The Dulcinites
The Dulcinites or Dulcinians were a branch of the Apostolic Brethren who were founded in Parma, Italy in 1260 by Gherardo Segarelli, an uneducated workman. Segarelli advocated a life of poverty for his followers based on the model of the original apostles. This philosophy, however, did not go down well with the Church declared the Apostolic Brethren heretical and in 1300 burnt Segareelli was burnt at the stake. However, one of Segarelli’s followers, Fra Dolcino of Novara escaped founding his own, more extreme offshoot of the movement.
Despite being termed ‘Fra,’ there is no evidence that Dolcino took holy orders. Indeed, it is highly unlikely for Dolcino was even more anti-hierarchical than his mentor. At the most basic level, the Dulcinites believed in the poverty and simplicity of the Christian life. “The congregation is founded on the principles of the Apostles, it follows the poverty,” began the first of Dolcino’s letters outlining his beliefs. However, the back letter continued that that lifestyle should be “without any external constraints as a rule.” This idea did not just apply to the constraints set by the church; it also applied to those of society too.
The Dulcinites believed the only way to reform the church was to change society. So, aside from returning Christianity to its apostolic roots, they proposed destroying all hierarchies of power-including the feudal system and replacing it with an egalitarian society, which held all property in common. The Dulcinites justified their stance based on lines 44-47 of “The Acts of the Apostles’ which stated: “But all those who believed were together and had everything in common.” This philosophy appealed to the peasantry and dispossessed who were attracted to the idea of a redistribution of wealth.
At the beginning of 1303, Fra Dolcino reunited the scattered apostolic movement at Trentino near Lake Garda. It was there he met Margherita Boninsegna or Margaret of Trent, a daughter of a local noble family. Margaret was drawn by Dolcino’s ideas, and the pair formed a partnership although whether it was sexual or platonic is unclear. Either way, Dolcino, and Margaret led the swelling ranks of the Dulcinites into North Eastern Piedmont where they set up a non-hierarchical commune.
However, the local aristocracy was not prepared to tolerate the Dulcinites. So the Count of Monferrato roused launched an attack on the Dulcinite community, with the help of the people of the city of Novara. Two hundred Dulcinites were captured and mutilated. The Dulcinites responded by attacking Novara and slaughtering the inhabitants. So in 1306, Pope Clement V launched a crusade against the Dulcinites. On March 23, in 1307, an army of 8000 men overcame the group on Monte Rubello in the St Biella Alps. The majority of the Dulcinites were killed but on June 1, 1307, Margaret and Dolcino were publicly executed and burnt in front of each other.
Other fourteenth century heresies began to lay the foundations of the Protestant revolution.