See also:

• BEGUINES (Fr. beguine, Med. Lat. beguina, begina, beghina)

BEGUINES (Fr. beguine, Med. See also:

• LAT

Lat. beguina, begina, beghina)  , at the See also:

• PRESENT

present See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time the name of the members of certain See also:

• LAY

lay See also:

• SISTERHOODS (MODERN ANGLICAN)

sisterhoods established in the See also:

• NETHERLANDS

Netherlands and See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany, the enclosed See also:

• DISTRICT

district within which they live being known as a beguinage (See also:

• LAT

Lat. beginagium) . The See also:

• EQUIVALENT

equivalent male communities, called also See also:

• BEGUINES (Fr. beguine, Med. Lat. beguina, begina, beghina)

Beguines (Fr. beguins, Lat. beguini), but more usually Beghards (Lat. baghardi, beggardi, begehardi, &c., O . Fr. beggad-t, Flem. beggaert), have See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long ceased to exist . The origin of the names Beguine and Beghard has been the subject of much controversy . In the 15th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century a See also:

• LEGEND (through the French from the med. Lat. legenda, things to be read, from legere, to read)

legend arose that both name and organization were traceable to St Begga, daughter of See also:

• PIPPIN, or PEPIN

Pippin of See also:

• LANDEN
• LANDEN, JOHN (1719–1790)

Landen, who consequently in 163o was chosen by the Beguines as the See also:

• PATRON

patron See also:

• SAINT (lat. sanctus, " holy ")

saint of their association . In 163o a See also:

• PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

professor of See also:

• LOUVAIN (Flem. Leuven)

Louvain, Erycius Puteanus (See also:

• VAN

van Putte), published a See also:

• TREATISE

treatise, De Begginarurn apud Belgas instituto et nomine sufragium, in which he produced three documents purporting to date from the See also:

• LATH (0. Eng. laett, Mid. Eng. lappe, a form possibly due to the Welsh llath; the word appears in many Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch lat, Ger. Latte, and has passed into Romanic, cf. Ital. latta, Fr. latte)

lath and 12th centuries, which seemed conclusively to prove that the Beguines existed long before See also:

• LAMBERT [alias NICHOLSON], JOHN (d. 1538)
• LAMBERT, DANIEL (1770-1809)
• LAMBERT, FRANCIS (c 1486-153o)
• LAMBERT, JOHANN HEINRICH (1728–1777)
• LAMBERT, JOHN (1619-1694)

Lambert le Begue . For two centuries these were accepted as genuine and are admitted as such even in the monumental See also:

• WORK

work of See also:

• MOSHEIM, JOHANN LORENZ VON (c. 1694-1755)

Mosheim . In 1843, however, they were conclusively proved by the See also:

• GERMAN
• GERMAN, DUTCH AND SCANDINAVIAN

German See also:

• SCHOLAR, SCHOLARSHIP

scholar Hallmann, from See also:

• INTERNAL

internal See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence, to be forgeries of the 14th and 15th centuries . It is now universally admitted that both the institution and the name of the Beguines are derived from Lambert le Begue, who died about the See also:

• YEAR

year 1187 . The confusion caused by the See also:

• SPURIOUS

spurious documents of Puteanus, however, led, even when the legend of St Begga was rejected, to other suggestions for the derivation of the name, e.g. from an imaginary old Saxon word beggen, " to beg " or " pray," an explanation adopted even by Mosheim, or from begue, " See also:

• STAMMERING, or STUTTERING

stammering," a See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French word of unknown origin, which only brings us back to Lambert again, whose name of Le Begue, as the chronicler Aegidius, a See also:

• MONK (O.Eng. munuc; this with the Teutonic forms, e.g. Du. monnik, Ger. Witch, and the Romanic, e.g. Fr. moine, Ital. monacho and Span. monje, are from the Lat. monachus, adaptedfrom Gr. µovaXos, one living alone, a solitary; Own, alone)
• MONK (or MONCK), GEORGE
• MONK, JAMES HENRY (1784-1856)
• MONK, MARIA (c. 1817—1850)

monk of Orval (Aureae Vallis), tells us, simply means " the stammerer," quia See also:

• BALBUS

balbus erat (Gesta pontificum Leodiensium, c . A.D . 1251) .

Doubtless this coincidence gave a ready handle to the scoffing wits of the time, and among the numerous popular names given to the Beghards—bons garcons, See also:

• BONI (Bone)

boni pueri, boni valeti and the like—we find also that of See also:

• LOLLARDS

Lollards (from Flemish lcllen, " to stammer ") . About the year 1170 Lambert le Begue, a See also:

• PRIEST (Ger. Priester, Fr. pretre)

priest of See also:

• LIEGE
• LIEGE (Walloon, Lige, Flemish, Luik, Ger. Lilltich)

Liege, who had devoted his See also:

• FORTUNE, ROBERT (1813-188o)

fortune to See also:

• FOUNDING (from Lat. fundere, to pour)

founding the See also:

• HOSPITAL (Lat. haspitalis, the adjective of hospes, host or guest)

hospital and See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church of St See also:

• CHRISTOPHER, SAINT (Christophorus, Christoferus)

Christopher for the widows and See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children of crusaders, conceived the See also:

• IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea of establishing an association of See also:

• WOMEN

women, who, without taking the monastic vows, should devote themselves to a See also:

• LIFE

life of See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

religion . The effect of his See also:

• PREACHING (Fr. preecher, from Lat. praedicare, to proclaim)

preaching was immense, and large See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers of women, many of them See also:

• LEFT

left desolate by the loss of their husbands on crusade, came under the See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of a See also:

• MOVEMENT

movement which was attended with all the manifestations of what is now called a " revival." About the year 118o Lambert gathered some of these women, who had been ironically styled " Beguines " by his opponents, into a semi-conventual community, which he established in a See also:

• QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter of the See also:

• CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city belonging to him around his church of St Christopher . The district was surrounded by a See also:

• WALL (O. Eng. weal, weall, Mid. Eng. wal, wane, adapted from Lat. vallum, rampart; the original O. Eng. word for a wall was wag or tenth)
• WALL, RICHARD (1694-1778)

wall within which the Beguines lived in See also:

• SEPARATE

separate small houses, subject to no See also:

• RULE

rule See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save the See also:

• OBLIGATION

obligation of See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

• WORKS

works, and of chastity so long as they remained members of the community . After Lambert's See also:

• DEATH

death (c . 1187?) the movement rapidly spread, first in the Netherlands and afterwards in See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France —where it was encouraged by the saintly See also:

• LOUIS
• LOUIS (804–876)
• LOUIS (893–911)
• LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
• LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian

Louis IX.—Germany, See also:

• SWITZERLAND

Switzerland and the countries beyond . Everywhere the community was modelled on the type established at Liege . It constituted a little city within the city, with separate houses, and usually a church, hospital and See also:

• GUEST (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Gast, and Swed. gust; cognate with Lat. hostis, originally a stranger, hence enemy; cf. " host " )
• GUEST, EDWIN (1800–188o)

guest-See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house, the whole being under the See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government of a See also:

• MISTRESS

mistress (magistra) . Women of all classes were admitted; and, though there was no rule of poverty, many wealthy women devoted their riches to the See also:

• COMMON

common cause . The Beguines did not beg; and, when the endowments of the community were not sufficient, the poorer members had to support themselves by See also:

• MANUAL

manual work, sick-See also:

• NURSING

nursing and the like . The Beguine communities were fruitful See also:

• SOIL

soil for the missionary enterprise of the friars, and in the course of the 13th century the communities in France, Germany and upper See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy had fallen under the influence of the See also:

• DOMINICANS

Dominicans and See also:

• FRANCISCANS (otherwise called Friars Minor, or Minorites; also the Seraphic Order ; and in England Grey Friars, from the colour of the habit, which, however, is now brown rather than grey)

Franciscans to such an extent that in the Latin-speaking countries the See also:

• TERTIARIES (Lat. tertiarii, from tertius, third)

tertiaries of these orders were commonly called beguini and beguinae . The very looseness of their organization, indeed, made it inevitable that the Beguine associations should follow very diverse developments .

Some of them retained their See also:

• ORIGINAL

original See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character; others See also:

• FELL
• FELL, JOHN (1625-1686)

fell completely under the dominion of the friars, and were ultimately converted into houses of Dominican, Franciscan or Augustinian tertiaries; others again fell under the influence of the mystic movements of the 13th century, turned in increasing numbers from work to See also:

• MENDICANCY (from Lat. niendicus, in a condition of beggary, a word of unknown origin)

mendicancy (as being nearer the See also:

• CHRIST (Gr. X pLQTOS, Anointed)
• CHRIST, WILHELM VON (1831-1906)

Christ-life), practised the most cruel self-tortures, and lapsed into extravagant heresies that called down upon them the condemnation of popes and See also:

• COUNCILS

councils.' All this tended to See also:

• LOWER

lower the reputation of the Beguines . During the 14th century, indeed, numerous new beguinages were established; but ladies of See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank and See also:

• WEALTH

wealth ceased to enter them, and they tended to become more and more See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere almshouses for poor women . By the 15th century in many cases they had utterly sunk in reputation, their obligation to See also:

• NURSE (a shortened form of the earlier " nourice," adapted through the French from Lat. nutrix, nu/rite, to nourish)

nurse the sick was quite neglected, and they had, rightly or wrongly, acquired the reputation of being mere nests of beggars and women of See also:

• ILL

ill fame . At the See also:

• REFORMATION
• REFORMATION, THE

Reformation the communities were suppressed in See also:

• PROTESTANT

Protestant countries, but in some See also:

• CATHOLIC (Gr. KcaBoXuK6s, general, universal)

Catholic countries they still survive . The beguinages found here and there in Germany are now simply almshouses for poor spinsters, those in See also:

• HOLLAND
• HOLLAND, CHARLES (1733–1769)
• HOLLAND, COUNTY AND PROVINCE OF
• HOLLAND, HENRY FOX, 1ST BARON (1705–1774)
• HOLLAND, HENRY RICH, 1ST EARL OF (1S9o-,649)
• HOLLAND, HENRY RICHARD VASSALL FOX, 3RD
• HOLLAND, JOSIAH GILBERT (1819-1881)
• HOLLAND, PHILEMON (1552-1637)
• HOLLAND, RICHARD, or RICHARD DE HOLANDE (fl. 1450)
• HOLLAND, SIR HENRY, BART

Holland (e.g. at See also:

• AMSTERDAM
• AMSTERDAM (NEw AMSTERDAM)

Amsterdam and See also:

• BREDA

Breda) and See also:

• BELGIUM
• BELGIUM (Fr. Belgique; Flem. Belgic)

Belgium preserve more faithfully the characteristics of earlier days . The beguinage of St See also:

• ELIZABETH
• ELIZABETH (1533-1603)
• ELIZABETH (1596-1662)
• ELIZABETH (1635–1650)
• ELIZABETH [ AMELIE EUGENIE ] (1837—1898)
• ELIZABETH [1lisabeth Philippine Marie Helene of France] (1764—1794)
• ELIZABETH [PAULINE ELIZABETH OTTILIE LOUISE] (1843– )
• ELIZABETH [PETROVNA] (1709-1762), EMPRESS
• ELIZABETH, SAINT (1207-1231)

Elizabeth at See also:

• GHENT (Flem. Gent, Fr. Gand)

Ghent has some thousand sisters, and occupies quite a distinct quarter of the city, being surrounded by a wall and See also:

• MOAT

moat . The Beguines See also:

• WEAR

wear the old Flemish See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head-See also:

• DRESS (from the Fr. dresser, to set out, arrange, formed from Lat. directus, arranged, dirigere, to direct, arrange)

dress and a dark See also:

• COSTUME
• COSTUME (through the Fr. costume, from Ital. costume, Late Lat. costuma, a contracted form of Lat. consuetudinem, ace. of consuetudo, custom, habit, manner, &c.)

costume, and are conspicuous for their kindness among the poor and their sick nursing . It is uncertain whether the parallel communities of men originated also with Lambert le Begue . The first records are of communities at Louvain in 1220 and at See also:

• ANTWERP
• ANTWERP (Fr. Anvers)

Antwerp in 1228 . The See also:

• HISTORY

history of the male communities is to a certain extent parallel with the See also:

• FEMALE

female, but they were never so numerous and their degeneration was far more rapid . The earliest Flemish Beghard communities were associations mainly of artisans who earned ' In the year 1287 the See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council of Liege decreed that " all Beguinae desiring to enjoy the Beguine privileges shall enter a Beguinage, and we See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order that all who remain outside the Beguinage shall wear a dress to distinguish them from the Beguinae."their living by See also:

• WEAVING

weaving and the like, and appear to have been in intimate connexion with the See also:

• CRAFT (a word common to Teutonic languages for strength, or power; cf. Ger. Kraft)

craft-See also:

• GILDS, or GUILDS

gilds; but under the influence of the mendicant movement of the 13th century these tended to break up, and, though certain of the male beguinages survived or were incorporated as tertiaries in the orders of friars, the name of Beghard became associated with See also:

• GROUPS
• GROUPS, THEORY

groups of wandering mendicants who made religion a cloak for living on charity; beguigner becoming in the French See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language of the time synonymous with " to beg," and beghard with " See also:

• BEGGAR

beggar," a word which, according to the latest authorities, was probably imported into See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England in the 13th century from this source (see BEGGAR) . More serious still, from the point of view of the Church, was the association of these wandering mendicants with the mystic heresies of the See also:

• FRATICELLI (plural diminutive of Ital. frate, brother)

Fraticelli, the See also:

• APOSTOLICI, APOSTOLIC BRETHREN

Apostolici and the pantheistic Brethren of the See also:

• FREE

Free Spirit .

The situation was embittered by the hatred of the See also:

• SECULAR (Lat. saecularis, of or belonging to an age or generation, saeculum)

secular See also:

• CLERGY (M.E. clergie, O. Fr. clergie, from Low Lat. form clericia [Skean, by assimilation with O. Fr. clergie, Fr. clerge,from Low Lat. clericatus)
• CLERGY, BENEFIT OF

clergy for the friars, with whom the Beguines were associated . Restrictions were placed upon them by the See also:

• SYNOD
• SYNOD (Gr. vbvobos)

synod of See also:

• FRITZLAR

Fritzlar (1269), by that of See also:

• MAINZ (Fr. Mayence)

Mainz (1281) and See also:

• EICHSTATT

Eichstatt (1281). and by the synod of See also:

• BEZIERS

Beziers (1299) they were absolutely for-bidden . They were again condemned by a synod held at See also:

• COLOGNE (Ger. Koln, or officially, since 1900, Coln)

Cologne in 1306; and at the synod of See also:

• TRIER (French Troves)

Trier in 1310 a See also:

• DECREE (from the past participle, decretus, of Lat. decernere)

decree was passed against those " who under a pretext of feigned religion See also:

• CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

call themselves Beghards . . . and, hating manual labour, go about begging, holding conventicles and posing among See also:

• SIMPLE

simple See also:

• PEOPLE

people as interpreters of the Scriptures." Matters came to a See also:

• CLIMAX, JOHN (c. 525–600 A.D.)

climax at the council of See also:

• VIENNE
• VIENNE, COUNCIL OF

Vienne in 1311 under See also:

• POPE (Gr. irarraas, post-classical Lat. papa, father)
• POPE, ALEXANDER (1688–1744)
• POPE, ALEXANDER (1763-1835)
• POPE, JANE (1742-1818)
• POPE, JOHN (1822-1892)
• POPE, SIR THOMAS (c. 1507-1559)

Pope See also:

• CLEMENT (Lat. Clemens, i.e. merciful; Gr. K)4gs)
• CLEMENT, FRANCOIS (1714-1793)
• CLEMENT, JACQUES (1567-1589)

Clement V., where the " See also:

• SECT

sect of Beguines and Beghards " were accused of being the See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main See also:

• INSTRUMENTS

instruments of the spread of See also:

• HERESY

heresy, and decrees were passed suppressing their organization and demanding their severe See also:

• PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

punishment . The decrees were put into See also:

• EXECUTION (from Lat. ex-sequor, exsecutus, follow or carry out)

execution by Pope See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John XXII., and a persecution raged in which, though the pope expressly protected the female Beguine communities of the Netherlands, there was little discrimination between the orthodox and unorthodox Beguines . This led to the utmost confusion, the laity in many cases taking the See also:

• PART

part of the Beguine communities, and the Church being thus brought into conflict with the secular authorities . In these circumstances the persecution died down; it was, however, again resumed between 1366 and 1378 by Popes See also:

• URBAN
• URBAN (Urbanus)

Urban V. and See also:

• GREGORY
• GREGORY (Gregorius)
• GREGORY (Grigorii) GRIGORIEVICH ORLOV, COUNT (1734-1783)
• GREGORY, EDWARD JOHN (1850-19o9)
• GREGORY, OLINTHUS GILBERT (1774—1841)
• GREGORY, ST (c. 213-C. 270)
• GREGORY, ST, OF NAZIANZUS (329–389)
• GREGORY, ST, OF NYSSA (c.331—c. 396)
• GREGORY, ST, OF TOURS (538-594)

Gregory XI., and the Beguines were not formally reinstated until the pontificate of See also:

• EUGENIUS

Eugenius IV . (1431–1447) . The male communities did not survive the 14th century, even in the Netherlands, where they had maintained their original character least impaired . See J . L. von Mosheim, De beghardis et beguinabus commentarius (See also:

• LEIPZIG

Leipzig, 1790) ; E . Ilallmann, See also:

• DIE
• DIE (Fr. de, from Lat. datum, given)

Die Geschichte See also:

• DES

des Ursprungs der belgischen Beghinen (See also:

• BERLIN
• BERLIN, CONGRESS AND TREATY OF
• BERLIN, ISAIAH (1725–1799)

Berlin, 1843); J .

C . L . Chiseler, See also:

• ECCLES

Eccles . Hist . (vol. iii., Eng. trans., See also:

• EDINBURGH

Edinburgh, 1853), with useful excerpts from documents; Du Cange, Glossarium; See also:

• HERZOG, HANS (1819–1894)
• HERZOG, JOHANN JAKOB (1805-1882)

Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopadie (3rd ed., 1897) s . " Beginen," by Herman See also:

• HAUPT, MORITZ (1808—1874)

Haupt, where numerous further authorities are cited . (W . A .