Helena Thopia ( 1388–1403) was an
Albanian princess of the
Thopia family
The Thopia family was one of the most powerful Albanian feudal families in the Late Middle Ages. It was initially part of the nobility of the Angevin Kingdom of Albania.
Early history
The first attestation of the Thopia can be found in an Ang ...
who held the
Krujë region as sovereign lady for two terms; 1388-1392 and 1394–1403.
Life
Princess Helena Thopia was the eldest daughter of
Karl Thopia
Karl Thopia ( sq, Karl Topia) was an Albanian feudal prince and warlord who ruled Albania from the middle of the 14th century until the first Ottoman conquest of Albania. Thopia usually maintained good relations with the Roman Curia.
Family ...
and Voisava Balsha. Her first marriage was to
Marco Barbarigo, a
Venetian nobleman. After the death of her father, in 1388, she inherited the castle of Krujë and the surrounding region. In 1392 as a result of the hostilities between her husband and the Venetian forces, her half-brother,
Niketa Thopia
Niketa Thopia ( sq, Niketa Topia, la, Nicetas Thopia; 1388 – d. 1415) was the Lord of Krujë between 1392—1394 and 1403—1415. He was a member of the Thopia family and the son of Karl Topia, the Prince of Albania (r. 1368–1388).
Life
Ni ...
, a Venice loyal, attacked the city of Krujë and forced them to find refuge among the
Balšić family.
In 1394,
Konstantin Balšić
Konstantin Balšić ( sr-cyr, Константин Балшић) or Konstantin Balsha ( sq, Konstantin Balsha) ( 1378–died 1402), was a lord of the Balšić family, who ruled over lands in northern Albania.
Life
Konstantin was the son of Đur ...
, who was appointed by the Ottomans to govern Krujë, married her. Konstantin ruled as an Ottoman vassal and was killed in 1402. In 1403 Niketa Thopia captured the castle from Helena.
[Anamali, Skënder and Prifti, Kristaq. Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime. Botimet Toena, 2002, pp. 251-252] After Konstantin's death Helena and their son
Stefan first went to Venice and then lived with her sister Maria.
Issue
She married
Marco Barbarigo, and then
Konstantin Balšić
Konstantin Balšić ( sr-cyr, Константин Балшић) or Konstantin Balsha ( sq, Konstantin Balsha) ( 1378–died 1402), was a lord of the Balšić family, who ruled over lands in northern Albania.
Life
Konstantin was the son of Đur ...
in 1394. She had a son with Konstantin,
Stefan Maramonte
Stefan Balšić ( sr-cyr, Стефан Балшић; fl. 1419-40), known as Stefan Maramonte, was a Zetan nobleman. He was the son of Konstantin Balšić and Helena Thopia. After Konstantin's death (1402), Helena entered the Republic of Venice and ...
.
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thopia, Helena
Helena
15th-century Albanian people
14th-century rulers in Europe
14th-century women rulers
Balšić noble family
Medieval Albanian nobility