Elizabeth of Hungary, Renewer of Society
November 2009
by Judy Chiarelli
Evangelical Lutheran Worship commemorates Elizabeth of Hungary on November 17. Who was she? Her story takes us to the medieval Wart-burg Castle high on its crag in the central German forests, centuries before Martin Luther found refuge there in 1521. Elizabeth’s life is a story of royalty, political marriage, deep faith, service, and sainthood.
Daughter of a King
Born in Pressburg, Hungary (now Bratislava, Slovakia), in the year 1207, Elizabeth was a princess with a shining future. She was the daughter of the powerful King of Hungary, Andrew II. But instead of indulging herself in the life of luxury that could have been hers, Elizabeth devoted herself to the care of the poor and sick. She embraced a spirituality that was holy, but so extreme that it may have led to her early death.
Betrothed at Four
Elizabeth was betrothed when she was four years old to the eldest son of the landgrave (ruling noble) of the ancient land of Thuringia in central Germany, and moved to Wartburg Castle to be brought up by the family. This union between the Hungarian princess and the German landgrave was considered politically advantageous.
She was a prayerful child, even as she grew up in a noble court famous for its magnificence, surrounded by knights and troubadours. Her dedication to the service of the poor began early, much to the amusement of the more frivolous members of the court.
The eldest son, Hermann, died young, however; and Elizabeth was married to the second son, Ludwig, in 1221, when she was 14 and he 20. Their marriage was a love match as well as a political alliance; they were deeply devoted to each other. He is often referred to as “pious Ludwig” or “Ludwig the saint,” and he was a partner in her spiritual journey. The young couple was aided by their spiritual director, the monk Konrad von Marburg, who had considerable influence with both Ludwig and Elizabeth.
In 1226, Ludwig was in Italy on the Emperor’s service when a terrible flood devastated Thuringia, leading to famine and disease. Elizabeth took charge of affairs at home, opening the castle granaries and distributing aid to the poor.
She sold her jewelry to build a 28-bed hospital below Wartburg Castle, where she personally cared for the sick. Tradition has it that she served 900 poor people each day, selling the castle treasures to buy bread for them and tending to their needs. When Ludwig returned, he agreed with all she had done and encouraged her in her work.
This period of her life is the source of her lasting reputation as the gentle and generous lady of the castle. Elizabeth is often depicted in art holding a cloth filled with roses. Legend has it that when she secretly took bread to the poor, she hid it in her cloak; when Ludwig asked her to show him what she was hiding, instead of bread, he found roses.
Widowed at 20
Elizabeth’s world was shattered in 1227 when Ludwig followed Emperor Frederick II on crusade and died of disease on the journey. Elizabeth was told the news after she gave birth to their third child; it is reported that she said, “He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today.”
She was never the same after Ludwig’s death. The young widow turned away from her regular pursuits and took up an increasingly austere and ascetic life of faith, seeking to draw closer to God through denial of self.
About that time, some followers of Francis of Assisi made their first permanent settlement in Germany and she was drawn to their spirituality and work with the poor. She spent more and more of the royal fortune in charity to the poor and sick—in opposition to the wishes of her late husband’s family, who took up the rule of Thuringia until her son would reach maturity.
Elizabeth left Wartburg, possibly driven out by her late husband’s family. She was separated not only from the family fortune, but from her three children as well. Her family encouraged her to make another politically advantageous marriage, but she refused. Instead she became a Franciscan herself, making vows similar to those of a nun. She moved to the town of Marburg, and there she built another hospital for the poor.
Elizabeth’s spiritual director, the monk Konrad von Marburg, played a large part in Elizabeth’s life. Through modern eyes, he is a mystifying, even alarming figure. Every history of Elizabeth mentions the cruelty she suffered at the hands of Konrad in her pursuit of holiness. He even ordered that Elizabeth be beaten as part of her quest for spiritual purity. She died at the age of 24, possibly from the ill effects of her austere way of life.
Service and Example
Elizabeth was a devoted wife and mother before her world fell apart at the death of her husband. She was a ruler who cared for her people, and was deeply committed to serving the poor and the sick. She embraced the spirituality of Francis of Assisi when the Franciscan movement was very young. Elizabeth’s life reinforces the importance of giving to others as a way of drawing closer to Christ.
But Elizabeth’s story has other lessons for us too. We serve others best when we ourselves are alive with the knowledge of God’s love. God’s love is not earned or given as a reward for self-denial or obedience. It is freely given to each one of us as children of God.
Elizabeth’s life is a tale of service to those in need. She turned away from the distractions of worldly treasures and focused on her faith, made visible in service as well as self-denial. Her life is not a fairy
tale of a princess in a castle, but the story of a woman who wanted only to draw closer to God.
Princess Elizabeth of Hungary and Thuringia is beloved to this day especially in Germany, where she is honored as an embodiment of generous and sympathetic service to the poor and suffering. Many hospitals and charitable institutions worldwide are named for her.
In Marburg, where she lived for the last few years of her life, a beautiful Gothic church dedicated to her still stands. Construction began on the church very soon after her death, a reflection of the great honor and affection in which the people who knew her best held her.
She is important to Lutherans not only because of her own faithful service to the poor, but because her descendants were staunch supporters of the Reformation from its beginnings. It is no coincidence that Luther’s refuge was Wartburg Castle, Elizabeth’s home so long ago.
Judy Chiarelli lives in Chicago with her husband, Paul.