Doamna Elena (1598–1653) was a princess consort of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

by marriage to

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Matei Basarab Matei Basarab (; 1588, Brâncoveni, Olt – 9 April 1654, Bucharest) was the voivode (prince) of Wallachia from 1632 to 1654. Reign Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1 ...

. The sister of scholar Udriște Năsturel, she was known for her cultural patronage and introduced the first printing press in Wallachia. She was born to the

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

Radu Năsturel from Herăști and Calea Calomfirescu, who herself, was descended from

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...

. She and her husband only had one son Matei, who died young. In his memory, she adopted her nephew, the son of Udriște, whose wife died shortly after giving birth to their son, who was named Mateiaş and raised him as her own. He was considered heir to the throne, but he died at the age of 17. When she died of a heart attack in 1653, she was buried next to Mateiaş in the Royal Church of Târgovişte. The following year when her husband died, he too was buried next to her. Per her husbands request, her tombstone was inscribed with the phrase ''"they lived together twice 20 years each"''''.''

References

* Marcu, George (coord.) – Dicţionarul personalităţilor feminine din România, Editura Meronia, București, 2009 1653 deaths 17th-century people from the Principality of Wallachia Regents and governors of Wallachia Royal consorts of Wallachia 1598 births 17th-century Romanian women {{Romania-bio-stub