"Beata in purpura nobiliter educata": Textual tradition of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary in 13th century Castille

Abstract

The presence of the cult of saint Elisabeth of Hungary is well documented in the Kingdom of Aragon, but has not been properly addressed in Castile. Using manuscript Paris, BnF, Nouvelles Acquisitions Latines 868 as starting point, this article examines the possible routes of arrival of texts dedicated to saint Elisabeth in the Castilian territories. It addresses the role of Beatrice of Swabia as passive agent in the spreading of the cult mostly through her burial at the Cistercian monastery of Las Huelgas in Burgos, as well as the part played by Franciscan author Juan Gil de Zamora. This article provides, for the first time, a material analysis of London, BL, Add MS 41070, the only surviving manuscript that contains this author’s Legende Sanctorum.