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Princess. Daughter of King Pedro III of Aragon and Constantia;
great-granddaughter of Emperor Frederick II. Great-niece of Saint
Elizabeth of Hungary, for whom she was named. Pious upbringing with daily
liturgy and praying of the hours, regular religious instruction and
education. Married at age twelve to King Diniz of Portugal, and thus Queen
of Portugal before she was a teenager.
The king was known for his hard work, his poetic nature, and his lack of
morals. Elizabeth suffered through years of abuse and adultery, praying
all the while for his conversion, and working with the poor and sick.
Mother of two, Princess Constantia and Prince Affonso. She sometimes
convinced the ladies of the court to work with her, but most of the time
she just incurred their jealousy and ill will. The king appears to have
reformed late in life, though whether from Elizabeth's faith or his
imminent death is unknown.
The Prince Affonso rebelled against the favors Diniz bestowed on his
illegitimate sons, and in 1323 forces of the king and prince clashed in
open civil war. Though she had been unjustly accused of siding with her
son against the crown, Elizabeth rode onto the battlefield between them,
and was able to reconcile father and son, and prevent bloodshed. This led
to her patronage as a peacemaker, and as one invoked in time of war and
conflict.
Widowed in 1325. After the king's death, she distributed her property to
the poor, became a Franciscan tertiary, and retired to a monastery of Poor
Clares she had founded at Coimbra.
In 1336 her son, now King Affonso IV, marched against his son-in-law, the
King of Castile to punish him for being a negligent and abusive husband.
Despite her age and ill health, Elizabeth hurried to the battlefield at
Estremoz, and again managed to make peace in her family, and thus maintain
peace in her land.
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