regis in 1247 became possible due to Order's disappointment in the Roman Curia policy and the Curia Regis commitment to renew the understanding of regal authority as a guatantor of justice. In 1260s the collaboration became permanent thanks to the pious legend interpreted by Bonaventure, but it was still limited by Louis IX lifetime. The succeeding Capetians primarily relied on the Roman law, which was preconditioned by Louis IX judicial reforms, and chose their supporters from the University of Paris legists. In 1260s the mendicant brethren opted for an "academic corporation", but Bonaventures influence made them integrate too closely into church structures and consider the Roman pontiff as their patron despite this. However, they remained passive keepers of the "pious legend" about Saint Louis compiled on the basis of the "Major Legend" by Bonaventure.

In the third chapter the author exemplifies the activity of Franciscan investigators in Auvergne and analyzes investigative procedures of those Franciscans who undermined the established feudalistic and hierarchical order and introduced new understanding of Capetian justice to the areas they needed to draw into their authority coverage.

In Conclusion the author defines the XIIIth century Franciscan Order as a self-regulating medieval hierarchical corporation, primarily characterized by its ability to adopt the features of those medieval structures it integrated into based on the apostleship principle. That said, the integration was driven by a very peculiar Order attribute best described as an "invisible power", which is the principle of lack of will established by Francis, permanent readiness to obey superiors orders, and commitment to fill in the worldly gaps not covered by local clergy in its mission of soul salvation.



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