The Other Friars - by Frances Andrews (Paperback)

About the Book

A concise and accessible history of four of the monastic orders in the middle ages.

Book Synopsis

A concise and accessible history of four of the monastic orders in the middle ages.

In 1274 the Council of Lyons decreed the end of various "new orders" of Mendicants which had emerged during the great push for evangelism and poverty in the thirteenth-century Latin Church. The Franciscans and Dominicans were explicitly excluded, while the Carmelites and Austin friars were allowed a stay of execution. These last two were eventually able to acquire approval, but other smaller groups, in particular the Friars of the Sack and Pied Friars, were forced to disband.
This book outlines the history of those who were threatened by 1274, tracing the development of the two larger orders down to the Council of Trent, and following the fragmentary sources for the brief histories of the discontinued friaries. For the first time these orders are treated comparatively: the volume offers a total history, from their origins, spirituality and pastoral impact, to their music, buildings and runaways.

FRANCES ANDREWS is Professor in Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews.

Review Quotes

[An] interesting and thought-provoking study. Essential to anyone conducting research on the mendicant orders. Highly recommended.-- "CHOICE"

A fine study. [...] Deals elegantly with the difficulty of reconstructing the past from primarily normative sources and makes deft use of such evidence of personal experience and opinion as is extant. [...] In investigating this through a rare comparative study, Andrews has performed a great service to students of medieval religion.-- "ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW"

A history that is both lively and definitive. [...] This is a very fine book, rescuing from obscurity an entire chapter of the medieval past.-- "THE TABLET"

Definitely a volume to be welcomed.-- "THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL"

Sheds needed light on an obscure aspect of medieval mendicancy and is a great resource for those studying medieval religious institutional and social history.-- "RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW"

Students of late medieval religion will be glad to have this book, not only because it lacks a competitor but especially because of its solidity.-- "TLS"

Would provide a valuable service even if it did no more than introduce readers to the variety of mendicant profession in thirteenth-century Europe. As it is, it does very much more than this. [...] Andrews manages to present her thesis with great clarity of organisation and lucidity of expression, yet without compromising the deep scholarship that obviously forms the bedrock of the book.-- "JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY"