Calendar Brethren (Fratres Calendarii)

CALENDAR BRETHREN (Fratres Calendarii): A fraternity which arose in the second half of the Middle Ages, especially in lower Saxony, but also in other portions of Germany and occasionally in the neighboring countries. It might be termed a clerical gild, for though men who were not members of the clergy were admitted, they were restricted to a minor position, and the statutes of many communities termed only the clergy "full brothers." The first fraternity of Calendar Brethren which is definitely known to have existed was that of Laer in Westphalia in 1279, but it was not until the fourteenth century that they became numerous. They seem to have originated in the official conferences held by the clergy of each archdiaconate on the first day of the month (Latin, Kalendæ). They centered about religious worship, the members being required to say mass for the repose of each other's souls or have it said, and to pray for one another. They were likewise bound, as in the gilds, to mutual support and social elevation. With the accession of wealthy laymen, the fraternities gained in importance and wealth, and became famous for their banquets. They made a firm resistance to the Reformation, since they refused to allow their wealth to be diverted to other purposes. Some maintained themselves for a considerable length of time in Evangelical districts, but they were finally suppressed even in Roman Catholic countries.

(G. Uhlhorn†.)

Bibliography: L. von Ledebur, Die Kalandsverbrüderungen in den Landen des sächsischen Volksstammes, in Märkische Forschungen, iv. 7 sqq., Berlin, 1850; Bierling, Die Kalandsbruderschaften, in Zeitschrift für Altertumskunde und Geschichte in Westphalen, series 10, iii. 178 sqq.