Monumenta Franciscana

A scholarly edition of original Latin and Middle English documents relating to the establishment of the Franciscan Order in England.

Published in 1882, Volume 2 of this two-volume work contains original documents in Latin and Middle English relating to the decline and division of the English Franciscans from their foundation to the Reformation. The editor's preface is invaluable and thorough, providing historical background, context, and manuscript information for the texts.This two-volume work forms part of a series of scholarly editions of chronicles and other original documents relating to British history from the Roman invasion to the reign of Henry VIII, commissioned by the Master of the Rolls in the mid-nineteenth century. The documents are reprinted in Latin or Middle English, with summaries of their content. Each volume contains a thorough and invaluable preface, placing the documents in historical context and describing the location and condition of the original manuscripts. Volume 2, edited by Richard Howlett and published in 1882, is concerned with the 'decadence and fall of the Franciscans'. The documents relate to the emerging conflict of English Minorites with other monastic orders, such as the Benedictines of Westminster in 1290; divisions within the Order itself; and the impact of the religious persecutions of the Reformation. The book also includes an appendix of related original documents.