Jacopone da Todi

There is a lot of uncertainty concerning his life- He was probably born around 1230-1240 in a house in Colle district, close to Tempio di San Fortunato. He was a public attorney or a notary as we can learn from the language and the terms he used in his works, known as Laude
In 1268 his young wife, Vanna dei Conti di Coldimezzo, died during a party when the floor suddenly collapsed. He found on her dead body a cilice which was a form of penitence. Having discovered the double nature of his wife made Jacopone change his life completely. So he abandoned the dissolute life lived until that moment and he wore the "bizzoco", a grey cloak similar to the one worn by the Franciscans. During the 13th and 14th centuries this type of clothing was usually worn by the Penitents even though they did not belong to any order.
Eventually he behaved humbly and he based his life disregarding himself and humiliating in order to increase his spirituality and to fulfil his walk towards the Absolute.
There are many anecdotes about him. He supposedly wandered through the town insulting himself or wandering naked with a packsaddle for donkeys and a bit between his teeth He did so much that he was considered crazy. But recently Franco Suitner, a teacher of the University "Ca' Foscari" of Venice, has re-dimensioned this presumed craziness because it has to be considered a common behaviour of the Penitents who were so full of God's love that they were dominated by it and they followed Christian teachings so strictly that they changed the usual values.
In 1278 he joined the Franciscan order because it was the most suitable to him for rules and costumes, but it was thought that he remained a layperson for his humble nature.
When he entered the order, the Franciscans were divided into two opposing factions: the Spirituals denounced the relaxation of the rules of Saint Francis, whereas the Conventuals allowed changes and compromises. Even if there were no official documents, he probably joined the Spirituals. As Franco Suitner states, the strong differences between Saint Francis and Jacopone were not religious, but due to their temperament, their attitude towards life, and their personality.
Jacopone tried to be of service to the whole community, teaching his companions the way to perfection through his poetry. The origin of the laude could be traced to the attempt to educate to prayer, penitence. The traditional themes related to Madonna, the Saints, the birth and Passion of Jesus Christ were the subjects in Jacopone's laude, but they were strongly underlined by his personality and his autobiographical hints.
As to the composition of his laude, Jacopone deepened his theological knowledge. He wanted to focus on moral edification and on the safety of his soul , but not on the love of knowledge . He often used the personification of vices and virtues in order to make these difficult subjects easier. He did not go against the whole doctrine but against the attitudes of some clergy more dedicated to personal ambition than to God. This eventually became a true obsession for him.
His hostility towards the Church became stronger and stronger. It was due to his total dedication to Christ's teachings that he focused on. how far the Church had strayed and how " the mystic bride" had been changed during the times. This is one of the reasons which led him to argue against Bonifacio VIII, who was accused of having compelled Celestino V to renounce the papacy. Even though he was conscious of the personal interests which moved the Colonna family, Jacopone supported them against the Pope.
In 1296 he signed the Agreement of Lunghezza and to avoid the Pope's ire he went to Palestrina. Then he was excommunicated and imprisoned in the underground caves of the monastery of San Fortunato temple.
These events changed him physically and spiritually, so that the tone of his last laude is almost a supplication.
In 1303 BonifacioVIII died and he went back to the monastery in Collazzone, where he stayed close to Vanna's relatives. There he spent his last days studying, praying, and writing.
He died on Christmas night in 1306. His most moving work is Pianto della Madonna.