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To her many friends and admirers, Clare of Assisi was a model of medieval womanhood. Born around 1193 into one of Assisi’s noble families, she seemed to flourish naturally in an environment of privilege and prestige. Her father, Favarone, was an accomplished warrior-knight, and her mother, Ortulana, was known both for her ability to manage her extensive household and for her personal piety and charity.
Consequently, Clare possessed her mother’s refined spirit and her father’s courageous determination. She was also one of the most beautiful young women of Assisi. Many were the young knights and merchants’ sons who sought her favor, vying for her hand in marriage.
From her earliest years, however, something different was stirring in Clare. Unlike the storybook princesses we are all familiar with, her life was not one of minor adventures followed by a great “happily ever after.” She lived through a terrible war between Assisi and Perugia, was sent into temporary exile with her mother and sisters, and lost her father in battle while she was still young. All of these experiences combined to produce in her a strength of character and a reliance on God that would last her whole life.
As Clare approached marrying age, her…
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