When St. Casimir chose peace instead of war in Eastern Europe

published on 03/04/22 - updated on 03/03/26

3 min read

St. Casimir is sometimes called the "peacemaker," as he refused to invade another country in Eastern Europe to expand his father's kingdom.

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St. Casimir, son of King Casimir IV, grand duke of Lithuania and king of Poland, desired peace in Eastern Europe, and refused to lead his soldiers into war.

This type of action was not typical of medieval kings, who were often eager to invade more lands and conquer countries to add to their kingdom.

Leaving the front lines

Fr. Alban Butler explains in his Lives of the Saints the story of this 15th-century saint and how he left the front line of war, refusing to push forward to invade Hungary.

The Palatines and other nobles of Hungary, dissatisfied with Matthias Corvin, their king ... begged the king of Poland to allow them to place his son Casimir on the throne. The saint, not then quite fifteen years of age, was very unwilling to consent; but in compliance with his father’s will he went, at the head of an army of twenty thousand men, to the frontiers in 1471. There hearing that Matthias had formed an army of sixteen thousand men to defend him, and that all differences were accommodated between him and his people, and that Pope Sixtus IV had sent an embassy to divert his father from that expedition, he joyfully returned, having with difficulty obtained his father’s consent so to do.

His father, King Casimir IV, repeatedly commanded his son to lead his army into battle and claim the throne of Hungary.

St. Casimir refused to have any part in the war campaign and spent a period of time in exile from his father, knowing that if he returned, he would be forced to comply.

After this incident, St. Casimir devoted himself to prayer and study, desiring to lead a more contemplative life, not wanting to be the head of an army that went off to war.

St. John Paul II pointed out the heroic virtue of St. Casimir in a message he addressed to Lithuanians who gathered in Rome to celebrate the 500th anniversary of St. Casimir's death.

Men and women religious can find in Saint Casimir an inspiration for their consecrated lives, as they recall how he embraced a life of celibacy, submitted himself humbly to God’s will in all things, devoted himself with tender love to the Blessed Virgin Mary and developed a fervent practice of adoring Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. To all he was a shining example of poverty and of sacrificial love for the poor and needy.

St. Casimir died at the young age of 25 from tuberculosis and is regarded as a patron saint of Lithuania and Poland.

When St. Casimir chose peace instead of war in Eastern Europe

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