Beguines

Beguines , religious associations of women in Europe, established in the 12th cent. The members, who took no vows and were not subject to the rules of any order, were usually housed in individual cottages and devoted themselves to charitable works; their community was called a beguinage. Until the 14th cent., numerous women of high social standing went into the communities. From Belgium and the Netherlands the movement extended across France and Germany. During the earlier years, their services to society brought the Beguines favor and protection from secular and church authorities; but in the 13th and 14th cent. accusations of heresies and immorality among them as well as among the Beghards , the corresponding bands of men, led to the scattering of the members. The character of the surviving communities eventually changed, in some localities taking the form of almshouses for needy spinsters.

Bibliography: See study by E. W. McDonnell (1954, repr. 1969).

Beguines, Beghards. The Beguines were women leading pious, but non-monastic lives, mainly in the late Middle Ages. Living either alone or in communities, they promised to remain celibate while Beguines, but retained the use of private property and were free to change their status and marry. Their male counterparts were the Beghards (usually weavers, dyers or fullers), who had a common purse and held no private property. Found in the Low Countries in the 12th cent., the Beguines became numerous in Germany, France, and other parts of mainland Europe in the 13th and 14th cents. They were criticized by the Church authorities on account of their lack of enclosure and regular status, often coupled with an enthusiastic piety which emphasized direct personal relations with God. The Council of Vienne (1311–12) condemned both Beguines and Beghards. Some Beguines (e.g. M. Porette) were executed.

Beguine a member of a lay sisterhood in the Low Countries, formed in the 12th century and not bound by vows; members were allowed to leave their societies for marriage. They are still represented by small communities existing in the Netherlands, with an organization somewhat similar to some Anglican sisterhoods.

The name is said in a 12th-century chronicle to derive from the nickname of Lambert, a priest of Liège, nicknamed ‘le Bègue’ because he stammered.