St. Casimir of Poland

Casimir, the son of King Casimir IV of Poland was born October 3, 1458 in Krakow. He was educated by the pious Father Dlugosz. From his early years, Casimir was very devout, spending much time in pray and preferring plain clothes and food to the rich garments and delicacies his station in life offered. Ordered by his father to lead an army and seize the throne of Hungary, Casimir initially went out of obedience to his father, but his conscience was troubled. As his troops began deserting in route, Casimir turned the army back home, declaring that the cause was unjust. The king was furious and was also irate when Casimir refused a marriage arranged for him. Later, the king relented and entrusted the government of Poland to Casimir when he left in 1479 to oversee the government of Lithuania. The saint ruled well until his father’s return in 1483. Casimir died from a lung disease on March 4, 1484. He was canonized in 1522.