Helen of Zadar ( hr, Jelena) (died 8 October 976), also known as Helen the Glorious, was the queen consort of the

Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...

, 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 Stephen Držislav ( hr, Stjepan Držislav, la, Dirzislaus) was King of Croatia from AD 969 until his death around 997. He was a member of the Trpimirović dynasty. He ruled from Biograd with Godemir as his Ban. Biography Early period Steph ...

, and ruled from 969 until 976.

Life

She is said to have originated from the old patrician family

Madi Madi may refer to: Places * Madi, Chitwan, a municipality in Chitwan District in Nepal * Madi Municipality, Sankhuwasabha, a municipality in Sankhuwasabha District in Nepal * Madi Rural Municipality, Rolpa, a rural municipality in Rolpa Distric ...

from

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ser ...

. She married Michael Krešimir II, and became queen consort in 946. She became the

queen dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear ...

of Croatia after the death of her husband in 969. However, since her husband was succeeded by their son who was a minor, she also became the regent of Croatia on behalf of her son. As such, she ruled until her own death.

Regency

Queen Helen built the churches of

St Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

and

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

in Solin. The atrium of the St Stephen latter became the

Mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be cons ...

of Croatian Kings and is preserved to the present day. Helen was also known by her subjects as "Mother of the Kingdom and protectress of orphans and widows". Jelena played a central role in uniting Croatian and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

elements within the Kingdom thus laying the groundwork for her son,

Stephen Držislav Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

, to assume sovereignty over the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

n thema (which was under nominal

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

rule).

Epitaph

Helen died in October 976 and is buried next to her husband in St Mary's. The royal inscription on her

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Gre ...

was an

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

discovered by

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

s. The epitaph, which shed light on the genealogy of early Croatian rulers, was discovered by Don

Frane Bulić Frane Bulić (October 4, 1846 - July 29, 1934) was a Croats, Croatian priest, archaeologist, and historian. Biography Bulić was born in Vranjic (now part of Solin), and studied theology in Zadar and then classical philology and archeology in ...

on 28 August 1898. The epitaph also shows that older rulers, prior to her son Stephen Držislav, bore the title of kings. The English translation of the epitaph is:

In this grave rests Helen the Glorious, wife of King Michael, mother of King Stephen. She ruled/ brought peace to the Kingdom. On the 8th day of October 976 from the incarnation of Our Lord..... she was buried here. During her life as Queen she was also mother of orphans and protectress of widows. May those who look here say: God have mercy upon her soul.

References

External links

*http://members.tripod.com/royalcroatia/kresimir2.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Helen I, Queen Of Croatia 10th-century Croatian nobility Croatian Roman Catholics Year of birth missing 976 deaths Burials at the Church of St. Mary, Solin 10th-century Croatian people 10th-century Croatian women 10th-century women rulers