Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/500

 450 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE times they simply called themselves " Penitents,' ' sometimes The Order by the gladder name of " God's troubadours." cans ra or C1S At nrst *^ e y were s i m Pl e laymen and might Minorites have developed into heretics like the followers of Peter Waldo. But in 12 10 Francis met Innocent and ob- tained his oral approbation, although the new order was not formally established until several years after Innocent's death. By 12 19, however, they had begun to spread outside Italy and were soon found in Spain, France, England, Ger- many, and Hungary. They were now called "Minorites" or "the lowly" because of their humility. They also have often been called "Mendicant Friars" or "Begging Broth- ers," because they had no property of their own and had to depend for food and lodging upon those to whom they preached and rendered other services. As their work was largely with the lepers and sick and poor and needy, they often had to beg their bread from other persons. But they were not allowed by Francis to receive any money, and were supposed to earn their living when they could. Francis died in 1226 after two or three unsuccessful attempts to go as a missionary to the Saracens. In 12 12 a girl of eighteen named Clare left her family to become a follower of Francis, who thereupon instituted a separate order for women, known as the "Second Order of St. Francis," or the "Franciscan Nuns," or the "Poor Clares." The youth of Dominic had been that of a student and cleric. Early in the thirteenth century he accompanied his St. Dominic bishop on a diplomatic mission for the King of Preachers" through Toulouse on their way north and again on their return, they were shocked by the prevalence of heresy. Dominic determined to remain there and devote himself to religious work. At Prouille he founded a nunnery where Albigensian orphan girls might be reared in orthodoxy, and he supported Simon de Montfort in his bloody work of orphan-making. Innocent had approved a new order called "Poor Catholics," whose leaders were converted Walden sians, who now proposed to combat heresy in southern led en- ern
 * '°Fria?s the Castile, and they also visited Rome. In passing