Yesterday I had the joy of serving as a guest lecturer for a group of D.Min. women about women in church history. One of the people I profiled was Elizabeth of Hungary.

The daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude (murdered at 38), she was reared in Wartburg Castle in Thuringia (central Germany). She came from a long line of Christ-followers, and at age 14 she married Louis II, King of Thuringia. But he died in a crusade, leaving her with three children at age twenty.

Still, she used her wealth to help the poor and ill, and she built a home for lepers. During times of famine, she opened soup kitchens and sold her jewels to provide for needy. She was so generous that her brother-in-law tried to seize her estate so she wouldn't give it all away. She died of exhaustion at 24.

I especially love a quote from her that endures. It's hard to argue with her logic:

Here, before my eyes, is my God and my King, the mild and merciful Jesus, crowned with sharp thorns; shall I, who am only a vile creature, remain before him crowned with pearls, gold and precious stones, and by my crown mock his?