Fraticelli

The Fraticelli (Italian for “Little Brethren”) or Spiritual Franciscans were multiple Christian monastic sects who split from the Franciscan Order due to opposition to changes to the rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty. They also regarded the wealth of the Catholic Church as scandalous, with the view that the riches of individual churchmen invalidated their status. The Fraticelli were declared heretical in 1296 by Pope Boniface VIII.

The Fraticelli appeared in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, principally in Italy, all having split from the Franciscan Order on account of the disputes concerning poverty. It is necessary to differentiate the various groups of Fraticelli, although the term may be applied to all. The primary groups were the Fraticelli de Paupere Vita and the Fraticelli de Opinione (also called Michaelites).

The Apostolics (also known as Pseudo-Apostles or Apostolic Brethren) are excluded from the category, because admission to the Order of Saint Francis was expressly denied to their founder, Gerard Segarelli. The Apostolics had no connection to the Franciscans, in fact desiring to exterminate them.

Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose is set against the persecution of Fraticelli.