Albert Berdini of Sarteano
Albert Berdini of Sarteano (1385 – 15 August 1450) was a Franciscan friar and preacher. He was an associate of Bernardino of Siena, and a diplomatic envoy of Pope Eugene IV to the Coptic and Ethiopian churches. Life Born in Sarteano in 1385, Albert entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventuals in 1405, and took up studies as a novice in Florence. In 1422, he went to Verona to continue his studies in the classics. In July 1423, he met Bernardine of Siena, who was preaching in Treviso. Berdini became desirous of following a stricter interpretation of the Rule of St. Francis which Bernardine was promoting and he transferred over to the Observant Friars Minor, becoming one of the companions of the Apostle of the Holy Name of Jesus. A humanist, Albert was a speaker of learned eloquence, and under the guidance of Bernardine, Berdini's fame as an orator became so renowned that he was commonly known as the "King of Preachers" (Rex Praedicatorum). Upon hearing him preach, Caterina Moriggi was moved to take up the ascetic life. One of Berdini's main themes was peace, and he would become personally involved in peace-making in Modena, Perugia, Arezzo, Brescia, and Ferrara.