About the Author

Saskia Murk-Jansen is a Fellow of Robinson College, Cambridge and a lecturer in Medieval Church History.

Reviews

With no single founder, rule, or way of life attributed to them, the Beguines, members of a lay women's movement that flourished in Germany during the 12th and 13th centuries, generally lived in small, self-supporting communities, studying and teaching the Bible and working to alleviate poverty. In this excellent, balanced treatment, Murk-Jansen, a specialist at Cambridge in medieval women's mysticism, clearly outlines the development of the movement, pointing to its influence as well as its repression by church authorities, and carefully examines the lives and works of four key figures in the movement.