St. Elizabeth was daughter of the Hungarian King Andrew II and his wife Gertrude. Elizabeth was also the neice of St. Hedwig. She was born around the year 1207. She was raised in the court, and at the age of 14, she married Ludwig IV of Thuringia. The marriage was a happy one and Elizabeth bore three children in the six years of marriage before Ludwig was called to the Crusades. Ludwig was died from illness while on the Crusade, and Elizabeth was left alone, stting that "The world with all its joys is now dead to me."
Instead of turning into herself and despairing at her life, Elizabeth developed a great love and charity for the poor. She wore simple clothing and led a life of prayer, charity, and sacrifice. Elizabeth's relatives thought she was squandering the wealth of her husband and she was thrown out of the palace. Elizabeth continued her simple life of charity, even when she was reinstated in the palace when her husband's allies returned from the Crusades.
In the year 1228, Elizabeth joined the Third Order of St. Francis, and spent the remaining years of her life caring for the sick and poor. She founded a hospital in honor of St. Francis won the approval of many for her charity. She died before her 24th birthday in the year 1231 and was canonized four years later. St. Elizabeth of Hungary is the patron of Catholic Charities, and Third Order Franciscans.