Biography of st. elizabeth of hungary

Remarkably, Ludwig agreed with his wife's resolution, and the politically powerful couple embraced a life of remarkable generosity toward the poor. They had three children, two of whom went on to live as as members of the nobility, although one of them —her only son— died relatively young. The third eventually entered religious life and became abbess of a German convent.

Inwhile Ludwig was attending to political affairs in Italy, Elizabeth took charge of distributing aid to victims of disease and flooding that struck Thuringia. She took charge of caring for the afflicted, even when this required giving up the royal family's own clothes and goods. Elizabeth arranged for a hospital to be built, and is said to have provided for the needs of nearly a thousand desperately poor people on a daily basis.

The next year, however, would put Elizabeth's faith to the test. Devastated by Ludwig's death, Elizabeth vowed never to remarry. Her children were sent away, and relatives heavily pressured her to break the vow. During this time, she also turned to public charity work, building an orphanage and founding a hospital for lepers, where she would tend the afflicted herself.

Her husband was called to serve in a military campaign inleaving Elizabeth as the ruler of Thuringia. She used her increased authority to extend her work, providing food for hundreds of the poor each day. But she was a firm believer in empowering the disadvantaged to help themselves and not rely on charity; she donated tools to men who were out of work and she showed women how to spin.

When natural disasters occurred, she helped people to rebuild and recover. In addition, she carried on the official duties of the court, hosting important visitors and joining in entertainments such as hunting parties. While pregnant with her third child, Elizabeth's husband was called to war again, leaving to join in a Crusade in He never returned, falling ill and dying during his journey.

Louis's brothers were concerned about Elizabeth's practice of spending large sums on the poor, and so they arranged to keep her from controlling her own money. The discord at court caused her to leave Wartburg in the fall of Unable to find refuge nearby, she placed her children in the care of others and, with two of her servants, began living in the stable of an inn and spinning to earn money.

She was delivered from this situation by the abbess of Kitzingen, who provided her with a place to live in the abbey. Elizabeth received offers to return to her privileged world; her uncle, the Bishop of Bamberg, invited her to take up residence at one of his castles. He also tried to arrange a marriage between her and Emperor Frederick II. But Elizabeth declined both offers.

Her only worldly interest in property and fortune was to provide for her children's future and for the poor, and with the assistance of a court official in Thuringia, she successfully fought for the control of the wealth she had inherited from her husband. With that accomplished, she turned to an austere life of material deprivation and spiritual devotion.

She had come under the mentorship of a Franciscan mystic by the name of Conrad of Marburg. Elizabeth and Louis had three children together. Their youngest, Gertrude, with whom Elizabeth was still pregnant when Louis died, grew up and became abbess of Altenburg Abbey. Their oldest, Hermann, initially succeeded his father as Landgrave of Thuringia when he was only four.

Hermann died unexpectedly several years later before he could make his claim as Landgrave, and Henry assumed full control. She spent the next three years caring for the sick in the humblest of ways. Inat the age of twenty-four, Elizabeth came down with a high fever and after days of suffering, offered herself to God. When the people heard of her illness, they flocked to her in prayer.

Soon after her death, miracles were attributed to her intercession. People became so devoted to her that only four years after her death, Pope Gregoy IX canonized her and built a church in Marburg in her honor. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was given all the privileges and wealth this world had to offer her at a very young age, yet in her heart, none of that compared to the privilege of serving her Lord, especially as he was present to her in the sick and poor.

She chose the better part and will forever rejoice with her God in Heaven. As we honor this saintly noblewoman, ponder her choice to follow Christ in the midst of so many temptations and trials. As you do, follow her example by making the will of God the greatest treasure of your life. Prayer: Saint Elizabeth, you dedicated yourself to your loving and crucified Lord from an early age, rejecting the vanities of this world.

Despite your many temptations and hardships, you remained true to your King until the end. Please pray for me, that I will also reject all that is vain in this world and always choose my Lord and His will above all else. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You. Reflection taken from:. Pope Benedict XVI. Catholic Encyclopedia.

Catholic News Agency. Catholic Saints Info. All Saints for Today. Agnes of Wettin and Rochlitz Goswin II of Heinsberg Matilda of Heinsberg Aleidis von Sommerschenburg. Honors [ edit ]. Gallery [ edit ]. The Elizabeth Bower, Wartburg. The Reliquary of St. See also [ biography of st. elizabeth of hungary ]. Notes [ edit ]. An event of this magnitude would almost certainly be mentioned at least once in the many original sources at our disposal, and this is not the case.

Rather, the 14th-century Cronica Reinhardsbrunnensis specifically names Hermann as the second son. In addition, the only contemporary document dated 29 May that might support Hermann's claim to be the eldest by putting his name before that of Louis relates to a monastery in Hesse. This, it has been suggested, actually supports the claim that Hermann was the younger of the two, as Hesse was traditionally the domain of the second son, and thus it would be normal that his name be mentioned first, as this document deals with his territory.

References [ edit ]. The Life and Afterlife of St. Elizabeth of Hungary: Testimony from her Canonization Hearings. Oxford University Press. ISBN Retrieved 22 December Retrieved Elizabeth of Hungary". In Herbermann, Charles ed. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Petersberg: Michael Imhof Verlag. Gleichen: Muster-Schmidt Verlag.

Kassel: Verlag Evangelischer Medienverband. Cambridge University Press. Regensburg : Pustet. New York: Robert Appleton Company, The Cord. Archived from the original on 28 May Retrieved 14 December Retrieved 2 October Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints The Church of England. Church Publishing, Inc. Birmingham, Ala: Birmingham Museum of Art, Diocese of Mainz in German.

Retrieved 31 October Further reading [ edit ].

Biography of st. elizabeth of hungary

External links [ edit ]. Portal : Saints. Authority control databases. Deutsche Biographie DDB. Elizabeth's Church, Marburg Franciscan saints 13th-century Christian saints Female saints of medieval Germany Female saints of medieval Hungary 13th-century German people 13th-century German women 13th-century Hungarian people 13th-century Hungarian women Anglican saints Daughters of kings People from Bratislava Mothers of German monarchs.