The Beguines of Cologne
The Beguine movement fundamentally differed from all previous significant movements within the Western Church. It was a women's movement, not merely an appendage of a movement initiated, led, and maintained by men.
The Beguines did not follow a specific rule of life, nor did they rely on the authority of any saintly founder. They did not seek authorization from the Holy See, nor did they have a formal organization or constitution. They did not promise benefits or seek patrons; their vow was simply an intention, not an irrevocable commitment to a discipline imposed by a higher power, and those who joined them could continue their everyday work in the world. The movement was not entirely new, as many of its features had already appeared in the monastic orders of the preceding centuries. But in many of their characteristics, especially in their combination, the Beguines formed a new front against the ecclesiastical hierarchy. They were part of the popular unrest within the Church. This unrest had always previously tipped into heresy.
The term "Beguine" actually originates from the derogatory name given by their enemies, derived from the hated Albigensians. It was a label of contempt, coined by those who saw these women as believing themselves to be holier than other women, who rejected the advances of lustful priests and refused the advantages offered by legal marriage. The term was meant to disparage, but it was difficult to accuse these women of heresy. They did not debate orthodoxy, did not establish theological principles, nor did they introduce new revelations; they were simply filled with the desire to live religiously. Thus, despite encountering much hostility, they also found defenders and advanced quietly.
The beginning of the movement is dated to 1210, and it spread from the Liège area, reaching as far as Flanders and even to Bohemia. In the city of Cologne, the number of women was significantly higher than that of men, and the convent was meant to be a refuge for unmarried and widowed women. The number of women following a devout life increased, but there were few convents. The earliest Beguines lived alone or in small, unregulated groups. Often, they sold small properties to settle in. Gradually, small permanent convents were formed, and their number grew rapidly toward the end of the 13th century. By the end of the 14th century, there were 169 Beguine convents in the city, housing about 1500 Beguines.
What was their appeal? It offered many women a simple and easy retreat from the storms of worldly life. It provided a wide range of pious activities with minimal complications. The process of joining was simple: the candidate appeared before the parish priest or the bishop's representative and took a vow according to one of several different formulas. Most often, they rejected marriage and took a vow of chastity, but they could change this decision later. After taking the vow, the confessor would offer the Beguine habit. The guiding principle of the Beguines' lives was devotion to God. They could engage in various activities: they worked in hospitals, wove, embroidered, or simply prayed and meditated. They were independent in terms of their life program, but their main support came from the friends of the mendicant orders.
Until the middle of the 13th century, the official circles treated the Beguine movement with sympathy. However, the Beguines had many enemies: parish priests lost followers, fathers lost their daughters, and men were offended by the freedom of women who had left. The initial momentum of the movement began to decline, and it was not free from extremism. With synodal decrees, the official suppression of peripheral communities like the Beguines began, as they did not fit into the well-regulated categories of monastic orders. Eventually, they managed to force the Beguines into authorized convents, and the convents were dissolved. Beguines remained in Cologne until the end of the 18th century.
R.W.Southern " A nyugati társadalom és az egyház a középkorban", Gondolat kiadó, Budapest, 1987