Friars
Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"; Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
Friars were a kind of monk who appeared in Europe from the thirteenth century. Most monks lived their whole lives inside one monastery. Friars did not. They moved from place to place, preached to ordinary people and lived on charity, which means gifts of food and money. They took religion out of the closed abbey and into towns and villages.
Example
St Francis of Assisi founded an order of friars in Italy in 1209. Its members, the Franciscans, stressed a simple, poor life and kindness to all creatures.
Don't confuse with
- Monks (e.g. Benedictines): monks vowed to stay in one monastery for life. Friars wandered and begged.
- Priests: a priest served one parish, the area under one priest. A friar had no fixed parish.
Related concepts
- Catholic Church
- Papacy
- Clergy
- Tithe
- Monasticism
- Benedictine order
- Hildegard of Bingen
- Canterbury Tales