XII. Quod regno abjecto voluit intrare religionem

XII. Quod regno abjecto voluit intrare religionem

It's worth noting that many years before his death, he was aspiring to the peak of all-encompassing perfection, and with a devoted heart, he firmly resolved that, once his firstborn son became an adult, he would completely resign his kingdom and, with his wife's consent, enter religious life, specifically one of the two orders: the Friars Minor or the Friars Preachers. For he especially loved these two, saying that if he could divide his body into two portions, he would give one to one and the other to the other. Thus, he would often say with a sense of pride that his close friends, who were always around him, could not discern which of the two orders he loved more. When he had the opportunity, he revealed his intention to his queen in secret, urging her not to disclose it to anyone. Yet, for no reason at all, she was unwilling to agree to the king's request, providing plausible reasons against it to reject his proposal, perhaps because divine providence was arranging for him to be more useful in his former state, maintaining the kingdom in peace and promoting the affairs of the entire Church. Frustrated in his pious intention, he remained in the world with less love for worldly things and with greater humility and fear.