Saint Ladislas I

King of Hungary
(1040–1095)

Saint Ladislas, known in Hungarian as László, was born in 1040, the son of King Béla I of Hungary. He grew up in a time of great turbulence, when the kingdom of Hungary was repeatedly torn by dynastic conflicts, pagan revolts, and foreign invasions. From his youth he showed the qualities that would mark his reign: physical courage, personal piety, and a deep sense of justice that he applied to himself as rigorously as to others.

He came to the throne in 1077 after a period of political instability and immediately set himself to the task of consolidating Christian civilisation in Hungary, which had been formally Christianised under Saint Stephen only about seventy years earlier. He was a man of great physical stature and was celebrated throughout Europe for his bravery in battle, but those who knew him well marvelled even more at his humility, his generosity to the poor, and his fidelity to prayer.

As king he enacted a comprehensive body of laws designed to protect the weak from the strong, to punish theft and violence, and to maintain the rights of the Church. He founded bishoprics, built churches and monasteries, and supported the work of evangelisation among the peoples on Hungary's frontiers. He canonised the first Hungarian saints, including Saint Stephen and Saint Emeric, thereby establishing the theological foundation for the concept of the Regnum Marianum, the Kingdom of Mary, which has remained central to Hungarian Catholic identity ever since.

He was a devoted son of the Blessed Virgin Mary and placed his kingdom under her special protection. Before battle he would pray with particular fervour to Our Lady, and he attributed his victories to her intercession. He protected the poor from oppression by the powerful, ransomed captives from foreign enemies, and distributed alms with remarkable generosity. He was known to mortify his flesh in private while presenting a courtly and cheerful manner to those around him.

In 1095 he was chosen to lead the First Crusade but died before the expedition could set out, on July 29, 1095. He was canonised by Pope Celestine III in 1192 and is honoured as one of the greatest kings in Hungarian history and as a model of the Christian ruler. His feast was formerly celebrated on June 27th, though it is now observed on June 27th or his dies natalis.