St. Elizabeth was daughter of Peter III. king of Arragon, and
grand-daughter of James I. who had been educated under the care of
St. Peter Nolasco, and was surnamed the Saint, and from the taking
of Majorca and Valentia, Expugnator or the Conqueror. Her mother,
Constantia, was daughter of Manfred king of Sicily, and grandchild
to the Emperor Frederic II. Our saint was born in 1271, and received
at the baptismal font by the name of Elizabeth, from her aunt, St.
Elizabeth of Hungary, who had been canonized by Gregory IX. in 1235.
Her birth established a good understanding between her grandfather
James, who was then on the throne, and her father, whose quarrel had
divided the whole kingdom. The former took upon himself the care of
her education, inspired her with an ardor for piety above her age,
though he died in 1276 (having reigned sixty-three years), before she
had completed the sixth year of her age.
Her father succeeded to the crown, and was careful to place most
virtuous persons about his daughter, whose example might be to her
a constant spur to all virtue. The young princess was of a most
sweet and mild disposition, and from her tender years had no relish
for anything but what was conducive to piety and devotion. It was
doing her the most sensible pleasure if any one promised to lead her
to some chapel to say a prayer. At eight years of age she began to
fast on vigils, and to practise great self-denials; nor could she
bear to hear the tenderness of her years and constitution alleged
as a reason that she ought not to fast or macerate her tender body.
Her fervor made her eagerly to desire that she might have a share
in every exercise of virtue which she saw practised by others, and
she had been already taught that the frequent mortification of the
senses, and still more of the will, is to be joined with prayer to
obtain the grace which restrains the passions, and prevents their
revolt. How little is this most important maxim considered by those
parents who excite and fortify the passions of children, by teaching
them a love of vanities, and indulging them in gratifications of
sense! If rigorous fasts suit not their tender age, a submission of
the will, perfect obedience, and humble modesty, are in no time of
life more indispensably to be inculcated; nor is any abstinence more
necessary than that by which children are taught never to drink or
eat out of meals, to bear several little denials in them without
uneasiness, and never eagerly to crave anything. The easy and happy
victory of Elizabeth over herself was owing to this early and perfect
temperance, submissiveness, and sincere humility. Esteeming virtue
her only advantage and delight, she abhorred romances and idle
entertainments, shunned the usual amusements of children, and was an
enemy to all the vanities of the world. She could bear no other songs
than sacred hymns and psalms; and from her childhood said every day
the whole office of the breviary, in which no priest could be more
scrupulously exact. Her tenderness and compassion for the poor made
her, even in that tender age, to be styled their mother.
At twelve years of age she was given in marriage to Dionysius, king
of Portugal. That prince had considered in her, birth, beauty,
riches, and sprightliness of genius, more than virtue; yet he allowed
her an entire liberty in her devotions, and exceedingly esteemed and
admired her extraordinary piety. She found no temptation to pride in
the dazzling splendor of a crown, and could say with Esther, that her
heart never found any delight in the glory, riches, and grandeur with
which she was surrounded. She was sensible that regularity in our
actions is necessary to virtue, this being in itself most agreeable
to God, who shows in all his works how much he is the lover of order;
also a prudent distribution of time fixes the fickleness of the
human mind, hinders frequent omissions of pious exercises, and is a
means to prevent our being ever idle and being governed by humor and
caprice in what we do, by which motives a disguised self-love easily
insinuates itself into our ordinary actions. Our saint therefore
planned for herself a regular distribution of her whole time, and
of her religious exercises, which she never interrupted, unless
extraordinary occasions of duty or charity obliged her to change the
order of her daily practices. She rose very early every morning, and
after a long morning exercise, and a pious meditation, she recited
matins, lauds and prime of the Church office. Then she heard mass,
at which she communicated frequently every week. She said every day
also the little office of our Lady, and that of the dead: and in the
afternoon had other regular devotions after even-song or vespers.
She retired often into her oratory to her pious books, and allotted
certain hours to attend her domestic affairs, public business, or
what she owed to others. All her spare time she employed in pious
reading, or in working for the altar, or the poor, and she made her
ladies of honor do the like. She found no time to spend in vain
sports and recreations, or in idle discourse or entertainments. She
was most abstemious in her diet, mean in her attire, humble, meek,
and affable in conversation, and wholly bent upon the service of
God in all her actions. Admirable was her spirit of compunction,
and of holy prayer; and she poured forth her heart before God with
most feeling sentiments of divine love, and often watered her cheeks
and the very ground with abundant tears of sweet devotion. Frequent
attempts were made to prevail with her to moderate her austerities,
but she always answered that if Christ assures us that his spirit
cannot find place in a life of softness and pleasure, mortification
is nowhere more necessary than on the throne, where the passions
find more dangerous incentives. She fasted three days a week, many
vigils besides those prescribed by the Church; all Advent; a Lent
of devotion, from the feast of St. John Baptist to the feast of the
Assumption; and soon after this she began another Lent, which she
continued to St. Michael’s day. On all Fridays and Saturdays, on the
eves of all festivals of the Blessed Virgin and the apostles, and on
many other days, her fast was on bread and water. She often visited
churches and places of devotion on foot.
Charity to the poor was a distinguishing part of her character.
She gave constant orders to have all pilgrims and poor strangers
provided for with lodging and necessaries. She made it her business
to seek out and secretly relieve persons of good condition who were
reduced to necessity, yet out of shame durst not make known their
wants. She was very liberal in furnishing fortunes to poor young
women, that they might marry according to their condition, and not
be exposed to the danger of losing their virtue. She visited the
sick, served them, and dressed and kissed their most loathsome
sores. She founded in different parts of the kingdom many pious
establishments, particularly an hospital near her own palace at
Coïmbra, a house for penitent women who had been seduced into evil
courses, at Torres-Novas, and an hospital for foundlings, or those
children who, for want of due provision, are exposed to the danger
of perishing by poverty, or the neglect and cruelty of unnatural
parents. She was utterly regardless of her own conveniences, and so
attentive to the poor and afflicted persons of the whole kingdom,
that she seemed almost wholly to belong to them; not that she
neglected any other duties which she owed to her neighbor, for she
made it her principal study to pay to her husband the most dutiful
respect, love, and obedience, and bore his injuries with invincible
meekness and patience. Though king Dionysius was a friend of justice,
and a valiant, bountiful, and compassionate prince, yet he was, in
his youth, a worldly man, and defiled the sanctity of the nuptial
state with abominable lusts. The good queen used all her endeavors
to reclaim him, grieving most sensibly for the offence of God,
and the scandal given to the people; and she never ceased to weep
herself, and to procure the prayers of others for his conversion.
She strove to gain him only by courtesy, and with constant sweetness
and cheerfulness cherished his natural children, and took great care
of their education. By these means she softened the heart of the
king, who, by the succor of a powerful grace, rose out of the filthy
puddle in which he had wallowed for a long time, and kept ever after
the fidelity that was due to his virtuous consort. He instituted the
order of Christ in 1318; founded, with a truly royal magnificence,
the university of Coïmbra, and adorned his kingdom with public
buildings. His extraordinary virtues, particularly his liberality,
justice, and constancy, are highly extolled by the Portuguese,
and after his entire conversion, he was the idol and glory of his
people. A little time before his perfect conversion there happened an
extraordinary accident. The queen had a very pious, faithful page,
whom she employed in the distribution of her secret alms. A wicked
fellow-page envying him on account of this favor, to which his virtue
and services entitled him, treacherously suggested to his majesty
that the queen showed a fondness for that page. The prince, who by
his own sensual heart was easily inclined to judge ill of others,
gave credit to the slander, and resolved to take away the life of
the innocent youth. For this purpose he gave order to a lime-burner,
that if on such a day he sent to him a page with this errand to
inquire, “Whether he had fulfilled the king’s commands?” he should
take him and cast him into the lime-kiln, there to be burnt; for
that death he had justly incurred, and the execution was expedient
for the king’s service. On the day appointed he despatched the page
with this message to the lime-kiln; but the devout youth on the road
passing by a church, heard the bell ring at the elevation at mass,
went in and prayed there devoutly; for it was his pious custom, if
he ever heard the sign given by the bell for the elevation, always
to go thither, and not depart till mass was ended. It happened, on
that occasion, that as the first was not a whole mass, and it was
with him a constant rule to hear mass every day, he stayed in the
church, and heard successively two other masses. In the meantime, the
king, who was impatient to know if his orders had been executed, sent
the informer to the lime-kiln, to inquire whether his commands had
been obeyed; but as soon as he was come to the kiln, and had asked
the question, the man, supposing him to be the messenger meant by
the king’s order, seized him, and threw him into the burning lime,
where he was soon consumed. Thus was the innocent protected by his
devotion, and the slanderer was overtaken by divine justice. The page
who had heard the masses went afterward to the lime-kiln, and having
asked whether his majesty’s commands had been yet executed, brought
him back word that they were. The king was almost out of himself
with surprise when he saw him come back with this message, and being
soon informed of the particulars, he easily discovered the innocence
of the pious youth, adored the divine judgments, and ever after
respected the great virtue and sanctity of his queen.
St. Elizabeth had by the king two children, Alphonsus, who afterward
succeeded his father, and Constantia, who was married to Ferdinand
IV., king of Castille. This son, when grown up, married the infanta
of Castille, and soon after revolting against his own father, put
himself at the head of an army of malecontents. St. Elizabeth had
recourse to weeping, prayer, fasting, and almsdeeds, and exhorted
her son in the strongest terms to return to his duty, conjuring
her husband at the same time to forgive him. Pope John XXII. wrote
to her, commending her religious and prudent conduct; but certain
court flatterers whispering to the king that she was suspected of
favoring her son, he, whom jealousy made credulous, banished her to
the city of Alanquer. The queen received this disgrace with admirable
patience and peace of mind, and made use of the opportunity which
her retirement afforded, to redouble her austerities and devotions.
She never would entertain any correspondence with the malecontents,
nor listen to any suggestions from them. The king himself admired
her goodness, meekness, and humility under her disgrace; and shortly
after called her back to court, and showed her greater love and
respect than ever. In all her troubles she committed herself to the
sweet disposal of divine providence, considering that she was always
under the protection of God, her merciful father.
Being herself of the most sweet and peaceable disposition, she was
always most active and industrious in composing all differences
between neighbors, especially in averting war, with the train of all
the most terrible evils which attend it. She reconciled her husband
and son, when their armies were marching one against the other; and
she reduced all the subjects to duty and obedience. She made peace
between Ferdinand IV., king of Castille, and Alphonsus de la Cerda,
his cousin-german, who disputed the crown: likewise between James
II., king of Arragon, her own brother, and Ferdinand IV., the king
of Castille, her son-in-law. In order to effect this last she took
a journey with her husband into both those kingdoms, and to the
great satisfaction of the Christian world, put a happy period to all
dissensions and debates between those states. After this charitable
work, king Dionysius, having reigned forty-five years, fell sick. St.
Elizabeth gave him most signal testimonies of her love and affection,
scarce ever leaving his chamber during his illness, unless to go to
the church, and taking infinite pains to serve and attend him. But
her main care and solicitude was to secure his eternal happiness, and
to procure that he might depart this life in sentiments of perfect
repentance and piety. For this purpose she gave bountiful alms,
and caused many prayers and masses to be said. During his long and
tedious illness he gave great marks of sincere compunction, and died
at Santaren, on the 6th of January, 1325. As soon as he had expired,
the queen retired into her oratory, commended his soul to God, and
consecrating herself to the divine service, put on the habit of the
third Order of Saint Francis. She attended the funeral procession,
with her husband’s corpse, to Odiveras, where he had chosen his
burying-place in a famous church of Cistercian monks. After a
considerable stay there, she made a pilgrimage to Compostella, and
returning to Odiveras, celebrated there her husband’s anniversary
with great solemnity; after which she retired to a convent of Clares,
which she had begun to rebuild before the death of her husband. She
was desirous to make her religious profession, but was diverted
from that design for some time upon a motive of charity, that she
might continue to support an infinity of poor people by her alms and
protection. She therefore contented herself at first with wearing
the habit of the third Order, living in a house which she built
contiguous to her great nunnery, in which she assembled ninety devout
nuns. She often visited them, and sometimes served them at table,
having for her companion in this practice of charity and humility
her daughter-in-law, Beatrix, the queen then reigning. However, by
authentic historical proofs it is evinced that before her death
she made her religious profession in the aforesaid third Order, as
pope Urban VIII., after mature discussion of those monuments, has
declared.[67]
A war being lighted up between her son Alphonsus IV., surnamed the
brave, king of Portugal, and her grandson, Alphonsus XI., king of
Castille, and armies being set on foot, she was startled at the news,
and resolved to set out to reconcile them, and extinguish the fire
that was kindling. Her servants endeavored to persuade her to defer
her journey, on account of the excessive heats, but she made answer
that she could not better expend her health and her life than by
seeking to prevent the miseries and calamities of a war. The very
news of her journey disposed both parties to peace. She went to
Estremoz, upon the frontiers of Portugal and Castille, where her son
was; but she arrived ill of a violent fever, which she looked upon
as a messenger sent by God to warn her that the time was at hand
wherein he called her to himself. She strongly exhorted her son to
the love of peace and to a holy life; she confessed several times,
received the holy viaticum on her knees at the foot of the altar,
and shortly after extreme unction; from which time she continued in
fervent prayer, often invoking the Blessed Virgin, and repeating
these words: “Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy, defend us from
the wicked enemy, and receive us at the hour of our death.” She
appeared overflowing with heavenly joy, and with those consolations
of the Holy Ghost which make death so sweet to the saints; and in the
presence of her son, the king, and of her daughter-in-law, she gave
up her happy soul to God on the 4th of July, in the year 1336, of her
age sixty-five. She was buried with royal pomp in the church of her
monastery of poor Clares, at Coïmbra, and honored by miracles. Leo
X. and Paul IV. granted an office on her festival; and in 1612 her
body was taken up and found entire. It is now richly enshrined in
a magnificent chapel, built on purpose. She was canonized by Urban
VIII. in 1625, and the 8th of July appointed for her festival.
* * * * *
The characteristical virtue of St. Elizabeth was a love of peace.
Christ, the prince of peace, declares his spirit to be the spirit of
humility and meekness; consequently the spirit of peace. Variance,
wrath, and strife, are the works of the flesh, of envy, and pride,
which he condemns, and which exclude from the kingdom of heaven.
Bitterness and contention shut out reason, make the soul deaf to the
motives of religion, and open the understanding to nothing but what
is sinful. To find the way of peace we must be meek and patient,
even under the most violent provocations; we must never resent
any wrong, nor return railing for railing, but good for evil; we
must regard passion as the worst of monsters, and must judge it as
unreasonable to hearken to its suggestions as to choose a madman
for our counsellor in matters of concern and difficulty; above all,
we must abhor it not only as a sin, but as leading to a numberless
variety of other grievous sins and spiritual evils. _Blessed are the
peacemakers_, and all who love and cultivate this virtue among men,
_they shall be called the children of God_, whose badge and image
they bear.