Soon after, another letter, also from Naples arrived. This for the reading of Pietro Tomacelli and Antonio Dirossio.
“Elizabeth, By the grace of God, Queen of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, and Transylvania, Princess of Hungary and Poland, Princess Dowager of Taranto and Achaia, et cetera, to the most holy and pious Cardinal Pietro Tomacelli, Archbishop of Ostia, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and Antonio Dirossio, Chancellor of the States of the Church, greetings.
We must give thanks that the LORD is the same today, as he was yesterday, and will be tomorrow. Everyday I study the scriptures, when the good LORD forgave our gracious lady, Saint Mary Magdalene, when she was to be put to death for her great many sins, and he gave her everlasting life instead, telling her to go forth, and not to sin again, and thereafter she lived a most righteous and holy life. Fathers, I must confess to you the great sins that I committed in my youth. Whilst I was engaged to be married to Philip, the second of that name to rule as Prince of Taranto, I did lie with the good and noble Charles of Durazzo, who is now King in Naples, and I did bare him a son, to whom I gave the name Stephen Pietro, and gave to be raised in a monastery, in the vicinity of Bari. And thereafter I married Philip of Taranto, and did bare him a son, who died in his youth, and a few years after that my lord Philip of Taranto was slain, and I did lie with Charles of Durazzo once more, and bore him a second son, to whom was given the name Jean Tristan; Jean, for he (despite my great sin) is still beloved of God, and Tristan, because he is the child of my sorrow. And thereafter I went to the same monastery as my other son, and I reared the two boys in the ways of the lord, with the assistance of the nuns and monks of the abbey of St Mark near Bari. Many believed me dead, and I was forgotten. But whilst I was dead to the world, I was alive in Christ, and now I am restored to the world, so that I might spread the one and true Gospel, under the guidance of the one and true Pope in Rome. Despite this, my mind is still at times tormented and ill at rest, and I ask that you send me a good priest to soothe my consciousness and absolve me of my sins. Perhaps you will send to us the Archbishop of Corfu, or some other noted prince of the church from this blessed kingdom of Naples.
My lord, King Charles of Naples, informs me that he has already informed you of the death of his most pious and righteous Queen, Margherita. Now both I and him seek to rectify what we have done wrong in the past, and marry, and purge our royal lineage of our great sin. We have heard with much sorrow of the death of our most Holy Father, and have decided to mourn him along with you for the duration of three weeks. At the end of that three weeks, as is customary, the College of Cardinals will convene to elect the next Pope, and thus we have decided to wait until his election for our marrying. Indeed, we would be most delighted if he and his cardinals would honour us with his presence at our matrimonial festivities.
Last, but by no means, least, I seek your guidance in more mundane, political matters. Know that I am the daughter of Stephen, King of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, and Transylvania, who ruled those lands in his own right, the brother of Louis, King of Hungary, whose widow is now regent in that country. My only brother died whilst still a child, and I have no other siblings; the laws of the church govern that those lands held by my father should therefore pass to me, and to my heirs thereafter. I am under no illusion that the woman Erzsébet will give me back my lands, which she has taken for her own daughter, although I have little desire to send men into the battlefield, and will only do so if I am forced to by her own malevolent actions. I believe my words, and claims, would carry much more weight, if I was supported in them by you, my most righteous and noble fathers. The church, as always, has supreme governance over all, and in this matter I ask that the true church, that of Rome, make known its support of me, their most humble and reverent child. That it is God’s will for me to rule those lands, I know it to be, for had I been destined to rule naught, I would have been born a peasant, or the daughter of a prince with many sons; but alas! I was born the only daughter, of a great king, whose only son would die young. The Lord knew it to be so, and yet whilst I was still in the womb, he ordained me, he anointed me as the Queen over those nations. I only ask that his earthly representatives do likewise.
By her own hand,
Elizabeth, By the Grace of God, Queen of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, and Transylvania, et cetera.”
