Brother Francis

In Short

Eileen Douglas presents a straightforward, affectionate biography of Francis of Assisi, following his journey from a spoiled merchant’s son to a radical reformer of medieval religious life. After renouncing his family's wealth, Francis embraces total poverty and simple evangelical labor. His example attracts early disciples like Bernardo di Quintavalle and Clara, leading to the creation of the Friars Minor, the Poor Clares, and a Third Order for laypeople. The book endures because it captures the practical warmth, child-like simplicity, and absolute devotion that made Francis's radical embrace of the Gospel so compelling across centuries.

The Story

The narrative opens in Assisi with young Francis Bernardone, a gay, frivolous lover of soft living and earthly ambition. When illness cuts short his dreams of military glory, he hears a divine voice asking why he serves the servant rather than the Master. Returning home, he abandons his luxurious lifestyle to care for the poor and rebuild ruined churches. His wealthy father, Pietro, outraged by Francis's openhanded generosity with the family merchant goods, drags him before the local magistrates and then the bishop. In a dramatic public renunciation, Francis strips off all his fine clothes, hands back his purse, and declares that henceforth he acknowledges only one Father—the one in Heaven.

Clad in a coarse, hair-undergarment, Francis begins a life of manual labor, preaching, and voluntary poverty. His quiet joy and total self-renunciation soon intrigue the citizens of Assisi. Bernardo di Quintavalle, a wealthy neighbor, secretly watches Francis spend an entire night in weeping prayer and immediately vows to follow him. Others join, including the educated Egidio, who sells water and weaves baskets to earn his bread, and the handsome Masseo, who learns that spiritual power matters far more than physical charm.

As the small brotherhood grows, Francis seeks papal sanction for their way of life. Recognizing their call to be "less than the least," he names them the Order of Friars Minor. The movement expands rapidly throughout Italy. Young Clara leaves her noble home to found a parallel movement for women, while Francis creates the "Third Order" to allow married men and women to practice holy living, honesty, and plainness without abandoning their worldly households.

Francis's zeal eventually drives him beyond Italy. He travels to Spain and journeying to the East, crosses battle lines during the Crusades to preach directly to the Sultan of Egypt, Malek-Camel. Though he fails to convert the Saracens, his courage wins their respect.

In his final years, Francis's body breaks down from fever, blindness, and severe mortification. When doctors in Siena attempt to cure his eyes by running white-hot irons across his face, Francis addresses the fire as a gentle brother and endures the torture without a groan. He remains steadfast in his simplicity, tenderness toward his companions, and total submission to the Divine until his death.

How It Unfolds

The voice in the night Illness halts Francis's pursuit of worldly honors, leading to a vision that instructs him to abandon human glory and return to Assisi to await divine direction.

The public surrender Brought before the bishop by his angry father, Francis strips off his rich garments, surrenders his inheritance, and commits himself entirely to poverty and God.

The first companion Bernardo di Quintavalle pretends to sleep while watching Francis pray through the night, resulting in Bernardo selling his possessions to join the radical enterprise.

The order receives its name Upon hearing the Gospel directive that brothers should be lesser than all others, Francis establishes the fraternity as the Order of Friars Minor.

A way for the married To accommodate whole villages eager to join his movement, Francis institutes the Third Order, allowing laymen and women to practice holy living within their ordinary callings.

Before the Sultan Driven to preach Christ to the infidels, Francis ventures into the Saracen camp, addressing the Sultan Malek-Camel with fearless simplicity.

Brother fire temper thine ardor Facing a agonizing eye operation without anesthetics, Francis addresses the hot iron as a fellow creature of God and endures the cauterization without flinching.

The People

• Francis Bernardone: A former frivolous youth who wants to conform his life entirely to the example of Jesus Christ. Overcoming severe illness, paternal rejection, and physical suffering, he transforms from a self-absorbed merchant's son into a radiant leader who shapes medieval spirituality through radical poverty and gentle charity.
• Pietro Bernardone: Francis's father, a prosperous cloth merchant who values wealth, social standing, and traditional family obedience. He cannot comprehend his son's sudden change, seeking through legal complaints, curses, and financial pressure to force Francis back to his senses, only to be left holding his son's discarded clothes.
• Bernardo di Quintavalle: A wealthy, prominent citizen of Assisi who initially views Francis's behavior as a temporary mania. By observing Francis's night-long prayer, he achieves a quiet spiritual awakening and becomes Francis's devoted first disciple, giving away his fortune to share the life of a poor beggar.
• Egidio: A refined, educated recruit who embraces the manual labor prescribed by the order. Whether selling fresh water in Brindisi or weaving willow baskets, he demonstrates absolute obedience and an unshakeable commitment to working for his daily bread rather than relying on charity.
• Masseo: A tall, handsome follower gifted with fluent speech, who initially wonders why crowds flock to the pale, worn Francis rather than to himself. He develops deep spiritual insight after learning that external charm lacks the power to move human hearts to repentance.

In Its Own Voice

"Now," he cried, "I have but one father, henceforth I can say in all truth 'Our Father who art in Heaven!'"

Francis utters this defiance after stripping off his fine clothes and returning his purse to his father before the Bishop of Assisi.

"My brother, thou hast long worn belt, sword and spurs. Henceforth thy belt must be a rope, thy sword the Cross of Jesus Christ, and for spurs thou must have dust and mud."

Francis speaks these words to Angelo Tancredi, a rich young knight, calling him to abandon his worldly armor and enlist in the Christian army.

"My brother fire: among all beautiful things the Lord has created thee, beautiful, strong, useful. Be gentle to me this hour."

Facing a terrible medical operation on his eyes, Francis addresses the heated iron instrument before the surgeon begins cauterizing his flesh.

What It's Really About

Eileen Douglas argues that true spiritual power springs not from ecclesiastical pomp, intellectual learning, or physical beauty, but from complete self-forgetfulness and transparent simplicity. The book explores the tension between worldly security and evangelical radicalism, showing how Francis's embrace of "Lady Poverty" liberated him from domestic, financial, and legal entanglements. It illustrates that vital religion must be lived out in daily action—through honest labor, restored debts, clean living, and tender care for the sick—rather than mere formal theology. Underneath the narrative of monastic rules lies a study of love: how genuine humility and child-like affection can disarm angry fathers, medieval bishops, foreign monarchs, and hardened soldiers alike.

Why Read It Today

Brother Francis will appeal to readers who appreciate plain, warm spiritual biographies and those curious about the early Franciscan movement. Douglas writes with clear, direct affection, avoiding dense academic jargon while preserving the emotional heart of her subject. Reading the book feels like listening to an earnest, grounded narrator tell a beloved story by a fireside; the prose moves quickly and concentrates on character and action.

The primary difficulty for modern readers lies in its early twentieth-century devotional tone and its uncritical acceptance of medieval legends, dreams, and miracles. Furthermore, the narrative reflects the evangelical style of its period publisher, the Salvation Army, frequently drawing immediate moral lessons for the reader. Modern readers might also find the heavy emphasis on physical self-mortification and extreme asceticism somewhat alien. Yet what remains with you is the unforgettable image of Francis himself: a man who could strip off his clothes in a crowded square, sing songs while walking into an enemy camp, and address the red-hot iron of a surgeon as his brother.