Elisabeth of Hungary (the Blessed)

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The 'blessed' Elizabeth of Hungary; (* ~ 1255, † before 1323)

The 'blessed' Elisabeth of Hungary (* around 1255, † before 1323) was the eldest daughter of the Hungarian King Stephan V of the Arpaden family and his wife Elisabeth 'the Kumanin' .

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Youth and first years in the monastery

Neither their exact year of birth nor their place of birth are known. But from a document of 1265, we know that even then Elisabeth inmate of the convent on the Hare Island (today Margaret Island in Budapest was), in which her aunt, who later canonized Margaret , as monastery head of the Dominican monastery worked. According to legend, she was given to the monastery when she was a little girl. Around 1263 she was dressed as a nun .

Little is known about the first years of their monastic life. Her vita is described in a writing by the Hungarian Jesuit father Gábor Hevenesi from 1695, "Régi Magyar Szentség". Hevenesi writes in it:

“Elisabeth bears the same name as many Hungarian saints whom we venerate. She was the daughter of the Hungarian King Stephan V and Elisabeth the Kumanin. She has been raised to fear God and love since she was a child. As a four year old, she entered the nunnery that her father's grandfather founded on the Rabbit Island in the middle of the Danube in Buda . There she lived entirely for God's glory and dedicated her life to heaven. She followed the example of her aunt, Saint Margaret, and lived here until she did not leave Hungary on the orders of the Pope. She went to Milan to the St. Peter Monastery, founded by her sister Maria, the wife of Charles , King of Sicily, and endowed with rich gifts. In her new home she lived pleasingly to God, the enlightenment received from God distinguished her humility. She enjoyed doing such work that was otherwise only done by the lowest servants: she cleaned the ovens and the monastery cells, made a fire in the hearth. The more submissive she was, the closer and more pleasing she came to her heavenly Bridegroom. Instead of the earthly crown, she aspired to attain the heavenly crown. On March 6, 1285, her soul ascended to heaven. After her death, the reputation of her holiness became known everywhere. "

The historical facts, however, differ significantly from the idealized life of Father Hevenesi. After the death of her aunt, Elisabeth was the most important conventual of the monastery on Rabbit Island. As the abbess of this Dominican monastery, she made a significant contribution to material prosperity through the acquisition of real estate and property. This prosperity of the monastery is documented in numerous contemporary documents.

Marriage to Stefan Uroš II Milutin

Her career in the monastery was interrupted by a diplomatic trip to Serbia , which she undertook on behalf of her royal brother Ladislaus IV . According to a record of the Byzantine historian Geórgios Pakhümeres , Elisabeth is said to have been "conquered" by Stefan Uroš II Milutin after her arrival in Serbia (allegedly against her own will) . Then Stefan married Elisabeth. The marriage had a daughter named Zorica; Whether Stefan Uros' son Stefan Constantin (~ 1282–1322) still comes from his marriage to his second wife Helena Doukaina or from Elisabeth could not be clearly established.

The marriage turned out to be problematic from the start, as Elisabeth had broken her monastery vows and belonged to the Roman Catholic Church and not to Orthodoxy like her husband. In addition, at that time siblings were forbidden to marry a woman from a family with whom one was already related by marriage. (The older brother of Stefan Uroš II, Stefan Dragutin was already married to Katharina (* ~ 1256, † ~ 1316), the daughter of Stephan V. from the Arpaden family. She was the older sister of Elisabeth.) Unconfirmed assumptions according to Uroš II should not have been divorced from his second wife Helena Doukaina Angelina . The mother Uroš II, Hèlène von Anjou , therefore intervened with the Pope ( Martin IV. Or Honorius IV. ) And asked for the dissolution of the marriage in order to avoid a social scandal. The relationship ended with Elisabeth being sent back to the monastery on Rabbit Island.

There is no reliable knowledge about the timing of the above-mentioned events. However, historians assume that it is before 1286.

Marriage to Zawisch von Falkenstein

Zawisch von Falkenstein came to the Hungarian royal court of Ladislaus IV around the year 1287/1288. According to contemporary documents, he corresponded to the medieval ideal of men, was wealthy and known as a knight because of his physical strength. He went to Hungary to find an ally in King Ladislaus who would support him against the indignant Czech nobility and against the Czech King Wenceslaus II . This political alliance should be strengthened by marriage. 

Elisabeth had a significant influence on Ladislaus; this is also proven by the fact that she supervised and imprisoned the legitimate wife of King Elizabeth of Sicily , who was banished to the monastery between September 1286 and August 1287 .

She was also impressed by her brother's plans to marry Zawisch herself off. She supported her brother's plan and seemed to have wished to become the handsome Zawish's wife.

Elisabeth was therefore 'kidnapped' from the monastery by armed men headed by her brother and married to Zawisch on May 4, 1288. It can be safely assumed that the “kidnapping” took place with Elisabeth's prior consent. At least that's what the then Archbishop of Gran Lodomerius (1279–1298) reported in an angry letter dated May 8, 1288 to the Pope. ( Nicholas IV. )

After the newly wed couple had unsuccessfully intervened with the Archbishop of Gran to have their marriage recognized, they withdrew to Fürstenstein Castle near Politschka , where Elisabeth gave birth to a boy. After the birth of the son, Zawisch wanted to invite the king to be baptized. However, the latter insisted that he hand over the invitation personally in Prague . When Zawisch arrived in Prague, he was captured in January 1289 and asked to surrender the royal goods. After Zawisch had refused to comply with this request, he was accused of high treason and executed with the sword on August 24, 1290 in front of his brothers under the Frauenberg Castle  . The place of execution was chosen because Zawisch's brother Witiko II. Von Krumau also  refused to surrender  Frauenberg Castle, which he held illegally.

Last years and death

What became of Elizabeth after her husband's execution cannot be precisely reported. A secure specification is available, after which Elizabeth in 1300 to her sister Mary , the wife of King . Charles II of Naples went where they are in the monastery of San Pietro settled. Her son was probably no longer alive at this point, as her inheritance passed to the grandson of her sister Maria, the later King of Hungary, Karl Robert .

Résumé

No precise information could be determined about the time and circumstances of her beatification (canonical procedure) . Today 'Blessed Elisabeth' is forgotten by believers of the Catholic Church. She is no longer venerated in church practice either.

Many historians call Elisabeth's marriage to Zawisch von Falkenstein her first, i.e. before her marriage to Stefan Uroš II Milutin. This article follows the order established by Ferenc Kanyó, which corresponds to the latest research results. (see literature)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ King Bela IV of Hungary (1206-1270)
  2. ↑ "Magyar Katolikus Egyház" (online) www.katolikus.hu szentek (accessed on August 7, 2017)    
personal data
SURNAME Elisabeth of Hungary
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Daughter of the Hungarian king Stephan V.
DATE OF BIRTH 1255
DATE OF DEATH before 1323