Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Buddha founded a community of ordained practitioners known as bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs over 2500 years ago. This Sangha emerged from earlier sects of wandering ascetics who had studied under him before his death.
Most modern disciplinary codes follow the Patimokkha which details proper methods for living within a group. Theravada bhikkhus observe around 227 rules while bhikkhunis follow even more regulations depending on the specific order and tradition.
Saint Anthony the Great became known as one of the early hermit monks whose practices spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Christian monks in Egypt developed eremitic traditions that continued until the decline of Syriac Christianity in the late Middle Ages.
The Qur'an verse from Surah Al-Hadid declares that monasticism was invented by followers rather than ordained by God himself. Islam encourages zuhd or abstention from worldly pursuits but does not require abandoning family life entirely.
Mahaprajapati received permission to become an ordained practitioner after initially asking for entry into the Sangha when the monastic order consisted solely of males who had studied under the Buddha during his lifetime.