Introduction

Around the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the world saw the birth of the very first universities and the thirteenth century was the very first university century in the history of learning. The medieval university enjoyed continuous growth and flourished, as did Europe itself. The thirteenth century has also been characterized as the century of Aristotle. The philosophical faculties were invaded by his works.

From the religious point of view, one is struck by the enormous vitality in the activities of the Church which gave a new dynamics to the development of faith and theology. The thirteenth century was also the century of the evangelical revival of the mendicant orders. A new évangelisme flowed over Europe and, in particular, over England and Scotland. From the theological point of view, the thirteenth century was the century of the orders of the poverty movement such as the Austin Friars, the Carmelites, the Friars Preaches and the Friars Minor. It was, above all, the first century of the new orders of the Friars Preacher and the Friars Minor. England turned out to be remarkably sensitive to the charm of the Franciscan branch of the poverty movement. In the twelfth century the poverty movement had fallen into relative desuetude, but it rose again in the thirteenth century and its rebirth could in no way have been foreseen.

Poor for the sake of Christ

The spread of the evangelical movement had an enormous impact on the development of theology.