László Batthyány-Strattmann (german: Ladislaus Batthyány-Strattmann; 28 October 1870 – 22 January 1931) was a Hungarian aristocrat and

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. Until 1914, he was known as László Batthyány. A devout

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, he became known as the "doctor of the poor" and was

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

by the church in 2003.

Early life

László Batthyány - Strattmann was born on 28 October 1870, in Dunakiliti,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, into a very old Hungarian aristocratic family, the sixth of ten brothers. The family moved to Austria in 1876. His childhood was marred by the fact that his father left his family and converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

in order to marry another woman. Ladislaus' mother died when he was twelve years old. According to the will of his father, he first prepared himself to care for the vast property of the Batthyánys. He first studied

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

in Vienna, later also a great number of other subjects, including chemistry, philosophy and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

. In this chaotic period in his life, he also fathered an

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

daughter.Dirnbeck, p. 36

Career and family

Batthyány became a student of

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

in 1896, and gained his degree of

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

in 1900."László Batthyány-Strattmann, M.D. (1870-1931)", Vatican News Service
/ref> He trained as a general practitioner, but soon specialized in surgery, and later in

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

. This period was also accompanied by a renewal of his religious faith. He met Countess Maria Theresia Coreth zu Coredo und Starkenberg, a devout Roman Catholic, whom he married in Vienna on 10 November 1898. The couple had thirteen children. In 1902 Batthyány opened a private hospital with twenty-five beds in Kittsee,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, where he worked as a general practitioner, later specializing as a surgeon and oculist. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the hospital was enlarged to take in wounded soldiers for treatment. In 1915, Batthyány and his family moved to the castle of

Körmend Körmend ( sl, Kermendin, Prekmurje Slovene: ''Karmadén,'' ger, Kirment) is a town in Vas county , Western Hungary. Places of interest The town is especially well known for its castle which used to belong to the Batthyány family, one of the mo ...

in Hungary, which he had inherited upon the death of his kinsman

Prince Edmund Batthyany-Strattmann Edmund Gustavus, 6th Prince Batthyany-Strattmann (20 November 1826 – 29 October 1914), usually known in English as Count Batthyany, was a prince and count of the Holy Roman Empire, a landowner and yachtsman, and a notable figure in Europe and ...

in 1914; he also inherited the title of "Prince" (German '' Fürst'', Hungarian ''herceg'') and adopted the additional surname of "Strattmann". At Körmend he continued to practise as a doctor, becoming known for treating poor patients for no payment, which gained him the title of "doctor of the poor". Batthyány turned a wing of the castle into a hospital for ophthalmological patients.

Death

At the age of 60, Batthyány was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder and admitted to the Löw

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

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. After fourteen months of illness, he died in January 1931.

Beatification

The beatification process was begun in 1944 as a joint effort of the

Archbishop of Vienna The Archbishop of Vienna is the prelate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna who is concurrently the metropolitan bishop of its ecclesiastical province which includes the dioceses of Eisenstadt, Linz and St. Pölten. From 1469 to 1513, bi ...

(Austria) and the bishop of Szombathely (Hungary). The process became forgotten for some time afterwards, before it was taken up again in 1982 due to the initiative of the bishop of Eisenstadt (Austria), Stefan László. On 11 July 1992 László Batthyány-Strattmann was declared a

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cat ...

- a necessary step for beatification. He was beatified on 23 March 2003 by Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Five years later, on 23 March 2008, the fifth anniversary of his beatification, the Dr. Ladislaus Batthyány-Strattmann confraternity of prayer for the canonization of the poor's doctor was invested by the archbishop of Vienna

Christoph Cardinal Schönborn Christoph is a male given name and surname. It is a German variant of Christopher. Notable people with the given name Christoph * Christoph Bach (1613–1661), German musician * Christoph Büchel (born 1966), Swiss artist * Christoph Dientzenho ...

as a private

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

, being entitled under the justification of

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

References

External links

Official biography
on the Vatican website * of the Batthyany Family
Dr. Ladislaus Batthyány-Strattmann
a

confraternity A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most c ...