Ubertino of Casale

Ubertino of Casale was an Italian Franciscan friar, theologian, and spiritual leader who lived from 1259 to approximately 1329. He was born in Casale Monferrato and entered the Franciscan order in 1273. After studying in Paris for nine years, he returned to Italy and in 1287, in Florence, he was influenced by Pierre-Jean Olivi. Ubertino became a prominent leader of the Spirituals, a faction within the Franciscan order that advocated for a strict observance of poverty and a literal interpretation of the Rule of Saint Francis. This stance put him in opposition to the established hierarchy and led to confrontations with popes such as Gregory IX, Nicholas III, Innocent III, Benedict XI, and John XXII. His criticisms of the papal administration and his radical interpretations of Franciscan ideals resulted in his being forbidden to preach and eventually banished to Monte Alverna. During his banishment, he wrote his significant work, the *Arbor Vitae Crucifixae Jesu Christi* (The Tree of the Crucified Life of Jesus), a spiritual treatise that extolled the virtues of poverty and the suffering of Christ. He also mentioned his encounter with the mystic Angela of Foligno, who aided him in resolving personal spiritual difficulties. In this work, Ubertino controversially identified popes Boniface VIII and Benedict XI as apocalyptic figures, further escalating his conflict with the Church. Despite these controversies, Ubertino had influential patrons, including Cardinal Napoleone Orsini Frangipani. He was summoned to Avignon in 1312-13 to discuss the internal disputes of the Franciscan order. Although the Spirituals' demand for separate convents was denied, the papal bull *Exivi de paradiso* in 1312 addressed the issue of poverty, partly influenced by Ubertino's writings. He remained in the service of Cardinal Giacomo Colonna until 1317, after which Pope John XXII permitted him to leave the Franciscan order and join the Benedictine Abbey of Gembloux. However, his continued involvement in Franciscan conflicts led to his excommunication in 1318. In 1322, he was called again to Avignon to advise Pope John XXII on matters of Christ's poverty, where his nuanced views were well-received. Accused of heresy in 1325 for defending Olivi's condemned opinions, Ubertino likely fled to Germany to seek protection from Louis the Bavarian, whom he is said to have accompanied to Rome in 1328. His subsequent fate is unknown; some speculate he joined the Carthusians, while later movements venerated him as a saint. Ubertino's life and ideas are referenced in Dante Alighieri's *Divine Comedy* and Umberto Eco's novel *The Name of the Rose*.