The Thoughtful Homemaker

Before I get into the list of Saintly deaths I will state that Francisco Pizarro captured the Incan Emperor Atahualpa on this day. I told you it didn’t take long. Atahualpa was executed the next year by garrote.

On November 16 . . .

1384 Poland had a new king. Her name was Jadwiga. No, there was no typo, Jadwiga was crowned king of Poland. There weren’t too many queen regnants at the time. So, not knowing what to do, Jadwiga was crowned king. She was only ten years old. Her mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia, was regent. Her sister, Mary, was queen of Hungary in her own right and married Sigismund of Luxembourg, later Holy Roman Emperor. At the age of eleven she was betrothed to the Orthodox Christian Jogaila Grand Duke of Lithuania if he would first convert to Catholicism, he did and Jadwiga and Jogaila were married the next year. Jadwiga was 12, Jogaila was about 24.

Jadwiga was deeply religious and loved the Virgin Mary. She wanted to bring more Catholicism to Lithuania at the same time negotiating to protect her neighbors from the Teotonic Order. She founded charities and hospitals in her country. She founded a bishopric in Vilnius. Praying in the Wawel Cathedral, the black cross on the wall spoke to her. You can still see her cross in Poland to this day. She financed the renovation of Krakow Academy and secretly gave food to the poor. On June 8, 1997, Pope John Paul II, a fellow Pole, canonized her as a saint.

Though King of Poland, she is a descendant of Charles of Anjou who married Beatrice of Provence, sister of Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III of England.

1272 King Henry III of England died. His son and heir was fighting a crusade at the time. King Henry III was known by Dante as “the king of simple life” who was a poor king because he spent too much time praying. Henry III spent hours every morning in prayer and was responsible for renovating and building the most beautiful cathedrals in England. His primary project was Westminster Abbey, a place I got to visit last April. I got to touch the tomb of Henry III who was buried near his favorite saint, Edward the Confessor. Henry III was married to Eleanor of Provence whose sisters all married kings so there was surely some competition. Henry III built beautiful cathedrals and spent his days in prayer and living simply, but Marguerite’s husband, Louis IX of France, went on crusade. HER husband was canonized not Eleanor’s despite many attempts. The royal family of England truly were religious and named their sons after their favorite saints rather than giving them family names. Edward I was named after Edward the Confessor. Edmund was named after St. Edmund Rich of Canterbury.

1240 St. Edmund of Canterbury died. He was born Edmund Rich in 1175 in Abingdon, Berkshire, England. Edmund went to study at Oxford and at the University of Paris. Edmund was different because he denounced scholasticism. He became an aesthetic at an early age and chose a career with the church. Edmund preached for the crusade and was recognized by Pope Gregory for his good works. He was married Archbishop of Canterbury in 1233. Edmund got involved in politics and warned Henry III of giving too many favors to his wife’s family and ignoring the barons. Henry III became angry with Edmund especially when he threatened the pious king with excommunication.

Edmund was also a hero to me as he fought for a national church rather than a church governed by Rome. I believe that was a step in the right direction. Edmund’s outspoken views later angered the Pope as well. After the Pope gave 300 English benefices to Romans, Edmund died broken hearted. He was canonized in 1247 and Henry III named one of his sons after St. Edmund.

1093 Queen Margaret of Scotland died. In the 11th century, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings was Edmund Ironside. He had a son named Edmund the exile the brother of Edward the Confessor. His daughter was Margaret who married King Malcolm III of Scotland. By this time the Normans ruled England and the Anglo-Saxon royals were dethroned. King Malcolm III desired to marry the Anglo-Saxon princess Margaret. She was a holy woman and supported Benetictine Orders to be founded in Scotland. She became a Saint in 1250. Her daughter Edith was renamed Matilda and married King Henry I of England.