The
marriage of Elizabeth of
Hungary was arranged shortly
after she was born. The future
husband chosen for her was
Louis, a German prince. When
she was four years old she was
taken to live in Wartburg
Castle to be raised by Louis’s
family. Some of the family
didn’t like her because she was
so pious and concerned about
others. They wanted Louis to
send her back to Hungary but he
refused.
When
they were married Louis was the
ruler of three German
provinces. He was proud of
Elizabeth’s kindness to the
poor and sick; he understood
when she gave away all her rich
clothing and jewels. Once while
Louis was away during a famine,
Elizabeth gave away the
family’s store of corn to feed
900 people a day. In spite of
complaints from members of the
court, Louis felt Elizabeth did
the right thing.
Louis
died in an epidemic. Elizabeth,
who had just given birth to
their fourth child, was
over-come with grief. Those who
opposed her took this
opportunity to seize control
and banish her from the castle.
For awhile, she was very poor.
Later,
she built a little hospice
where she cared for the sick,
the poor and the elderly. In
her spare time she fished to
earn money for them. She died
before reaching the age of 24.
She was buried in the Church of
St. Elizabeth, built in Marburg
to honor her memory.
