author
David Burr
A leading historian of medieval Christianity, he explored the Franciscan movement with clarity, sympathy, and a sharp eye for conflict. His books helped bring complex debates about poverty, prophecy, and church power to life for modern readers.
1 Audiobook
The Irish War
by David Burr, Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
About the author
David Burr (1934–2025) was an American historian best known for his work on medieval church history, especially the Franciscans and the thought of Peter John Olivi. He taught at Virginia Tech from 1966 to 2001 and became professor emeritus there after a long career in the classroom.
His writing focused on religious dissent, apocalyptic thought, and the inner struggles of the medieval church. Among his best-known books are The Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis, Olivi and Franciscan Poverty, and The Persecution of Peter Olivi. His work earned major honors, including the Franciscan Institute Medal, and he was elected a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America.
What made Burr especially valued was his ability to make difficult historical and theological questions readable without flattening their complexity. He wrote for scholars, but with enough warmth and clarity that interested general readers could follow him too.