Fraticelli

For the surname, see Fraticelli (surname).
"Michaelist" redirects here. Not to be confused with Miguelist.

The Fraticelli (Italian for "Little Brethren")[1] or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty,[2] and regarded the wealth of the Church as scandalous, and that of individual churchmen as invalidating their status[citation needed]. The Fraticelli were declared heretical in 1296 by Boniface VIII.

The name Fraticelli is used for various sects, which appeared in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, principally in Italy,[3] that separated from the Franciscan Order on account of the disputes concerning poverty. It is necessary to differentiate the various groups of Fraticelli, although the one term may be applied to all. The main groups were the Fraticelli de Paupere Vita and the Fraticelli de Opinione (also called Michaelites).[4]

The Apostolics (also known as Pseudo-Apostles or Apostolic Brethren) are excluded from the category, because admission to the Order of Saint Francis was expressly denied to their founder, Gerard Segarelli. The Apostolics had no connection to the Franciscans, in fact desiring to exterminate them.

Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose is set against the persecution of Fraticelli.

  1. ^ "Definition of FRATICELLI". merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  2. ^ Keen 1969, p. 157-158.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bihl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Matthew Mills, "Fraticelli", in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 4th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2022).