The General Chapter of 1230 was eventful: it was held on the occasion of St Francis' translation; it was violently interrupted by a number of Elias' partisans, who made an unseemly and unsuccessful attempt to force the resignation of John Parenti. These stormy and colourful aspects of the meeting have riveted the attention of scholars, and the business that was done, being less exciting, has tended to be ignored or relegated to the background. Little account has been taken of the important constitutional and administrative measures for which the Chapter was responsible, and this has prevented a proper appreciation of its significance. Therefore it seems worth while to set out the various matters that are known to have been included on the agenda, and to reconstruct, so to say, the ‘minutes’ of the meeting.

1. Complaints were made against Elias on account of his unauthorised and premature translation of St Francis (Eccleston, pp. 65–6, Spec. Vitae, p. 165).

2. A disturbance was caused by Elias' partisans, who tried to make him General against the wish of the Provincial Ministers (Eccleston, pp. 65–6).

3. […]