Saint Francis of Assisi was born in 1181 in Assisi, Italy to Pietro and Pico di Bernadone. His father was a wealthy textile merchant, and had an intense love for all things French. When Pietro returned from a business trip in 1181, he was outraged to find that his wife Pica had named their newborn son Giovanni. He renamed Giovanni to Francesco, or “Frenchy”, which was later shortened to Francis. Saint Francis was baptized at the Cathedral of San Rufino on March 28, 1182 on Easter Vigil of Holy Sunday, as was the tradition of that time. As a child, Francis was extremely extroverted and vain and was disgusted by the lepers and the ill. He was also the leader of a societas iuvenum (a boy’s club), and was extremely fond of drinking alcohol and throwing constant parties. Francis also likely attended the hospital of San Gregorio for education.
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This caused Italy to be divided between the two groups and caused intense fighting among neighboring cities. Saint Francis was an extremely greedy man at that time, and used the war to his advantage. He joined a military campaign for wealth and honor at the age of 19. His hometown of Assisi had declared battle against the neighboring town of Perugia, which opened up a path for Francis to gain more glory and fortune for himself and his family. During the battle, Francis was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. He was held captive for over a year and was released in late 1203. Although he was not treated as badly as the other prisoners, Francis still suffered terribly from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression. Two years later, in 1205, Saint Francis joined yet another military campaign to try to place Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II on the throne of Sicily. However, after only a day’s journey, Francis decided against it, and began to journey back
This caused Italy to be divided between the two groups and caused intense fighting among neighboring cities. Saint Francis was an extremely greedy man at that time, and used the war to his advantage. He joined a military campaign for wealth and honor at the age of 19. His hometown of Assisi had declared battle against the neighboring town of Perugia, which opened up a path for Francis to gain more glory and fortune for himself and his family. During the battle, Francis was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. He was held captive for over a year and was released in late 1203. Although he was not treated as badly as the other prisoners, Francis still suffered terribly from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression. Two years later, in 1205, Saint Francis joined yet another military campaign to try to place Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II on the throne of Sicily. However, after only a day’s journey, Francis decided against it, and began to journey back