Blessed Charles the Good

Memorial

• 2 March

Profile

Born a prince, the son of King Saint Canute of Denmark. Raised in the court of his maternal grandfather, Robert de Frison, Count of Flanders (part of modern Belgium. Fought in the Second Crusade. Succeeded Robert II as count of Flanders. Married into the family of the Duke of Clermont (in modern France. His rule was a continuous defense of the poor against profiteers of his time, both clerical and lay. Called the Good by popular acclamation. Reformed laws to make them more fair, supported the poor, fed the hungry, walked barefoot to Mass each day. Martyred in the church of Saint Donatian of Rheims at Bruges by Borchard, part of a conspiracy of the rich whom he had offended. He is venerated at Bruges.

Born

• 1083

Died

• beheaded on 2 March 1127
• relics at the Cathedral of Bruges, Belgium

Beatified

• 1883 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmed)

Patronage

• counts
• Crusaders

Representation

• nobleman with a purse and a sword
• after his martyrdom in the cathedral

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Catholic Online
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints, by Matthew Bunson, Margaret Bunson, and Stephen Bunson

MLA Citation

• “Blessed Charles the Good”. Saints.SQPN.com. 28 February 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-charles-the-good/>