(1271-1336)
- Born to her father Peter III, King of Aragon and mother, she was named after her aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
- Her grandfather made sure that she would be well-educated.
- When she was 12, she married Dionysius, the King of Portugal.
- He allowed her to live a life of devotion that was similar to the vowed religious. During their marriage, she also fulfilled her obligations to domestic affairs and public business, such as taking care of her children and making orders to create housing and support to poor strangers.
- Other notable charitable works she performed were giving dowries to girls who couldn’t afford them, creating a hospital for the sick, and making homes for single women and orphaned children.
- Her husband, unfortunately, cheated on her several times, having several illegitimate children. They had two children together, a son, Alfonso, and a daughter, Constance.
- Her son became very rebellious, which has been attributed to his trouble with having half brothers and sisters who were not his mom’s. One time, she was sent from her own household because she was implicated in favoring her son over her husband’s illegitimate sons, but her husband soon realized that she really cared for them as well. Later, she was able to reconcile her son and his father after they had a fight.
- Other reconciliations that are attributed to her tremendous peacemaking skills were disputes and wars between the rulers of Castile, then in Aragon, becoming known as “the Peacemaker.”
- Her husband became very ill in 1324. She cared for him for several months, not leaving his side. He repented of having neglected her and for cheating on her. He died in 1325.
- After this, she became a Third Order Franciscan with the Poor Clares.
- On a hot day in 1336, she began a journey to aid two more disputing realms into making peace but died on the way.
- Info cited under “Authentic Femininity, Lived” tab
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