 The Third Order Regular developed from the Third Order Secular movement which arose in the early 13th century from the convergence of groups of penitents who were inspired by the life of Francis of Assisi.Sometime between 1209 and 1220, Saint Francis communicated with some of these groups through a series of letters entitled the "Exhortations to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance".In 1221 Francis asked Cardinal Ugolino di Conti to draft a rule for lay people whose personal circumstances precluded their joining a religious order such as the Friars Minor or the Poor Clares.