Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza
A portrait of Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza printed by Juan de Courbes.
Born	January 2, 1566 in Jaraicejo, Spain
Died	January 2, 1614(1614-01-02) (aged 48) in London, England
Nationality	Spaniard

Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza (born January 2, 1566 – died January 2, 1614) was a Spanish writer and missionary. She is known for her religious poems and for trying to spread Catholicism in England. She preached against Anglicanism, which was the main religion in England at the time. Luisa was put in prison twice for her Catholic activities in England. She took a special promise to become a martyr in 1598, meaning she was willing to die for her faith. However, she is not considered a martyr because she died from an illness, not directly because of her beliefs.

Early life of Luisa Carvajal

Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza was born in Jaraicejo, Spain. Her family was very wealthy and had royal connections. Sadly, when she was only six years old, both of her parents died from an illness. She then went to live with her aunt, Maria Chacon, in Madrid. Her aunt was a governess, which means she helped raise children in a noble household. Luisa stayed with her aunt until she was ten.

After her aunt passed away, Luisa moved to Pamplona. There, she was cared for by her uncle, Francisco Hurtado. He was a well-known diplomat. Luisa felt very restricted living with her uncle, almost like she was in a prison.

Luisa attended a private university. She studied literature and theology, which is the study of religious faith.

In 1592, her uncle died. Luisa wrote that this gave her a feeling of freedom. She felt she could now truly live for her faith, as she had always wanted. During her time, women usually either got married or became nuns in convents. Luisa chose neither of these paths.

Luisa's strong faith

Religious promises

Between 1593 and 1598, Luisa Carvajal made several important religious promises. These included promises to live a simple life, to obey God, and to seek spiritual perfection.

Promise of a simple life

Even though Luisa grew up in a rich family, she chose to live a humble life. She focused on her spiritual journey instead of wealth. After her uncle died in 1592, Luisa had a legal disagreement with her brother over their family inheritance. She received her dowry, which was money or property given to a woman when she married. Luisa made a surprising choice: she gave all her money to Jesuit priests.

Luisa began to distance herself from her royal family and their customs. Her family often criticized her for spending time with poor people. Luisa even started doing things that were unusual for someone of her background. She put herself under the guidance of other women, cooked, fasted, and even begged for food.

Promise to die for faith

Around the age of seventeen, Luisa's letters show she started thinking about martyrdom. Martyrdom means dying for one's beliefs. In 1598, she formally promised to become a martyr. She believed dying for Christ would help forgive her sins and show her devotion.

In 1601, Luisa lived in Valladolid, Spain. This area was known for many active religious women. She lived near a Jesuit College. There, she read works by Jesuit priests, which made her even more determined to become a martyr and spread her faith. Because of this strong promise, she was allowed to travel to England. There, she joined the Catholic underground, a secret group of Catholics. Luisa wrote about how important martyrdom was to her:

"And every hour that passed seemed to me a year; and I was filled with a great wish not to lose what was in my hands to achieve that which I believed was rightly in my power, so I could in turn give it all to our Lord and accomplished what I wished and do what I could to help the English Mission

Life in London

Luisa Carvajal moved to England for one main reason: to convert Anglicans to Catholicism. She was ready to die for this goal. On January 24, 1605, she traveled from Valladolid to London. Father Henry Garnet helped arrange her arrival. She arrived in late 1605, just before the Gunpowder Plot, but she was not involved in it. The failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 made people in England even more hostile towards Catholics.

This increased hostility made Magdalena De San Jeronimo, a close friend, worried about Luisa staying in England. Just six months after Luisa arrived, Father Henry Garnet was executed. He was accused of knowing about Catholic plans against the English government.

In London, Luisa worked as a teacher and missionary. People sometimes called her a "Roman Priest in Women's clothing." She was a leader in helping the poor. She often visited prisons to encourage Catholic priests who were jailed. She also earned money by sewing to give to the poor. She distributed Catholic books and writings throughout England and other countries.

Friendship with Magdalena de San Jeronimo

Luisa wrote many letters to a woman named Magdalena de San Jeronimo. Although Magdalena was called "monja" or "sor" (nun in Spanish), it is believed she was not part of a religious order. Their letters often discussed the difficult situation of Catholics in England and Spain.

As hostility against Catholics grew in England, Magdalena became worried about Luisa. She begged Luisa to return to Spain, which caused some tension between them. In one letter, Luisa explained why she wanted to stay in England:

And as to my return , your letters and your good company are very tempting, but I dare not leave without entrusting it more to Our Lord, for I fear defying his will, and do not yet find or base any good reason in his will for my return as I did for my departure" (Letter 46, Epistolario y Poesias, 165).

Magdalena stopped writing to Luisa in 1607, ending their friendship. After this, Magdalena started a "Galera," which was a prison for women. Its goal was to help these women change their lives. They hoped the women could marry or join a religious community after being released.

Society of the Sovereign Virgin Mary

Luisa Carvajal and five other women lived together. They called their group the Society of the Sovereign Virgin Mary our Lady. The women in this society prayed very devotedly and were called "Soldier maidens." Luisa's society was like a convent, where nuns live, but also different. They dressed modestly like nuns. However, women in convents were often forced to join by their families, not always by choice. The women with Luisa wanted to die for their faith.

However, Anglicans, like George Abbot, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury, saw her society as a type of monasticism. Monasticism was against English laws at the time. This was one reason for Luisa's second imprisonment in 1613.

Luisa's imprisonments

First time in prison

Luisa's first time in prison happened in June 1608. She was in Cheapside, a busy street, and began speaking loudly about the good things about Catholicism. She argued with people, saying Catholicism was the true religion. This led to her arrest and the arrest of two of her friends. Luisa was jailed for four days.

She was released with help from the Spanish ambassador, Pedro de Zuñiga. Luisa had stayed with him at the Spanish embassy when she first arrived in England. However, Zuñiga begged her to leave London and return to Spain, but she refused.

Second time in prison

Luisa's second imprisonment happened on October 28, 1613. Sheriffs, ordered by George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury, broke into her home. They arrested her because they believed she was planning to open a convent, which was against English law. Women were not allowed to gather for religious purposes in this way.

This arrest caused a diplomatic problem between England and Spain. The King of England wanted to keep peace with Spain. Again, the Spanish Ambassador, this time Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, helped her. He managed to get her freed after three days. However, she was forced to leave England. Sarmiento took custody of her, but he did not send her back to Spain right away. She stayed at the Spanish Embassy. Soon after her release, Luisa Carvajal passed away from a bronchial illness.

Luisa's writings and poems

Luisa Carvajal left behind 50 spiritual poems and over 150 letters. Her poetry included different styles, like pastoral poetry and sonnets. Luisa's letters show the political difficulties Catholics faced in England at that time. Her letters also describe her daily life in England. They include prayers asking her friends for spiritual strength and support.

Magdalena de San Jeronimo was one of Luisa's most frequent letter writers. Their close friendship ended when Magdalena disagreed with Luisa staying in England. Ines de la Asuncion was another woman who wrote many letters to Luisa. Asuncion lived with Luisa in Madrid and wanted to go to England. However, she was not allowed to go because her reason was not considered religious enough.

A poem by Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza

Here is one of Luisa's poems, called Spiritual Sonnet (18). It uses a comparison to show how God's word can enter a person's life.

Death and lasting impact

Soon after being released from her second imprisonment, Luisa Carvajal became sick with a bronchial disease. She died on her forty-eighth birthday in 1614, in London, England, at the Spanish embassy.

Right after her death, friends and priests, like Ines de la Asuncion, began sharing her life story across Europe. They hoped to start the beatification process for Luisa. Beatification is the first step towards becoming a saint in the Catholic Church. However, there has been some debate about Luisa's death. Since she died from a respiratory disease and was not directly killed for her faith, she cannot be officially considered a martyr.

After Luisa made her promise of poverty, she said she wanted her remains to be buried in a Jesuit church or college. However, her wishes were not carried out. The Jesuits did not honor her will. The Spanish ambassador, Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, was ordered by King Phillip III to send her remains to Madrid. Her remains are still there today, in the Royal Monastery of la Encarnación.

An Iberia Airbus A340-313X in Mexico City, named after Carvajal in 1990.

In 1990, an Iberia Airbus A340-313X airplane in Mexico City was named after Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza.

See also

In Spanish: Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza para niños