08-08-2022, 02:12 PM
Koen casually mentioned the Beguines in post #52. I did some research on this community. Here is a brief summary:
Beguines and (more rarely) Begards were members of lay religious communities in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. They patterned their lives after the ideal of poverty and penance in following Jesus Christ, and were especially involved in charity for the sick, the poor, and the dying.
The Beguine movement, or rather the way of life of the Beguines, developed very differently. In the beginning, there were women who continued their everyday things as beguines. Then there were women who lived a meager life of prayer, worship and fasting in domestic community with their parents or relatives. But soon women joined together to form residential communities, which together followed the "Caritas" and the "Passio Christi" as a religious guiding principle. This is how the numerous Beguine convents and courts came into being, which gained a certain economic independence through their own initiative or foundations. They spread mainly in the Netherlands and in what is now Belgium, but also quickly gained a foothold in German areas, for example. The first documented mention of Beguines in Germany is in Cologne in 1223, where up to 150 convents were counted, in which up to 2,000 women are said to have lived. In some cities, the Beguines made up about 6 percent of the adult city population.
There were two forms of cohabitation of the beguines: first, the beguinages, in which the residents lived individually in houses. This was the normal case in the Flemish-Dutch area. Secondly, there were the beguine convents, which can be understood as a kind of residential community. In these convents a limited number of beguines lived under one roof. This was the most common form in the German-speaking countries. Therefore, one finds a large number of convents in German cities to accommodate all the aspirants. Most often the number 12 appears as the upper limit.
In the cities, the Beguines were usually granted all the privileges of a spiritual community: Exemption from taxes, dues, and from secular jurisdiction. In most cases, the beguines were placed under ecclesiastical supervision. In some cities, secular authorities were even threatened with excommunication if they violated the Beguines' immunity. Municipal control over the Beguines increased only after the Reformation, as the Beguines adhered to the Catholic faith and the power of the old church was limited.
There was a strict hierarchy in the Beguine convents, which was regulated by office and age. However, this is not unusual for the medieval society of estates. On the other hand, it is astonishing that in many towns social origin and personal or family property played no role in the assignment to the Beguines.
In the course of their existence, the Beguines were repeatedly exposed to hostility, even to the suspicion of heresy. However, there was no lack of efforts to gain recognition for their religious way of life. Thus they were recognized in 1216 by Pope Honorius III and in 1233 by Pope Gregory IX in his bull Gloria virginalis. Thus, for the first time, their spread had become possible. But already in 1311, at the Council of Vienne, Pope Clement V withdrew ecclesiastical recognition from the Beguines and Beghards.
The Third Orders, to which many Beguines and Beghards had already converted, also fell under this condemnation. It was not until the middle of the 15th century that Pope Eugene IV again placed the "orthodox" Beguines under the protection of the Church. But at this time new difficulties came upon the Beguines. The resentment of the urban guilds began to grow. Economic competition in the cities came to a head, and since the Beguines produced on their own account, i.e. independently of the guilds, they quickly became the focus of criticism. The Beguines were often engaged in textile work, especially linen weaving.
Among the Beguines were some of the most important mystics of the Middle Ages, e.g. Hadewijch of Brabant, Mechtild of Magdeburg and Marguerite Porète. Porète was burned as a backsliding heretic in 1310 for the continued dissemination of her major writing, Mirror of Simple Souls.
Beguines and (more rarely) Begards were members of lay religious communities in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. They patterned their lives after the ideal of poverty and penance in following Jesus Christ, and were especially involved in charity for the sick, the poor, and the dying.
The Beguine movement, or rather the way of life of the Beguines, developed very differently. In the beginning, there were women who continued their everyday things as beguines. Then there were women who lived a meager life of prayer, worship and fasting in domestic community with their parents or relatives. But soon women joined together to form residential communities, which together followed the "Caritas" and the "Passio Christi" as a religious guiding principle. This is how the numerous Beguine convents and courts came into being, which gained a certain economic independence through their own initiative or foundations. They spread mainly in the Netherlands and in what is now Belgium, but also quickly gained a foothold in German areas, for example. The first documented mention of Beguines in Germany is in Cologne in 1223, where up to 150 convents were counted, in which up to 2,000 women are said to have lived. In some cities, the Beguines made up about 6 percent of the adult city population.
There were two forms of cohabitation of the beguines: first, the beguinages, in which the residents lived individually in houses. This was the normal case in the Flemish-Dutch area. Secondly, there were the beguine convents, which can be understood as a kind of residential community. In these convents a limited number of beguines lived under one roof. This was the most common form in the German-speaking countries. Therefore, one finds a large number of convents in German cities to accommodate all the aspirants. Most often the number 12 appears as the upper limit.
In the cities, the Beguines were usually granted all the privileges of a spiritual community: Exemption from taxes, dues, and from secular jurisdiction. In most cases, the beguines were placed under ecclesiastical supervision. In some cities, secular authorities were even threatened with excommunication if they violated the Beguines' immunity. Municipal control over the Beguines increased only after the Reformation, as the Beguines adhered to the Catholic faith and the power of the old church was limited.
There was a strict hierarchy in the Beguine convents, which was regulated by office and age. However, this is not unusual for the medieval society of estates. On the other hand, it is astonishing that in many towns social origin and personal or family property played no role in the assignment to the Beguines.
In the course of their existence, the Beguines were repeatedly exposed to hostility, even to the suspicion of heresy. However, there was no lack of efforts to gain recognition for their religious way of life. Thus they were recognized in 1216 by Pope Honorius III and in 1233 by Pope Gregory IX in his bull Gloria virginalis. Thus, for the first time, their spread had become possible. But already in 1311, at the Council of Vienne, Pope Clement V withdrew ecclesiastical recognition from the Beguines and Beghards.
The Third Orders, to which many Beguines and Beghards had already converted, also fell under this condemnation. It was not until the middle of the 15th century that Pope Eugene IV again placed the "orthodox" Beguines under the protection of the Church. But at this time new difficulties came upon the Beguines. The resentment of the urban guilds began to grow. Economic competition in the cities came to a head, and since the Beguines produced on their own account, i.e. independently of the guilds, they quickly became the focus of criticism. The Beguines were often engaged in textile work, especially linen weaving.
Among the Beguines were some of the most important mystics of the Middle Ages, e.g. Hadewijch of Brabant, Mechtild of Magdeburg and Marguerite Porète. Porète was burned as a backsliding heretic in 1310 for the continued dissemination of her major writing, Mirror of Simple Souls.