| Helen of Hungary | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Queen Helen the Fair on a painting Betrothal of King Zvonimir, by Celestin Medović | |
| Regent of Croatia | |
| Tenure | 1089–1090 |
| Queen consort of Croatia | |
| Tenure | 1075–c. 1089 |
| Died | c. 1091 |
| Spouse | Demetrius Zvonimir |
| Issue | Radovan Klaudija Vinica |
| Dynasty | Árpád |
| Father | Béla I of Hungary |
| Mother | Richeza of Poland |
Helen of Hungary, also known as Helen the Fair (Croatian : Jelena Lijepa; Hungarian : Ilona) (d. 1091), was a queen consort of Croatia.
Helen was born as a Hungarian princess and was the daughter of Árpád dynasty's king Bela I, sister to Ladislaus I of Hungary, granddaughter of Polish king Mieszko II Lambert.
Helen became queen of Croatia during her marriage with Croatian king Demetrius Zvonimir, a distant relative whom she married in 1063. They had a son named Radovan, [1] who died in his late teens or early twenties, and daughters named Claudia [2] and Vinica.
Helen had excellent family connections, being an aunt to Irene, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos.
Helen was very popular with the Croats, and they often called her Jelena Lijepa ("Helen the Beautiful"). She is thought to have been an influential consort.
Upon the death of Zvonimir, Helen was said to have been quietly plotting the inheritance of the Croatian Crown for her brother, the King of Hungary, which caused a decade of war and instability in the kingdom, resulting in the personal union of Croatia and Hungary that lasted until 1918. Helen died around 1091. [3]
Year 1089 (MLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.
The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I. The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great.
Petar Snačić was a feudal lord, notable for being one of the claimants of the Croatian throne between c. 1093 and 1097. It is assumed that he began as a ban serving under king Demetrius Zvonimir of Croatia and was then elected king by the Croatian feudal lords in 1093. Petar's seat of power was based in Knin. His rule was marked by a struggle for control of the country with Coloman of Hungary, dying at the Battle of Gvozd Mountain in 1097.
The Kingdom of Croatia, or Croatian Kingdom, was a medieval kingdom in Southern Europe comprising most of what is today Croatia, as well as most of the modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Croatian Kingdom was ruled for part of its existence by ethnic dynasties, and the Kingdom existed as a sovereign state for nearly two centuries. Its existence was characterized by various conflicts and periods of peace or alliance with the Bulgarians, Byzantines, Hungarians, and competition with Venice for control over the eastern Adriatic coast. The goal of promoting the Croatian language in the religious service was initially introduced by the 10th century bishop Gregory of Nin, which resulted in a conflict with the Pope, later to be put down by him. In the second half of the 11th century Croatia managed to secure most coastal cities of Dalmatia with the collapse of Byzantine control over them. During this time the kingdom reached its peak under the rule of kings Peter Krešimir IV (1058–1074) and Demetrius Zvonimir (1075–1089).
Demetrius Zvonimir was a King of Croatia and Dalmatia from 1075 or 1076 until his death in 1089. Zvonimir also served as Ban of Croatia (1064/1070–1074), and was named Duke of Croatia in around 1075. His native name was Zvonimir, but adopted the forename Demetrius at his coronation.
Catherine of Bosnia was Queen of Bosnia as the wife of King Thomas, the penultimate Bosnian sovereign. She was born into the powerful House of Kosača, staunch supporters of the Bosnian Church. Her marriage in 1446 was arranged to bring peace between the King and her father, Stjepan Vukčić. The queenship of Catherine, who at that point converted to Roman Catholicism, was marked with an energetic construction of churches throughout the country.
Helen, also known by the name Gruba/Груба, ruled the Kingdom of Bosnia from September 1395 until late April or early May 1398. She was queen consort as the wife of King Dabiša, and was chosen by the stanak to rule after his death. Whether she was a regent who ruled during an interregnum or a queen regnant is disputed, but in any case the real power was held by magnates of the kingdom. Her rule ended with the election of King Ostoja.
Maria Laskarina was a Greek Queen consort of Hungary by marriage to King Béla IV of Hungary. She was the daughter of Theodore I Laskaris and Anna Komnena Angelina.
Elizabeth of Bosnia was queen consort of Hungary and Croatia, as well as queen consort of Poland, and, after becoming widowed, the regent of Hungary and Croatia between 1382 and 1385 and in 1386.
Stephen II was the last member of the Trpimirović dynasty and last native king of Croatia to rule the entire medieval Croatian Kingdom. Stephen's father was Gojslav II, the younger brother of Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia. Stephen was duke of Croatia under Krešimir around 1066.
Helen of Zadar, also known as Helen the Glorious, was the queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia, as the wife of King Michael Krešimir II, from 946 to 969, a period which was marked by "peace, order and expeditious growth". She was the regent of Croatia after the death of her spouse during the minority of her son Stephen Držislav of Croatia, and ruled from 969 until 976.
Jelena Šubić was a member of the Bribir branch of the Croatian Šubić noble family who ruled the Banate of Bosnia as regent from 1354 until 1357 during the minority of her son Tvrtko I of Bosnia.
Helen of Anjou was the queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, as the spouse of King Stefan Uroš I, who ruled from 1243 to 1276. Their sons were later Serbian kings Stefan Dragutin (1276–1282) and Stefan Milutin (1282–1321). As a dowager-queen, she held the provincial governorship in the regions of Zeta and Travunija. She built Gradac Monastery and was known for her religious tolerance. She is revered as a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Her relics, however, are now lost.
Milena Petrović-Njegoš was the only Queen of Montenegro by marriage to Nicholas I of Montenegro.
Richeza of Poland was Queen of Hungary by marriage to Béla I.
Elizabeth of Kuyavia was a Polish noblewoman of the House of Piast. She was the only daughter of Duke Kazimierz III of Gniewkowo and his wife, whose name and origins are unknown; her brother, Władysław the White, was later a candidate for the Polish throne.
Maria of Serbia, christened Helena, was the last queen of Bosnia and despoina of Serbia. As the eldest daughter of the deceased despot of Serbia, Lazar Branković, the 12-year-old Helena was given in marriage to the Bosnian prince Stephen Tomašević in 1459. She then took the name Maria, while her husband obtained the title to Serbia through her. The country was lost to the Ottomans within a few months, and the couple fled to Bosnia. Maria's husband ascended the Bosnian throne in 1461, but two years later the kingdom too fell to the Ottomans and he was executed. The widowed queen avoided capture by fleeing to the coast. Having spent a few years in Venetian Dalmatia and possibly Hungary, Maria settled in Ottoman Greece at the court of her aunts Mara and Kantakouzene, where she spent her life in a string of conflicts and legal disputes with Kantakouzene, the Republic of Ragusa, and the Athonite monasteries.
Kujava Radinović was the second wife of King Stephen Ostoja of Bosnia and as such she was Queen of Bosnia from 1399 to 1404 and again from 1409 to 1415. She was the daughter of the nobleman Radin Jablanić.
Helen of Croatia may refer to two queens consort of Croatia:
Helena, Jelena or Ilona of Hungary may refer to: