Dominican Mendicant Order

Timeline

1. 1216–1217Toulouse · ToulouseDominic conducted debates and preaching in the Albigensian heresy region of Languedoc, founding the Order of Preachers in 1216; in 1217 Pope Honorius III approved its rule, with itinerant preaching, scholarly training, and defense of the faith as core missions.
2. 1220–1250Paris · ParisThe Dominicans established study houses in Paris, Bologna, and elsewhere, systematically training theologians and philosophers; friars used university chairs as platforms for preaching and apologetics, closely interacting with the development of scholastic philosophy.
3. 1241–1250Lyon · LyonIn the 1240s Dominican friars played key roles in papal diplomacy, heresy trials, and missions to the Mongols; at the Council of Lyon in 1245 Dominican scholars took part in debates on church reform, and the order's preaching house network already covered Europe's major cities.
4. 1250Europe · EuropeIn the late 13th century the Dominican headquarters became permanently established in Rome, forming a strictly hierarchical governance system; its scholarly tradition and missionary network continued for centuries, becoming a backbone of Catholic intellectual life and overseas missions.