People who do not work but ask others to give money and food are called beggars. Today, people feel that many of them could get jobs if they wanted to, that’s why beggars are looked on with suspicion. But in the Middle Ages hundreds of years ago, beggars was a highly respected religious people. The first beggars are supposed to have been a group of religious peoples called “Beghards” who lived in Europe about 600 years ago.

Many monks felt that they respected God by giving up all their possessions and making a pledge of poverty. These monks roamed the city, begging in the name of the Church. People believed that giving alms or charity towards these religious people was a way to achieve future happiness. These monks were known as “begging friars”. They used money to help the sick and the poor. But many others who were greedy and saw how to earn simple money, used begging to get rich, without doing any work.

People who did not belong to the church began to beg, until there were beggars all over Europe. Countries began to enact legislation prohibiting people to beg, but little could be done to stop it. Some countries whipped beggars or put them in jail once they were captured. Today, begging is banned in many countries, but the law is not strictly enforced. People think the only way to stop begging is to take care of the poor who deserve it and others to take jobs or go hungry.

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