ON ST. MILDWIDA, OR MILDGITHA, VIRGIN IN ENGLAND.
CommentaryMilwida, Virgin in England (Saint)
From Various Sources.
[1] Penda, the impious and cruel King of the Mercians in England, had from his wife Kineswitha many children who bore nothing of their father's character except an outstanding greatness of spirit, The illustrious uncles and aunts of St. Mildwida, which they used not, as he had, for slaughters and crimes, but for establishing the religion of Christ in their dominions. The first, Weda, or Peada, was a vassal of his father-in-law Oswiu, King of the Northumbrians: for the latter, provoked by an unjust war by Penda, had routed his most powerful forces more by divine aid than by human strength; nevertheless he granted a part of his kingdom to his son, to whom he had previously joined his daughter. After Weda's death, the Mercians shortly afterward threw off the yoke and transferred the scepter to his brother Wulfhere. To him was married St. Ermenilda, the daughter of King Ercombert of Kent and holy Sexburga, who bore St. Werburgh and the most religious King Cenred. When Wulfhere yielded to fate, his brother St. Ethelred took up the kingdom, and after thirty years of excellent administration, ceded it to Cenred, the son of Wulfhere; and having embraced the monastic life, merited to be later enrolled among the Saints. Their sisters were St. Kinesburga, the wife of Alfrith, King of the Northumbrians, and St. Kineswida, a virgin.
[2] Another son of Penda, Merewald, or Merwala, ruled in the western part of Mercia, as the Westminster chronicler writes at the year 676. father, He had three daughters, Milburga, Mildreda, and Milwida, sisters; and a son Merewin; all of whom were enrolled in the catalogue of the Blessed. St. Ermenilda is venerated on the 13th of February, St. Sexburga on the 6th of July, St. Werburgh on the 3rd of February, St. Ethelred on the 4th of May, St. Kinesburga on the 15th of September, St. Kineswida on the 6th of March, St. Milburga on the 23rd of February, St. Mildreda on the 20th of February, St. Mildwida on the 17th of January. And such was the splendor of her paternal lineage.
[3] The glory of the maternal stock was still considerably more illustrious. St. Ethelbert, the first Christian King of Kent, was her great-great-great-grandfather. From his wife Bertha were born Eadbald, heir to the kingdom, maternal lineage: St. Edburga, a virgin, and St. Ethelburga, the wife of St. Edwin, the first Christian King of the Northumbrians: from Eadbald came Ercombert, Ermenred, and St. Eanswitha. Ercombert from St. Sexburga, the sister of Saints Etheldreda and Ethelburga, begot St. Ercongotha and the holy Ermenilda, married to Wulfhere, as has been said. From Ermenred (whom Ranulph of Chester, book 4, chapter 18, also calls King of Kent), or Eormred, as is said in the Life of St. Werburgh, and his illustrious wife Oslava, were born Ethelred and Ethelbrict, whom, innocently slain, a splendid column of light from heaven revealed as Martyrs of Christ. Also four holy daughters of his, Domneua, Ermenberga, aunts, Ermenburga, and Ermengida, burst forth like the four-fold rivers of the paradisiacal fountain.
[4] One of these daughters of Ermenred was married to King Merewald: but which one, the authors do not sufficiently agree. Malmesbury in book 1 on the Kings of England, chapter 4, says Ermenberga. The Westminster chronicler at the year 676, Florence of Worcester, Polydore Vergil in book 4 of his History of England, Hugh Menard in book 2 of the Observations at the 14th of February, and Harpsfield in century 7, chapter 10, write the same. mother. The latter, however, in chapter 23, identifies St. Milburga's mother as Dompneva, as does also John Capgrave in his Life of St. Milburga; the ancient Life of St. Werburgh also expressly states: But the blessed and royal Domneua, married to Merwala, the brother of Wulfhere, by the grace of the Most Holy Trinity brought forth a triple laurel of virginity, namely the most holy sisters Mildburga, Mildreda, and Mildgyda, who illuminate their fatherland with the distinct gems of their monasteries.
[5] From these forebears, therefore, was born Milwida, or Mildwida, called by others Mildgitha. Of the maternal lineage, Holy relatives. those Saints we have commemorated are celebrated in the Martyrologies: St. Ethelbert on the 24th of February, St. Edburga on the 13th of December, St. Ethelburga on the 8th of September, St. Edwin, her husband, on the 4th of October, St. Eanswitha on the 12th of September, St. Sexburga on the 6th of July, St. Etheldreda on the 23rd of June, Saints Ethelburga and Ercongotha on the 23rd of February, Saints Ethelred and Ethelbrict on the 17th of October, St. Ermenburga on the 19th of November: of the three sisters of her mother, we have not found the day of their feast.
[6] Concerning St. Milwida, the English Martyrology has this on this day: At Canterbury, the commemoration of St. Milwida the Virgin, daughter of Merewald, King of Mercia, and sister of Saints Milburga and Mildreda, Virgins, The feast of St. Mildwida. who, having spurned worldly pleasures and delights, embraced the religious institute in the monastery which the holy King Ethelbert had built not far from Canterbury, the capital of Kent: where she shone with outstanding holiness of life, charity toward God, and examples of pious conduct, and rendered her soul to the heavenly Bridegroom around the year of salvation 676. She also had a brother named Meresinus, a man of great holiness and charity, who lived at the same time; and mention of him is frequently made in English historians. On the same day, Ferrarius in his general Catalogue of Saints: At Canterbury in England, St. Milwida.
[7] But Hugh Menard on the 26th of February: In England, St. Milgitha, Virgin. The same in book 2 of his Observations writes that it seems more probable to others that she was a nun with her sisters, either at Wenlock with St. Milburga or on the island of Thanet with St. Mildreda. Who these "others" are who so judge, he does not specify. From the cited Life of St. Werburgh it seems to be established that she did not dwell in the same monastery as her sisters, since it says they illuminated their fatherland "with the distinct gems of their monasteries."
[8] The one whom the English Martyrology calls Meresinus, called by others Merefinus and Merewin, was plainly a youth in age, as is established from other sources. The Life of St. Werburgh: The holiness of Merewin. There was also born to him (Merwala) a son Merewin, who was snatched away as a small child to the Holy Innocents from his baptism. He does not, however, seem to have died in infancy; for such persons are not venerated by the Church (even though it is certain they entered into the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom), unless perhaps the laurel of martyrdom had been added. Harpsfield mentions him in century 7, chapter 10: Ermenburga, he says, was the mother of Milburga, Mildreda, Milgitha, and the holy boy Merefinus. The Westminster chronicler at the year 676: She bore him moreover (Ermenburga to Merewald) a son named Merefinus, a boy of outstanding holiness. The Worcester chronicler has the same at the year 675, and Ranulph of Chester in book 5, chapter 18, who calls him Meresyn. In the index of Saints who are celebrated in the English Martyrology is Meresinus, Confessor, on the 17th of January.