Tuscany, from the noble castle of Prato, who also lived for only a short time in office.^a The thirteenth was Brother Matthew of Aquasparta; he also was minister for only a brief time, for he was chosen to be a Cardinal in the Roman Curia.^b The fourteenth was Brother Raymond of the province of Provençe; after some years, because of the suggestion of certain people, he was removed by Pope Boniface VIII.^c The fifteenth was Brother John of Murrovale, who afterwards was made a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church.^d The sixteenth was Brother Gonsalvo, a doctor of sacred theology, a Spaniard from the province of Santiago.^e

On the basis of this calculation, there are fifteen individuals who have been general minister, but there have been sixteen terms of office, because Brother Elias was released from office and later re-elected to it, the only general to which this happened.

Chronicle of Walter of Gisburn (1305-1313)

Walter, an Augustinian canon of Gisburn in Yorkshire, composed a chronicle of the major events of British history in the early years of the fourteenth century. The following account of the new mendicant orders is given under the year 1215.^f

At that time, during the reign of King John, there arose the two new orders of the Preachers and the Minors . . . The blessed Francis began the Order of Friars Minor in the city of Assisi, where he also was born. Hearing one day what the Lord told his disciples when he sent them forth to preach, Francis got up immediately and began to put into practice with all his strength everything that he had heard. He removed the shoes from his feet and put on a single wretched tunic, taking a cord for a belt.^g Thus he began his order of brothers near the same city of Assisi, at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, in the year 1206, which was the fourteenth year of the pontificate of Innocent III,^h who approved this order.

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