Editing Franciscans (section)

===Development after Francis's death===
====1232–1239====
[[File:Anthony pereda.jpg|thumb|left|[[Anthony of Padua]] ({{circa|1195–1231}}) with the [[Child Jesus|Infant Christ]], painting by [[Antonio de Pereda]] ({{circa|1611–1678}})]]
Elias was a lay friar, and encouraged other laymen to enter the order. This brought opposition from many ordained friars and ministers provincial, who also opposed increased centralization of the Order. [[Pope Gregory IX|Gregory IX]] declared his intention to build a splendid church to house the body of Francis and the task fell to Elias, who at once began to lay plans for the erection of a great basilica at Assisi, to enshrine the remains of the ''Poverello''.<ref name=Paschal/> In order to build the basilica, Elias proceeded to collect money in various ways to meet the expenses of the building. Elias thus also alienated the zealots in the order, who felt this was not in keeping with the founder's views upon the question of poverty.

The earliest leader of the strict party was [[Brother Leo]], a close companion of Francis during his last years and the author of the {{lang|la|Speculum perfectionis}}, a strong polemic against the laxer party. Having protested against the collection of money for the erection of the basilica of San Francesco, it was Leo who broke in pieces the marble box which Elias had set up for offertories for the completion of the basilica at [[Assisi]]. For this Elias had him scourged, and this outrage on St Francis's dearest disciple consolidated the opposition to Elias. Leo was the leader in the early stages of the struggle in the order for the maintenance of St Francis's ideas on strict poverty.<ref name=paschrob>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09173a.htm Robinson, Paschal. "Brother Leo." The Catholic Encyclopedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205134451/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09173a.htm |date=2019-12-05 }} Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 28 December 2019 {{PD-notice}}</ref> At the chapter held in May 1227, Elias was rejected in spite of his prominence, and [[Giovanni Parenti]], Minister Provincial of Spain, was elected Minister General of the order.

In 1232 Elias succeeded him, and under him the Order significantly developed its ministries and presence in the towns. Many new houses were founded, especially in Italy, and in many of them special attention was paid to education. The somewhat earlier settlements of Franciscan teachers at the universities (in [[Paris]], for example, where [[Alexander of Hales]] was teaching) continued to develop. Contributions toward the promotion of the Order's work, and especially the building of the Basilica in Assisi, came in abundantly. Funds could only be accepted on behalf of the friars for determined, imminent, real necessities that could not be provided for from begging. When in 1230, the General Chapter could not agree on a common interpretation of the 1223 Rule it sent a delegation including [[Anthony of Padua]] to [[Pope Gregory&nbsp;IX]] for an authentic interpretation of this piece of papal legislation. The bull {{lang|la|Quo elongati}} of Gregory&nbsp;IX declared that the Testament of St.&nbsp;Francis was not legally binding and offered an interpretation of poverty that would allow the Order to continue to develop. Gregory&nbsp;IX authorized agents of the Order to have custody of such funds where they could not be spent immediately. Elias pursued with great severity the principal leaders of the opposition, and even [[Bernardo di Quintavalle]], the founder's first disciple, was obliged to conceal himself for years in the forest of [[Sefro|Monte Sefro]].

The conflict between the two parties lasted many years and the {{lang|it|Zelanti}} won several notable victories in spite of the favor shown to their opponents by the papal administration, until finally the reconciliation of the two points of view was seen to be impossible and the order was actually split into halves.

====1239–1274====
{{stack|[[File:Palácio Nacional de Mafra (1).jpg|thumb|A Franciscan convent in [[Mafra, Portugal|Mafra]] in Portugal]]
[[File:François, Claude (dit Frère Luc) - Saint Bonaventure.jpg|thumb|[[Bonaventure]] (1221–1274), painting by Claude François ({{circa|1650–1660}})]]}}
Elias governed the Order from the center, imposing his authority on the provinces (as had Francis). A reaction to this centralized government was led from the provinces of England and Germany. At the general chapter of 1239, held in Rome under the personal presidency of Gregory IX, Elias was deposed in favor of [[Albert of Pisa]], the former provincial of England,<ref name="new advent friars">{{cite web |title=Order of Friars Minor |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06281a.htm |website=newadvent.org}}</ref> a moderate Observantist. This chapter introduced General Statutes to govern the Order and devolved power from the [[Minister General (Franciscan)|Minister General]] to the Ministers Provincial sitting in chapter. The next two Ministers General, [[Haymo of Faversham]] (1240–1244) and [[Crescentius of Jesi]] (1244–1247), consolidated this greater democracy in the Order but also led the Order towards a greater clericalization. The new [[Pope Innocent IV]] supported them in this. In a bull of November 14, 1245, this pope even sanctioned an extension of the system of financial agents, and allowed the funds to be used not simply for those things that were necessary for the friars but also for those that were useful.

The Observantist party took a strong stand in opposition to this ruling and agitated so successfully against the lax General that in 1247, at a chapter held in Lyon, France—where Innocent IV was then residing—he was replaced by the strict Observantist [[John of Parma]] (1247–1257) and the Order refused to implement any provisions of Innocent IV that were laxer than those of Gregory IX.

Elias, who had been excommunicated and taken under the protection of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], was now forced to give up all hope of recovering his power in the Order. He died in 1253, after succeeding by recantation in obtaining the removal of his censures. Under John of Parma, who enjoyed the favor of Innocent IV and [[Pope Alexander IV]], the influence of the Order was notably increased, especially by the provisions of the latter pope in regard to the academic activity of the brothers. He not only sanctioned the theological institutes in Franciscan houses, but did all he could to support the friars in the Mendicant Controversy, when the secular Masters of the [[University of Paris]] and the Bishops of France combined to attack the [[mendicant orders]]. It was due to the action of [[Pope Alexander IV|Alexander IV]]'s envoys, who were obliged to threaten the university authorities with excommunication, that the degree of doctor of theology was finally conceded to the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[Thomas Aquinas]] and the Franciscan [[Bonaventure]] (1257), who had previously been able to lecture only as licentiates.

The Franciscan [[Gerard of Borgo San Donnino]] at this time issued a Joachimite tract and [[John of Parma]] was seen as favoring the condemned theology of [[Joachim of Fiore]]. To protect the Order from its enemies, John was forced to step down and recommended Bonaventure as his successor. Bonaventure saw the need to unify the Order around a common ideology and both wrote a new life of the founder and collected the Order's legislation into the [[Constitutions of Narbonne]], so called because they were ratified by the Order at its chapter held at [[Narbonne]], France, in 1260. In the chapter of [[Pisa]] three years later Bonaventure's {{lang|la|Legenda maior}} was approved as the only biography of Francis and all previous biographies were ordered to be destroyed. Bonaventure ruled (1257–1274) in a moderate spirit, which is represented also by various works produced by the order in his time{{snd}}especially by the {{lang|la|Expositio regulae}} written by [[David of Augsburg]] soon after 1260.