Origins of the Waldensian Movement (c. 1177)

Timeline

1. 1173–1177Lyon · FranceAfter a religious experience, the Lyon merchant Waldo gave away his fortune to relieve the poor, organized companions to preach the gospel in the vernacular, and funded vernacular translations of the Bible, insisting that believers personally read and live out the New Testament's teachings; he attracted followers from the urban lower classes.
2. 1177–1180Lyon and the Alpine region · Alpine regionWaldo's followers called themselves the "Poor" or the "Poor of Lyon," refused to swear oaths, and denounced simony and ecclesiastical wealth. After being expelled by the bishop of Lyon, they spread into Provence and the Piedmontese Alps, laying the groundwork for the papacy's later formal condemnation.