Helen Of Anjou
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Helen of Anjou ( sr, Јелена Анжујска / Jelena Anžujska, ; c. 1235 – 8 February 1314) was the queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, as the spouse of King
Stefan Uroš I Stefan Uroš I ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош I; 1223 – May 1, 1277), known as Uroš the Great (Урош Велики) was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important rulers ...
, who ruled from 1243 to 1276. Their sons were later Serbian kings
Stefan Dragutin Stefan Dragutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Драгутин, hu, Dragutin István; 1244 – 12 March 1316) was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neigh ...
(1276–1282) and
Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...
(1282–1321). As a dowager-queen, she held the provincial governorship in the regions of
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
and
Travunija Travunia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Travunija, Травунија; el, Τερβουνία, Tervounía; grc, Τερβουνία, Terbounía; la, Tribunia) was a South Slavic medieval principality that was part of Medieval Serbia (850–13 ...
(until 1308). She built
Gradac monastery The Gradac Monastery ( sr, / , ) an endowment of queen Helen was built from 1277 to 1282 during the reign of her son king Stefan Dragutin. It lies on the elevated plateau above the river Gradačka, at the edge of the forested slopes Golija. Gra ...
and was known for her religious tolerance. She is revered as a saint by the
Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...
.Her relics, however, are now lost.


Life


Origin

Helena's origin is not known for certain. Her
hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...
, written by Serbian Archbishop Danilo II (1324–1337), states only that she "was of a French family" ( sr, бысть оть племене фpoужьскaаго), while later continuators of the same work noted that her "family was of royal or imperial blood". By the beginning of the 20th century, several genealogical theories on her origin were proposed, based mainly on examination of historical data related to Helena's sister Maria and her family, including Maria's husband Anselm, who was a high dignitary of the
Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
. One of those theories advocated that Helena was of Angevine origin. That theory was based on free interpretation of some sources from the 1280s and 1290s, showing that Angevine kings of Naples referred to Queen Helen of Serbia as ''dear cousin''. Based on that, some researchers started to advocate Helena's direct origin from the House of Anjou, coining the term "''Helen of Anjou''" (Jelena Anžujska). Despite a lack of supporting sources, the term became more popular during the 1920s and 1930s. It was promoted not only by journalists and publicists, but also by some scholars. Stating that Helen was of French origin, John Fine assumed that she was "probably of the Valois family". There was no doubt that Helena had a sister named ''Maria'', who was mentioned in several documents. In the summer of 1280, king
Charles I of Sicily Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...
issued a document, allowing lady Maria to travel from
Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...
to Serbia, to visit her sister, the queen of Serbia ( la, Quia nobilis mulier domina Maria de Chaurs cum filio suo et familia eiusdem domine intendit transfretare ad presens ad partes Servie visura dominam reginam Servie sororem suam). In later documents, issued in 1281, Maria was mentioned by king Charles as his cousin ( la, nobilis mulier Maria domina Chau consanguinea nostra carissima), and widow of Anselm "''de Chau''" ( la, nobilem mulierem Mariam relictam quondam nobilis viri Anselmi de Chau). Gordon McDaniel proposed that Maria's husband Anselm "''de Chau'', who was
Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...
in
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
(1273–1274) for
Charles I of Naples Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...
, was the same person as Anselm "''de Keu''", who was mentioned in 1253–1254 as husband of Maria, daughter of
John Angelos of Syrmia John Angelos or Angelus ( gr, Ἰωάννης Ἄγγελος, hu, Angelos János; c. 1193 – 1253), also known as Good John ( gr, Καλοϊωάννης / ''Kaloiōannēs'', hu, Kaloján), was a Byzantine prince who migrated to Hungary, and se ...
. According to McDaniel, Maria and her sister Helen were descended, through their father John, from a side branch of the
Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...
's family, and the Hungarian royal house. Parents of Maria Angelina are known from her marriage licenses, issued in 1253 and 1254 by the papal chancellery. The first mentions the marriage "''inter Anselmum de Keu ac Mariam, natam Matildis dominae de Posaga, natae comitissae Viennensis''", while the second mentions "''Maria, nate quondam Calojohanni''" and also mentions Maria's maternal uncle as "''imperatore Constantinopolitano, eiusdem Matildis avunculo''". Those data allowed McDaniel to identify Maria's father as John Angelos, lord of
Syrmia Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
, and Maria's mother as
Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
, daughter of Henry I, Count of Vianden and Margaret Courtenay (sister of the Latin emperors
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and Baldwin II). Family connections of Helen and her sister Maria have been a special subject of several genealogical and historical studies that tried to resolve questions related to prosopography of various royal and noble families, including some complex questions related to Maria's husband by attribution of sources on (at least) two persons (father and son) who had the same name:
Anselm de Cayeux Anseau de Cayeux or Anselm de Cayeux ( gr, Ασέλ δε Kάε) was a French knight from Picardy, who participated in the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) and later became one of the leading nobles of the Latin Empire, serving as regent in Constantinop ...
.


Queen of Serbia

Helen married King
Stefan Uroš I of Serbia Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
(1243–1276), around 1245–1250. In 1276, conflict broke out between her husband and their eldest son
Stefan Dragutin Stefan Dragutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Драгутин, hu, Dragutin István; 1244 – 12 March 1316) was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neigh ...
. King Uroš abdicated, and later died in 1280. During the reign of her sons Stefan Dragutin (1276–1282) and
Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...
(1282–1321), dowager-queen Helen held provincial administration in the regions of
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
and
Travunia Travunia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Travunija, Травунија; el, Τερβουνία, Tervounía; grc, Τερβουνία, Terbounía; la, Tribunia) was a South Slavic medieval principality that was part of Medieval Serbia (850–1 ...
, until 1308. She proved to be a successful administrator, governing regions with mixed
Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the population in ...
and
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 lette ...
population. Soon after that, she became a
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
at the Church of
St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...
in Skadar, where she died on 8 February 1314. She was
canonize Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of s ...
d by the
Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...
. Her
feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is . Queen Helen significantly contributed to the cultural rise of the medieval Serbian state. She had a library at her court and encouraged transcription of books in monasteries. She founded the first girls' school in medieval Serbia. One of Helen's palaces was in the town of
Brnjak Brnjak (nicknamed by local residents ''Brnjaci'' or ''Brnjake'', sq, Bërnjak) is a village in northern Kosovo. A border crossing with Serbia is located in the village. Geography The settlement is located on the territory of the cadastral munic ...
(sometimes called "Brnjaci") in the territory of modern
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. She also possessed the town of Jeleč at Rogozna mountain. As did other members of the
Nemanjić dynasty The House of Nemanjić ( sr-Cyrl, Немањић, Немањићи; Nemanjić, Nemanjići, ) was the most prominent dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. This princely, royal, and later imperial house produced twelve Serbian monarchs, who rul ...
, she built monasteries and donated to churches. She built the
Gradac Monastery The Gradac Monastery ( sr, / , ) an endowment of queen Helen was built from 1277 to 1282 during the reign of her son king Stefan Dragutin. It lies on the elevated plateau above the river Gradačka, at the edge of the forested slopes Golija. Gra ...
, where she was buried, the Church of St. Nicholas in Skadar where she died, and renewed the Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus. She had repaired and rebuilt many churches and monasteries around
Lake Skadar Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...
that had been devastated by the Mongol invasion of 1242.


Issue

Queen Helen and her husband, King Stefan Uroš I, had at least three children: *
Stefan Dragutin Stefan Dragutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Драгутин, hu, Dragutin István; 1244 – 12 March 1316) was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neigh ...
, Serbian king 1276–1282 *
Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...
, Serbian king 1282–1321 *
Brnjača Brnjača ( sr-cyr, Брњача; 1253– 1264) was a Serbian princess, the daughter of King Stefan Uroš I (r. 1243–76) and Queen Helen of Anjou. Her brothers were Stefan Dragutin (r. 1276–82) and Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321). The oldest ...
, daughter


See also

*
Nemanjić dynasty The House of Nemanjić ( sr-Cyrl, Немањић, Немањићи; Nemanjić, Nemanjići, ) was the most prominent dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. This princely, royal, and later imperial house produced twelve Serbian monarchs, who rul ...
*
Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr, / ), or the Serbian Kingdom ( sr, / ), was a medieval Serbian state that existed from 1217 to 1346 and was ruled by the Nemanjić dynasty. The Grand Principality of Serbia was elevated with the regal coronation ...
*
Zeta (crown land) Zeta ( sr-cyrl, Зета) as a crown land was a medieval region and province of the Serbian state ( Principality, Kingdom, and Empire) of the Nemanjić dynasty, from the end of the 12th century, up to the middle of the 14th century. During that ...


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Gordon McDaniel: On Hungarian-Serbian Relations in the 13th Century: John Angelos and Queen Jelena

Letter from queen Jelena of Serbia 1267 (1268)

Letter from queen Jelena of Serbia (1289)

Letter from queen Jelena of Serbia (1304)

YouTube: Istorijska čitanka - Jelena Anžujska
, - {{Authority control 13th-century Serbian royalty 14th-century Serbian royalty 14th-century Christian saints Helene d'Anjou Medieval Serbian royal consorts 14th-century Serbian nuns Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism 1230s births 1314 deaths Christian female saints of the Middle Ages Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches 13th-century Serbian nuns Eastern Orthodox royal saints Serbian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church