Instead of simply narrating the life of the saint, Robson looks at Francis through the thoughts and writings of those who knew him: his parents, the local bishop, Pope Innocent III, Cardinal Ugolino, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Clare. What emerges is a new understanding of the saint.

Michael Robson OFMConv is Dean and Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge, and a Senior Member of the Divinity faculty, where he currently supervises in Church history. He has previously lectured in ecclesiastical history and Franciscan studies (theology and history) at the Franciscan Study Centre at Canterbury. During this period, he was also an honorary lecturer in Franciscan history and theology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. As a member of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, he completed a PhD and has contributed articles to several Franciscan journals

Introduction	p. vi
Acknowledgements	p. xii
Abbreviations	p. xiii
Glossary	p. xv
Chronology	p. xx
Peter Bernardone	p. 1
Christianity and medieval Assisi	p. 1
Francis's family	p. 7
Troubled relations between Assisi and Perugia	p. 12
Military ambition thwarted by sickness	p. 15
Francis and the leper	p. 18
Beginnings of a vocation	p. 22
Bishop Guido II of Assisi	p. 31
Episcopal appeal and Francis's renunciation	p. 32
Guido as the vicar of San Rufino and patron saints of Assisi	p. 38
Guido's defence of his episcopal heritage	p. 41
Benevolent episcopal intervention	p. 43
Incipient fraternity	p. 46
Guido at the papal court	p. 48
Guido, Francis and Clare	p. 51
Francis's respect for bishops and priests	p. 54
Francis's death and canonization	p. 56
Pope Innocent III	p. 62
The papacy and St Francis	p. 62
Innocent III and reform groups	p. 69
Francis's quest for papal approval	p. 71
Lateran IV, ecclesiastical reform and Francis	p. 77
Franciscans and the restoration of the Church	p. 86
Lady Poverty	p. 94
Poverty and the conversion experiences	p. 94
Wealth and divisions in society	p. 98
The monastic world and Francis	p. 100
The reappraisal of the apostolic life	p. 103
Gospel texts and poverty	p. 105
Povetty embraced	p. 112
Imitation of the Poor Christ and nuptial imagery	p. 115
Medieval perception of Francis and his fraternity	p. 118
Ugolino, cardinal protector and then Pope Gregory IX	p. 126
The growth of the fraternity	p. 126
The meeting in Florence	p. 130
Appointment of a cardinal protector	p. 132
Cardinal and Francis	p. 137
Francis instructs Ugolino	p. 139
Interventions by Ugolino	p. 142
Approval of the Rule	p. 144
Gregory IX and the Franciscans	p. 147
St Anthony of Padua and the development of theological study	p. 158
Anthony's early life	p. 158
An Augustinian canon at Lisbon and then Coimbra (c. 1210-20)	p. 160
Friar Anthony	p. 165
The ministry of preaching	p. 168
Measures to combat the spread of heresy	p. 170
Francis and the need for theological study	p. 172
The origin of Franciscan schools	p. 174
Anthony, patron of Franciscan schools	p. 176
Franciscan perception of theology	p. 178
The debate about studies	p. 180
St Clare, the faithful custodian of Francis's ideals	p. 187
Clare's family	p. 187
Manifestations of a vocation and Francis's impact	p. 188
Clare's conversion	p. 191
Temporary refuge and family opposition	p. 195
San Damiano and the vocations of Francis and Clare	p. 199
Francis's reliance on Clare	p. 202
Clare in Thomas of Celano's biographies	p. 205
Clare and the Roman Curia	p. 209
Francis as the herald of the great king	p. 218
An enlarged cloister	p. 218
Francis's preaching	p. 220
Francis the teacher and actor	p. 224
Francis's praise of God in song and musical instruments	p. 228
Sermons in parishes	p. 230
Sanctification of the piazza	p. 232
Ministry of peace and reconciliation	p. 234
Ecumenical reconciliation	p. 236
Communion with all creation	p. 239
St Francis's death, burial and posthumous influence on the fraternity	p. 249
Medieval conventions regarding the burial of saints	p. 250
Arrangements for the death and burial of Francis	p. 254
Francis's death at the Portiuncula and burial at San Giorgio	p. 258
The proclamation of Francis's stigmata	p. 262
Towards canonization	p. 265
Basilica of St Francis and the Sacro Convento	p. 267
Francis's posthumous influence on an expanding fraternity	p. 270
The biographies and the portrait of the exemplary friar	p. 273
Bibliography	p. 281
Index	p. 290
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.