The Franciscan order was founded in Italy in 1209 and for the first decade of its existence it remained an Italian fraternity. The first Franciscans arrived in Paris in 1219 and from there launched the mission to England in 1224. As such, the English settlement was late compared to the provinces in other parts of Europe, such as Germany, France, or Spain. However, despite this delay, the English Franciscans were highly influential in shaping the identity and mission of the order, and contributed greatly to the execution of this new mission in its first century. The present study concerns itself with the specifically English contributions to the development of the order in its first century.

Pursuit of Learning

Perhaps the single greatest influence of the English friars on the historical development of the Franciscan order was in the sphere of the integration of learning into the order's evangelical mission. Although the Italian friars were seemingly uninterested in studying, although not hostile to study, it was eventually the particular culture of study that was rather advanced among the English friars that dominated the order and shaped both its values and the way it was administered.