Queens, Princesses And Royal Women Who Became Saints
St. Jadwiga of Poland
This Queen of Poland is the Patroness of Queens! St. Jadwiga was the daughter of King Louis I of Hungray, ascending the throne at age thirteen. She married Jagiello of Lithuania only after he became a chirstan, and then actively promoted Christianity in Lithuania.
St. Helena of Constantinople
St. Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great and an Empress of the Roman Empire. Constantine ordered all to honor his mother. He even had coins minted, bearing her image. Through her son's influence, Helena began to embrace Christianity. With her title of Augusta Imperatrix, Helena was given free reign over the imperial treasury. She was tasked with locating relics of Christian tradition. Around the year 130, Emperor Hadrian had a temple built over the site of Jesus' death. This temple was believed to be dedicated to Venus. Helena had this temple destroyed and chose a site in this location to be excavated. This led to the discovery of three crosses.
Princess Zita
Servant of God Empress Zita was the last empress and queen of Christendom. She was the wife of Blessed Charles von Habsburg, Emperor and King. Together they reigned over the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I from November 1916 to November 1918, when they were exiled from their country. After a two-year attempt to regain the throne, the family, now including seven children, were exiled to a small Portuguese-owned island off the coast of Africa called Madeira. Only five months later, Blessed Karl died of pneumonia, leaving Zita with their seven children and another in the womb.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Also known as St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, St. Elizabeth of Hungary was born in Hungary on July 7, 1207 to the Hungarian King Andrew II and Gertrude of Merania. A princess of the Kingdom of Hungary during the 13th century, she was widely known for her generosity to the poor.
St. Matilda of Ringelheim
Matilda was the daughter of Count Dietrich of Westphalia and Reinhild of Denmark. Matilda married Henry the Fowler, son of Duke Otto of Saxony, in the year 909. He succeeded his father as Duke in the year 912 and in 919 succeeded King Conrad I to the German throne. She was noted for her piety and charitable works. She devoted herself to building three convents and a monastery, was left in charge of the kingdom when her son Otto went to Rome in 962 to be crowned Emperor (often regarded as the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire).
St. Margaret of Scotland
St. Margaret of Scotland, or Margaret of Wessex, was an English princess born in Hungary to Princess Agatha of Hungary and English Prince Edward the Exile around 1045. Malcolm Canmore III fell deeply in love with her. They married and had eight children, six sons and two daughters. All of whom were raised with deep Catholic Christian faith. They lived as a holy family, a domestic church. She constantly worked to aid the poor Scotland. She encouraged people to live a devout life, grow in prayer, and grow in holiness. She helped to build churches, including the Abbey of Dunfermline, where a relic of the true Cross is kept.
St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Elizabeth was a Spanish princess who was given in marriage to King Denis of Portugal at the age of twelve. She was very beautiful and very lovable. She was also very devout, and went to Mass every day. She was a wonderful model of kindness toward the poor and a successful peacemaker between members of her own family and between nations.
Saint Adelaide
(Written by Blessed Is She) : Not only was Saint Adelaide a princess, but she is also now the patron Saint of princesses! Her life was filled with the drama of royal politics. She was married to the king of Italy at 15. Three years later, the king was poisoned by his successor, who then insisted that Adelaide marry his son. She refused and fled but was caught and thrown in prison. About four months later, she escaped to Northern Italy and implored Otto of Germany for help. He, in turn, conquered Italy and then asked for her hand in marriage.
Otto and Adelaide reined for 20 years before he passed away. Within a few years, her daughter-in-law tried to turn her son, the new king, against Adelaide, and she was driven from court. Back in her home country of Burgundy, where she went to live with her brother, she dedicated herself to founding and restoring religious houses and evangelizing to the Slavic people.
She ultimately reconciled with her son, and after his death, she returned to Italy as regent until her grandson came of age.
Throughout her fascinating life, Adelaide remained close to God. Even though she was the most powerful woman in the world as Empress of the Roman Empire, she remained humble and dedicated to the service of Christ.
St. Margaret of Hungary
Daughter of King Bela IV, she became a Dominican novice at twelve in a royal convent built on an island in the Danube. Although she was a princess among nuns who were of noble descent, she objected to any special treatment and went out of her way to perform the most menial tasks and the most exacting labors on behalf of the squalid poor and most advanced hospital cases.