Lambert le Bègue (English: Lambert the Stutterer), the revivalist Belgian priest, was the first to organise communities of Beguines around 1170 in Liege, Belgium.
The Beghards appeared somewhat later, probably in the early 13th century, modeling their communities after those of the Beguines. Beguines and Beghards, members of certain Roman Catholic religious communities for women (Beguines) and men (Beghards) were prominent in north-western Europe from the 12th to the 14th century. They differed from monks and nuns in that most did not take permanent vows, promising only to do good works and not to marry as long as they lived in the community.
Their names do not, as is commonly and wrongly believed, originate from the verb "to beg", but from the name of their Belgian founder, Lambert le Bègue.
The foundation of such groups reflected the general flowering of the religious life among the laity in the towns of northern Europe during the late Middle Ages. The communities of Beguines also served as refuges for women left widowed or unmarried by the participation of large numbers of men in the Crusades. The members frequently lived in individual apartments in a large, separately enclosed section of town called the Beguinage. They dressed in distinctive costumes and spent their days in prayer, education, care of the sick, and work such as weaving.
At first, the Beguinages received women from all social classes, but gradually many of the establishments were transformed into poor houses for destitute girls and widows. In the meantime, a portion of the Beghards ceased living in communities and took to individual begging. By the late 13th century, many members were suspected of heresy, primarily because of their association with the Spiritual Franciscans, a rigoristic community that had been condemned by church officials. As a result, numerous groups were closed in the 14th century, and many members were burned at the stake. The Beghards disappeared altogether; some of the Beguines were assimilated into other religious orders, and a few still remain in Belgium.
The son of poor people, Lambert le Bègue was ordained priest, and was probably parish priest of St. Christopher at Liège. He began preaching against the abuses and the vices of the clergy, protesting against simony, the ordination of sons of priests, and certain customs in the administration of the Sacrament of Baptism and the celebration of Mass.
He did have adversaries, especially among the clergy, and it was to refute them that he wrote a defense of his theories, entitled "Antigraphum Petri". His writings reveal him a man very learned for his time; they abound with quotations, not only from the Bible, but also from the Fathers of the Church (e.g. St. Gregory, St. Augustine and St. Bernard), and even from profane authors like Ovid, Virgil and Cicero. Accused of heresy, he was condemned and imprisoned notwithstanding his appeal to the Holy See. He escaped and went over to the antipope Callistus III, who had been recognized by Raoul of Zahringen, Prince-Bishop (i.e. bishop and secular ruler) of Liège.
He wrote to the pope several letters in justification of his doctrines and conduct, but the result of these endeavors is not known. In all probability he returned to Liège where he died in 1177.