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One of two mendicant orders (see Dominicans), founded shortly before the Fourth Lateran Council forbade more orders, was one of the last great religious orders of the Middle Ages. The Franciscans were founded upon the preaching of Francis of Assisi, who petitioned Innocent III for permission to found the order of Friars Minore in 1210. The Italian friars soon became a powerful tool for the papacy, as they gave the pope the ability to direct their movements without a bishop’s approval. They owned nothing, and begged for support as they preached among people they met in their travels. The Friars practice was focused upon their devotion to Christ through the practice of poverty, and they were popular among the poor, outcasts, and sick. The Franciscans wore grey robes and were known as the 'Grey Friars' (Hill, 193, 194).

Bibliography

Hill, Jonathan. "Early Christianity: A World Religion." Handbook to the History of Christianity. Zondervan, 2006.