St. Ladislaus (or Ladislas)
King Saint Ladislas I was a true paladin and gentle knight, a protector of his faith and his people, and of the poor and defenceless.
St. Ladislaus the First, called by the Hungarians László, and in old French, Lancelot, was son of Bela king of Hungary, and born in 1041. By the pertinacious importunity of the people he was compelled, much against his own inclination, to ascend the throne in 1080, the kingdom being then elective.
He restored the good laws and discipline which St. Stephen had established, and which seem to have been obliterated by the confusion of the times. Chastity, meekness, gravity, charity, and piety were from his infancy the distinguishing parts of his character; avarice and ambition were his sovereign aversion, so perfectly had the maxims of the gospel extinguished in him all propensity to those base passions. His life in the palace was most austere: he was frugal and abstemious, but most liberal to the Church and poor. Vanity, pleasure, or idle amusements had no share in his actions or time, because all his moments were consecrated to the exercises of religion and the duties of his station, in which he had only the divine will in view, and sought only God’s greater honor.
Saint Ladislaus still lives in the sagas and poems of his people as a chivalrous king.
He watched over a strict and impartial administration of justice, was generous and merciful to his enemies, and vigorous in the defense of his country and the Church. He added to his kingdom Dalmatia and Croatia, drove the Huns out of his territories, and vanquished the Poles, Russians, and Tartars.
He was preparing to command as general-in-chief, the great expedition of the Christians against the Saracens for the recovery of the Holy Land, when God called him to himself on the 30th of July, 1095. He was buried at Waradin, where his relics continue “still to be illustrated by miracles,” says the Roman Martyrology, on the 27th of June, on which day, on account of their translation, it celebrates his festival. He was canonized by Celestine III in 1198.
A few scenes of the almost innumerable stories associated with Saint Latislaus, one of the most beloved kings of Hungary.
(from Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, by Rev. Alban Butler, Vol VI, John Murphy Publisher, 1821, pp 348-349).
Nobility.org Editorial comment: —
St. Ladislaus is a most worthy example for today’s nobility and analogous traditional elites.
The strict fulfillment of his duties as King of Hungary was no obstacle to his sanctification. He led his people in war and in peace; administered justice and promoted the general welfare; and he died at age 54 amidst preparations to lead the First Crusade.
One can say that he made the Cross of Our Divine Savior the center of his life. He believed, loved, and served the great truths of the Faith. He understood well that this life is a great test where men choose if they are for God or against Him. He believed that life is a constant struggle against the devil, the flesh and the world. He declared for God and thrust himself into the fray with all his heart. And he never looked back.
St. Ladislaus stands in stark contrast against the millions today who have eliminated God and His law from their lives, withholding their adoration from Him in order to give it to the false gods they worship: worldly vanity; avaricious wealth; spiritual and sensual pleasures; comfort and relaxation; a life of superficiality, fun and total lack of responsibility.
