Elizabeth of Hungary

Elizabeth (Hungarian: Erzsébet) was born on 7 July 1207, in the Kingdom of Hungary; she was daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife, Gertrude of Merania.

Elizabeth was brought to the court of Thuringia to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families. In 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy.

After her marriage, she continued her charitable practises, which included spinning wool for clothing that would be given to the poor. Elizabeth's life changed on 11 September 1227, when Louis died of a fever. Elizabeth is reported to have said He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today.

Following her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad von Marburg (priest and inquisitor) similar to those of a nun. These included celibacy and complete obedience to Konrad as her confessor and spiritual guide. He treated her harshly and held her to standards of behaviour which were almost impossible to meet. Among the punishments, he is alleged to have ordered beatings; he also ordered her to send away her children.
Elizabeth built a hospital at Marburg for the poor and the sick with the money from her dowry, where she and her companions cared for them. Her official biography written as part of the canonisation process describes how she ministered to the sick and continued to give money to the poor.

Elizabeth died on 17 November 1231, at the age of 24. She was canonised on 27 May 1235 by Pope Gregory IX.

St Elizabeth spinning wool for the poor
Marianne Stokes
(1895)

Comentários

Mensagens populares deste blogue

Mihrimah Sultan

Mihrimah was born in Istanbul in 1522; she was the daughter of Sultan Süleyman I (aka The Magnificent) and his concubine, Hürrem Sultan . Her mother was freed in 1533 or 1534 and became the Sultan’s legal wife. On 26 November 1539, Mihrimah, aged 17, married Rüstem Pasha, who later rose to become her father’s Grand Vizier. Though this union was unhappy, Mihrimah flourished as a patroness of the arts and continued her travels with her father until her husband’s death. Mihrimah had two children: Osman and Hümaşah. Mihrimah travelled the Ottoman Empire with her father as he surveyed the lands and conquered new ones. In international politics, her mother sent letters to the Sigismund II, King of Poland, and the contents of these letters were mirrored in the letters Mihrimah sent. Although there is no proof of Hürrem and Mihrimah’s direct involvement in her half-brother Mustafa’s downfall, Ottoman sources and foreign accounts indicate that it was widely believed they worke...

Ler mais

Margaret of Provence

Margaret (French: Marguerite) was born during the spring of 1221, in Forcalquier. She was the eldest daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy. She had three younger sisters, who would all become queens like her: Eleanor (Queen of England), Sanchia (Queen of Germany) and Beatrice (Queen of Sicily). Margaret has a especially close relationship with Eleanor, and they remained friends until they grew old. In 1233, Blanche of Castile sent one of her knights to Provence to meet Margaret, whose grace and beauty was famous. Margaret and her father entertained the knight well, and soon Blanche and Ramon Berenguer were negotiating a marriage contract between Margaret and Louis IX of France, Blanche's son. Margaret was escorted to Lyon by her parents, where the marriage treaty was signed. From there, she was escorted to her wedding ceremony, in Sens. On 27 May 1234, Margaret became the wife of Louis IX and Queen of France; she was just 13. The marriage...

Ler mais

Catherine Parr

Catherine was born in the year of 1512, probably in August. She was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green. She had a younger brother, William, and a younger sister, Anne. Sir Thomas was a close companion to King Henry VIII, and Maud was a close friend and attendant of Queen Catherine of Aragon . The Queen was Catherine's godmother and she was probably named after her. Catherine's father died when she was young, and she grew up close to her mother. She received a standard education for women at the time, but developed a passion for learning throughout her life. She spoke fluent French, Latin, and Italian, and began learning Spanish when she became Queen. H er first marriage happened in 1529, when she was 17. She married Sir Edward Burgh, becoming known as Lady Burgh. Sir Edward was in his twenties, but his health may have not been the best. He died in 1533 and Catherine was widowed for the first time. Catherine's second marriage happened in ...

Ler mais

Cat's Historical Doodles

Pesquisar neste blogue