Background
St. Elizabeth was born in 1207 in Pressburg, Hungary; daughter of King Andrew II and Queen Gertrude of Hungary.
St. Elizabeth was born in 1207 in Pressburg, Hungary; daughter of King Andrew II and Queen Gertrude of Hungary.
At four years of age, she was betrothed to Ludwig, son of the powerful Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia, and was sent to be brought up by her future mother-in-law, the Landgravine Sophia. Warriors, poets, musicians, and artists were welcomed at the Thuringian court in the castle of the Wartburg, but despite the purely secular life of the court, Elizabeth, at a very early age, showed her obedience to the call of God through her generosity to the poor and suffering. At about fourteen she was married to Ludwig, and when he succeeded to his father's dominions, Elizabeth was able to give free rein to her charity. A legend exists that Ludwig at first disapproved of the lavish gifts that his wife made to the poor. One day in the middle of winter he confronted her on her way to visit the poor with a basket of bread, which he asked her to uncover. When she did so, Ludwig saw only beautiful red roses and thus was won over.
Elizabeth's religious guide was the staunch priest Conrad of Marburg, under whose directions the young woman led a life of extreme austerity. Through some of the first Franciscans to reach Germany, she also came under the influence of Francis of Assisi. In 1227 her beloved Ludwig joined the Sixth Crusade and died in Otranto, leaving his widow with three children. Driven from the court by her husband's brother, Henry Raspe IV, Elizabeth was forced to leave the Wartburg. She took refuge in Eisenach, where she entered the Franciscan Third Order and dedicated herself to a life of complete poverty and charity. The following year, she moved to Marburg where she founded a hospital and served the sick and poor unremittingly. However, her strength was quickly consumed by her labors and her complete renunciation of material comforts; she died in 1231. She was canonized in 1235 by Pope Gregory IX.
The cult of Saint Elizabeth spread quickly throughout Christendom; she became the patroness of the Secular Third Order of Saint Francis and patron saint of bakers since she often brought bread to the poor. She has often depicted holding roses, a jug, or a church; sometimes she wears the secular dress and a crown, more often the habit of the Third Order. Her feast is celebrated on November 19, and all over the world hospitals and charitable institutions bear her name.
At four years of age, she was betrothed to Ludwig, son of the powerful Landgrave Hermann of Thuringia. In ten years she was married to Ludwig.
