The early mendicant movement of the thirteenth century sought a humble commitment to apostolic poverty in order to overcome and reject worldly temptations. Their modest clothes revealed the austerity that was emphatically and carefully set down in the rules by which the friars guided their lives. Jordan of Saxony (1222–1237), a companion of Saint Dominic and his successor as master general of the order, took pains to preserve and oversee the conduct of the first Dominicans, as can be perceived in the Liber Consuetudinum, a book containing the primitive constitutions and rules for the preachers. The book is a valuable source of information on the daily lives of the friars as well as their pastoral duties. While the rejection of wealth and the adoption of an austere way of life were central in the early mendicant movement, another issue that seriously concerned the friars was their relationship with society at large, as they were expected to fulfil their pastoral duties throughout the cura animarum (care of souls), of which the cura mulierum (care of women) was a significant part.

Both Saint Francis and Saint Dominic were concerned with the religious condition of women and preached to them, but the relationship between the mendicant friars (as had been the case with Cistercians monks before) and devout women in the thirteenth century was never an easy task. In fact, the main problem arose with the transition from taking care of the spiritual needs of women, who freely chose to lead a devout life, to taking care of nuns, who were required to be cloistered, regulated, and administered.