Maria of Bosnia
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Maria of Bosnia (german: Maria von Bosnien; sh, Марија / Marija; 27 April 1403) was a member of the
House of Kotromanić A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
who married into the
House of Helfenstein The House of Helfenstein was a German noble family during the High and Late Middle Ages. The family was named after the family castle, Castle Helfenstein, located above Geislingen an der Steige in the Swabian Alb region of Baden-Württemberg, ...
.


Parentage

Maria's parentage and connection to the House of Kotromanić is uncertain. King
Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...
, husband of Ban
Stephen II of Bosnia Stephen II ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Стефан II, Stjepan II) was the Bosnian Ban from 1314, but in reality from 1322 to 1353 together with his brother, Vladislav Kotromanić in 1326–1353. He was the son of Bosnian Ban Stephen I Kot ...
's daughter
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
, apparently mentions her in a charter as Stephen's II sister. Some historiographers have interpreted this literally, considering her a daughter of Ban Stephen I of Bosnia and
Elizabeth of Serbia Elizabeth of Serbia ( sr, Јелисаветa/Jelisaveta; 1270 — died 1331) was Baness of Bosnia by her marriage to Stephen I, Ban of Bosnia. Elizabeth briefly ruled as regent for her eldest son, Stephen II, in 1314. Family Elizabeth was the ...
born in 1315. This, however, is very unlikely: it would mean that she married a (never-married and childless) nobleman in her forties, had her youngest children in her fifties, and lived to be over 90 years old. The 16th-century historian Oswald Gabelkover names her a younger ''daughter'' of Ban Stephen II. This view is supported by King Louis and Queen Elizabeth's choice of names for their elder daughters,
Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...
and
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, purportedly named after the Queen's supposed sisters,
Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...
and Maria. That would make Maria a daughter of Stephen's last wife,
Elizabeth of Kuyavia Elizabeth of Kuyavia ( pl, Elżbieta, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Elizabeta, Елизабета; 1315/1320 – after 22 August 1345) was a Polish noblewoman of the House of Piast. She was the only daughter of Duke Kazimierz III of Gniewkowo and h ...
, and place her year of birth shortly after 1335. Two other theories attribute Maria's parentage to Stephen's brother Vladislaus and
Jelena Šubić Jelena Šubić (died 1378) was a member of the Bribir branch of the Šubić noble family who ruled the Banate of Bosnia as regent from 1354 until 1357. Jelena was the daughter of the Croatian lord George II Šubić of Bribir, Count of Klis. She ...
or to another younger brother Ninoslaus.


Countess of Helfenstein

Maria's marriage to Ulrich V, Count of Helfenstein, was most likely arranged by his overlord,
Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...
. Maria probably resided for some time at the Hungarian court along with Elizabeth of Bosnia, then fiancée and later wife of the King. On 26 April 1352, the Hungarian noblemen escorted Maria to
Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...
in the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
. By the time King Louis mentioned her again, in a charter dated 25 March 1353, Maria was already a married woman. The marriage brought considerable prestige to Ulrich. Maria too was aware of her higher status and, in addition to the title Countess of Helfenstein, often referred to herself as Duchess of Bosnia. From 1365 until 1399, she signed her donations as ''"Maria Herzogin von Bosnien"''. As a compensation for marrying below her status, Maria enjoyed influence and autonomy highly unusual for a married woman. Early in their marriage, Maria pushed her husband to divide the county he had jointly ruled with his cousin and namesake, Ulrich the Younger. The couple were noted benefactors and also enjoyed imperial favour. They had six sons – Frederick (born in 1357),
Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...
, William, Conrad, Ulrich and John, and three daughters – Agnes, Beatrix and Maria. Ulrich died in 1372 and was succeeded by his and Maria's sons, Conrad and Frederick. Three of their sons had chosen ecclesiastical careers, with Louis becoming
Archbishop of Kalocsa In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
in 1382, probably thanks to Maria's connection to the Hungarian royal family. Maria's widowhood was burdened with financial difficulties, which forced her and her sons to sell a large part of the Helfenstein patrimony, including Maria's
dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...
lands. She spent the rest of her life in Bühringen Castle, which she had received as dower, in
Bad Überkingen Bad Überkingen is a municipality in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History The three towns of Bad Überkingen, Hausen an der Fils, and Unterböhringen were ceded by the Free Imperial City of Ulm to the Electorate of ...
. She died on 27 April 1403 and was likely buried in Überkingen. The epitaph on her tombstone was illegible already by the mid-16th century.


Legacy

Maria has traditionally been blamed for the financial downfall of the House of Helfenstein. Gabelkover attributes the family's misfortune following Maria and Ulrich's marriage to the disparity between their ranks, i.e. to Ulrich's marrying up the social ladder. She was accused of wastefulness and of raising her daughters in such manner. Nevertheless, Maria left a significant mark on the city, financing, among other things, the construction of a hospital in
Geislingen an der Steige Geislingen an der Steige is surrounded by the heights of the Swabian Alb and embedded in 5 beautiful valleys. It is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The name relates to its location "on the climb ...
in
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, Germany. The medieval hospital still bears an inscription dedicated to Maria, from which it can be concluded that she was responsible for its establishment. Also, a street in Geislingen bears the name ''Maria-von-Bosnien-Weg''.
There is also a musical titled ''Maria von Bosnien – eine Hochzeit und ein Todesfall'' ("Maria of Bosnia – a Wedding and a Funeral"). In her native country,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
, little is known of this medieval noblewoman.


References

{{reflist, 30em


External links

Emir O. Filipović
Pečat i nadgrobni natpis Marije, bosanske vojvotkinje i grofice od Helfensteina. Prilog heraldici Nemanjića i Kotromanića (The Seal and Funerary Inscription of Mary, Duchess of Bosnia and Countess of Helfenstein. A Contribution to the Heraldry of the Nemanjić and Kotromanić dynasties)
Kotromanić dynasty Women of medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian duchesses 14th-century births 1403 deaths History of Baden-Württemberg 14th-century German nobility 15th-century German nobility 14th-century German women 15th-century German women