Ulrich II, or Ulrich of Celje (; ; ; 16 February 14069 November 1456), was the last Princely

Count of Celje The Counts of Celje () or the Counts of Cilli (; ) were the most influential Late Middle Ages, late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as Feudalism, vassals of the House of Habsburg, Habsburg dukes of Duchy of ...

. At the time of his death, he was captain general and '' de facto''

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, '' ban'' (governor) of

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

, Croatia and Dalmatia and feudal lord of vast areas in present-day

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, and

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. He was also a claimant to the Bosnian throne. He was killed by agents of the Hunyadi clan under unknown circumstances, which plunged Hungary into civil unrest that was resolved a year later by the sudden death of king Ladislas the Posthumous and the election of

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...

, the son of

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...

and Ulrich's son-in-law, as king. Ulrich's possessions in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

were inherited by Emperor Frederick III, while his possessions in Hungary were reverted to the crown.

Biography

Ulrich II was the son of Count Frederick II of

Celje Celje (, , ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, third-largest city in Slovenia. It is a regional center of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria and the administrative seat of the City Municipality of Celje. Th ...

and his wife

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

, a scion of the Croatian House of Frankopan and a grand daughter of

Francesco I da Carrara Francesco I da Carrara (29 September 1325, in Padua – 6 October 1393, in Monza), called il Vecchio, was Lord of Padua from 1350 to 1388. The son of the assassinated Giacomo II da Carrara, he succeeded him as lord of Padua by popular acclamation ...

, lord of

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

. Little is known of his youth. On 20 April 1434 he married Kantakuzina Katarina Branković, daughter of

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Vuković Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ Вуковић Бранковић, ; 1377 – 24 December 1456) served as the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456, making him one of the final rulers of medieval Serbia. In 1429, Branković was form ...

, despot of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

., and the sister of

Mara Branković Mara Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Мара Бранковић; – 14 September 1487), or Mara Despina Hatun, in Europe also known as ''Amerissa'', ''Sultana Maria'' or ''Sultanina'', was the daughter of Despotate of Serbia, Serbian monarch Đurađ Br ...

. His influence in the affairs of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

and the

soon overshadowed that of his father, with whom he was raised to a Prince of the Empire by Emperor

Sigismund of Luxembourg Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elec ...

in 1436. This led to feuds with the Austrian

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

, wounded in their rights as Styrian overlords of Celje, ending, however, in an alliance with the Habsburg King

Albert II of Germany Albert the Magnanimous , elected King of the Romans as Albert II (10 August 139727 October 1439), was a member of the House of Habsburg. By inheritance he became Albert V, Duchy of Austria, Duke of Austria. Through his wife (''jure uxoris'') he ...

, who made Ulrich his lieutenant in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

for a short while. Upon King Albert's death in 1439, Ulrich took up the cause of his widow

Elizabeth of Luxembourg Elizabeth of Luxembourg (; 7 October 1409 – 19 December 1442) was queen consort of Hungary, queen consort of Germany and Bohemia. The only child of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Elizabeth was expected to asce ...

, and presided at the coronation of her infant son

Ladislaus the Posthumous Ladislaus V, more commonly known as Ladislaus the Posthumous (; ; ; ; 22 February 144023 November 1457), was Duke of Austria and King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia. He was the posthumous birth, posthumous son ...

with the

Holy Crown of Hungary The Holy Crown of Hungary ( , ), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence; kings were crowned with it since the tw ...

in 1440. A feud with the Hungarian

Hunyadi family The House of Hunyadi was one of the most powerful noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th century. A member of the family, Matthias Corvinus, was King of Hungary from 1458 until 1490, King of Bohemia (ruling in Moravia, Low ...

followed, embittered by John Hunyadi's failed attack on the forces of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

at the

Battle of Varna The Battle of Varna took place on 10 November 1444 near Varna in what is today eastern Bulgaria. The Ottoman army under Sultan Murad II (who did not actually rule the sultanate at the time) defeated the Crusaders commanded by King Władysła ...

in 1444—while Ulrich remained idle—and Hunyadi's refusal to recognize Ulrich's claim to

on the death of King

Tvrtko II Stephen Tvrtko II ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; died in November 1443), also known as Tvrtko Tvrtković (), was a member of the House of Kotromanić who reigned as King of Bosnia from 1404 to 1409 ...

(1443). In 1446 Hunyadi, now regent of

, harried the Celje territories in

; however his power was broken at the

Second Battle of Kosovo The Second Battle of Kosovo ( Hungarian: ''második rigómezei csata'', Turkish: ''İkinci Kosova Muharebesi'') was a land battle between a Hungarian-led Crusader army and the Ottoman Empire at Kosovo field that took place from 17–20 O ...

in 1448, and Count Ulrich was able to lead a successful crusade, nominally in the Habsburg interest, into Hungary (1450). In 1452, he forced Emperor Frederick III to hand over the boy king Ladislaus to his keeping, practically making him ruler of Hungary. In 1454 his power was increased by his succession to his father's vast wealth; and after the death of John Hunyadi at the Siege of Belgrade in 1456, he was named Captain General of Hungary by Ladislaus, an office previously held by his rival. Ulrich's triumph did not last: On 8 November, he entered the fortress of

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

with King Ladislaus; the next day he was killed by agents of John Hunyadi's son

László László () is a Hungarian male given name and surname after the King-Knight Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary (1077–1095). It derives from Ladislav, a variant of Vladislav Vladislav ( (', '); , ; Russian language, Russian, Ukrainian language, ...

in unknown circumstances. With him died the male line of the Counts of Celje. He was buried in the Minorite Church of St. Mary in Celje. The eulogy was delivered by the famous humanist rhetorician and prelate Johann Roth. Ulrich's estates were claimed by his widow Catherine, his son-in-law

- the younger brother of László Hunyadi - as well as Count John of Gorizia, and Emperor Frederick III of Austria, who outlived his rivals. Ulrich's high ambitions were sharply criticized by Aeneas Sylvius (the later

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

), although his writings were politically minded, as he had served as the personal secretary of Emperor Frederick III at the height of his conflict with Ulrich. On his mother's side, Ulrich was the closest surviving male descendant of

, lord of

. However, he is not known to have ever pressed claim on the

Carraresi The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405. Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, ...

inheritance.

Possessions

At the time of his death, Ulrich held around 12 towns, 30

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

s and 125 castles: around 20 in Carinthia, Carniola, and Slavonia each, and the rest mostly in Styria. He owned around a third of all castles in modern-day Slovenia at the time. Some of his most important possessions are listed below.

Castles and fortresses

* Bela Peč Castle (Duchy of Carniola, now in Italy) *

Čakovec Castle Čakovec Castle or Zrinski Castle ( or or or ''Zrínyi-kastély'') is a medieval fortification in the middle of the town of Čakovec, the administrative seat of Međimurje County, northern Croatia. The castle is located in the Zrinski Park, n ...

(Kingdom of Hungary, now in Croatia) *

Celje Castle Celje Castle (), also known as Celje Upper Castle () or Old Castle (), is a castle ruin in Celje, Slovenia, formerly the seat of the Counts of Celje. It stands on three hills to the southeast of Celje, where the river Savinja meanders into the L ...

(County of Celje, now in Slovenia) *

Old town Đurđevac Old town Đurđevac ( Croatian: ''Stari grad Đurđevac'' ; Hungarian: ''Szentgyörgyvár'') was built by the Bishop of Pécs, most probably around 1488. The town, or fort, was built on high ground in the middle of a swamp to the north of the town ...

(Slavonia, now in Croatia) * Hartneidstein Castle (Duchy of Carinthia, now in Austria) * Hohenburg (County of Ortenburg, now in Austria) *

Kostel Castle Kostel Castle () is a castle above the settlement of Kostel in southeastern Slovenia. It is located on a steep hill above the Kolpa River, not far from the Croatian border. History The site was originally occupied by a smaller fortification ...

(Duchy of Carniola, now in Slovenia) * Krško Castle (Windic March, now in Slovenia) * Landskron Castle (Carinthia, now in Austria) * Leskovec Castle (Windic March, now in Slovenia) * Liemberg Castle (Carinthia, now in Austria) *

Lobor Lobor is a village and municipality in the Krapina-Zagorje County, northern Croatia. Population In the 2011 census, there were a total of 3,188 inhabitants in the area, in the following naselja, settlements: * Cebovec, population 49 * Lobor, popu ...

(County of Zagorje, now in Croatia) * Lož Castle (Carniola, now in Slovenia) *

Medvedgrad Medvedgrad (; Croatian language, Croatian for ''bear-town''; ) is a medieval Fortification, fortified town located about 10 km north of Zagreb, on the south slopes of Medvednica mountain, approximately halfway from the Croatian capital Zagreb t ...

(Slavonia, now in Croatia) * Metlika Castle (County of Metlika, now in Slovenia) * Ortenburg Castle (County of Ortenburg, now in Austria) * Ojstrica Castle (County of Celje, now in Slovenia) * Ortnek Castle (Carniola, now in Slovenia) *

Burg Perchtoldsdorf Burg Perchtoldsdorf is a castle in Lower Austria, Austria. Burg Perchtoldsdorf is above sea level. Locaction The mighty complex with a church and a castle is located on the north side of Perchtoldsdorf's market square on the slopes of the Vienna ...

(Austria) *

Podsreda Podsreda (; ) is a village in the Municipality of Kozje in eastern Slovenia. It is located near the Croatian border, in the traditional region of Styria. It is known for its market, which takes place every Sunday, and for Podsreda Castle, locate ...

(Styria, now in Slovenia) * Polhov Gradec Castle (Carniola, now in Slovenia) * Prägrad Castle (Carinthia, now in Austria) * Samobor Castle (Slavonia, now in Croatia) * Skrad Castle (Croatia) * Slovenska Bistrica Castle (Styria, now in Slovenia) * Smlednik (Carniola, now in Slovenia) * Sommeregg Castle (County of Ortenburg, now in Austria) *

Trakošćan Castle Trakošćan Castle (pronounced , or ''Dvorac Trakošćan'') is a castle located in northern Croatia (in Varaždin County) that dates back to the 13th century (although the first written mention of the toponym "Trakošćan" is dated to 1334). Tr ...

(County of Zagorje, now in Croatia) *

Trsat Trsat (, ) is part of the city of Rijeka, Croatia, with a historic castle or fortress in a strategic location and several historic churches, in one of which the Croatian noble Prince Vuk Krsto Frankopan is buried. Trsat is a steep hill, 138 m ...

(Croatia) * Veliki Tabor Castle (County of Zagorje, now in Croatia) * Weißenegg Castle (Carinthia, now in Austria) *

Žovnek Castle Žovnek Castle (, ) is a castle northeast of Braslovče, Slovenia. It lies above Lake Žovnek. The Lords of Žovnek, later Counts of Celje The Counts of Celje () or the Counts of Cilli (; ) were the most influential late medieval noble dyna ...

(County of Celje, now in Slovenia) *

Žužemberk Žužemberk (; ), is a town located southeast of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žužemberk. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Southeast ...

(Windic March, now in Slovenia)

Cities and towns

Bakar Bakar may refer to: *Bakar, Croatia Bakar is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The population of the town was 8,279 according to the 2011 Croatian census, including 1,473 in the titular settlement. Ninety percent of th ...

( Kingdom of Croatia) *

Bardejov Bardejov (; , , , , ) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskids, Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely i ...

(Kingdom of Hungary, now in Slovakia) *

Bužim Bužim ( sr-cyrl, Бужим) is a town and municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina in the most northwestern part of Bosni ...

(Slavonia, Kingdom of Hungary, now in

) *

(

County of Celje The County of Cilli (, ) was a medieval county in the territory of the present-day Slovenia. It was governed by the Counts of Cilli (also Counts of Celje). Following the death of Ulrich II of Celje, the county was subsumed by neighbouring Duchy of ...

, now in Slovenia) *

Čakovec Čakovec (; ; ; ) is a city in Northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital, and close to the borders with Slovenia and Hungary. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmo ...

(Hungary, now in Croatia) *

Črnomelj Črnomelj (; in older sources also ''Černomelj'', ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 4.) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It is the ...

( County of Metlika, now in Slovenia) *

Dravograd Dravograd (; ) is a small town in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It is the seat of the Municipality of Dravograd. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is part of the traditional ...

(

Duchy of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (; ; ) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial State after the original German stem duchies. Car ...

, now in Slovenia) *

Đurđevac Đurđevac is a town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. History Until 1918, Đurđevac (named ''Militär Sanct Georgen'' before 1850) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after the compromise of 1867), in ...

(Slavonia, now in Croatia) * Gornji Grad (County of Celje, now in Slovenia) * Gradec (Slavonia, now part of

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, Croatia) *

Jesenice Jesenice (, ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru'', vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 144.) is the tenth-largest town in Slovenia, located in the traditional province of Upper C ...

(Carniola, now in Slovenia) *

Kočevje Kočevje (; ; ''Göttscheab'' or ''Gətscheab'' in the local Gottscheerish dialect; ) is a town and the seat of Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. Geography The town is located at the foot of the Kočevski Rog karst plateau on t ...

(Duchy of Carniola, now in Slovenia) *

Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...

(Slavonia, now in Croatia) *

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

(Hungary, now in Slovakia) *

Krapina Krapina (; ) is a town in northern Croatia and the administrative centre of Krapina-Zagorje County with a population of 4,482 (2011) and a total municipality population of 12,480 (2011). Krapina is located in the hilly Zagorje region of Croatia ...

(Slavonia, County of Zagorje, now in Croatia) *

Krško Krško (; ) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the City Municipality of Krško. The town lies on the Sava River and on the northwest edge of the Krško Plain (), which is part of the larger Krka Flat (). The area is divided between t ...

(Windic March, now in Slovenia) * Krupa (Kingdom of Croatia, now in

) *

Laško Laško (; ) is a spa town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Laško. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria, Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region. The town is locate ...

(Duchy of Styria, now in Slovenia) *

Lepoglava Lepoglava is a town in Varaždin County, northern Croatia, It is located 32 km southwest of Varaždin, 7 km west of Ivanec, and 22 km northeast of Krapina. Demographics A total of 8,283 residents in the municipality (2011 census) live in the fo ...

(County of Zagorje, now in Croatia) *

Levoča Levoča (; ; ) is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...

(Upper Hungary, now in Slovakia) *

Lurnfeld Lurnfeld is a market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The municipality consists of the two Katastralgemeinden: Möllbrücke and Pusarnitz, comprising several small villages. It is located within th ...

(County of Ortenburg, now in Austria) *

Metlika Metlika (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 10.) is a town in southeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Metlika ...

(County of Metlika, now in Slovenia) *

Millstatt Millstatt am See is a market town of the Spittal an der Drau District in Carinthia, Austria. The traditional health resort and spa town on Lake Millstatt is known for former Benedictine Millstatt Abbey, founded about 1070. Geography It is situa ...

(County of Ortenburg, now in Austria) * Oberdrauburg (Carinthia, now in Austria) *

Paternion Paternion () is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located within the Drava valley about in the north-west of the city of Villach. Geography Paternion is subdivided into six Katastralgemein ...

(County of Ortenburg, now in Austria) *

Považská Bystrica Považská Bystrica (; ; ) is a town in northwestern Slovakia. It is located on the Váh river, around 30 km from the city of Žilina. It belongs to Upper Váh region of tourism. Profile Považská Bystrica is situated in a fold of mounta ...

(Upper Hungary, now in Slovakia) *

Radovljica Radovljica (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Slovenia, town in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Radovljica. Geography The town is located on the southern slope of the Karawan ...

(Carniola, now in Slovenia) * Ribnica (Carniola, now in Slovenia) *

Rogatec Rogatec (; Suppan, Arnold. 1996. ''Jugoslawien und Österreich 1918–1938: Bilaterale Außenpolitik im Europäischen Umfeld.'' Vienna: Verlag für Geschichte und Politik, p. 663.) is a small town in eastern Slovenia, on the border with Croatia. I ...

(Styria, now in Slovenia) *

Samobor Samobor () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County. Geography Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills (), the eas ...

(Slavonia, now in Croatia) *

Slovenska Bistrica Slovenska Bistrica (; ) is a town south of Maribor in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica, one of the largest municipalities in Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The town is in ...

(Styria, now in Slovenia) * Spittal (Carinthia, now in Austria) * Steničnjak (Slavonia, now in Croatia) *

Šoštanj Šoštanj (; ) is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Šoštanj. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The entire municipality is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region. History Šoštanj w ...

(County of Celje, now in Slovenia) * Trenčin (Upper Hungary, now in Slovakia *

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

(Slavonia, County of Zagorje, now in Croatia) *

Vrbovec Vrbovec () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia, lying to the northeast of the capital Zagreb. Geography The town of Vrbovec lies to the north-east of Zagreb, either along the A4 motorway and the D10 expressway or by the old Zagreb – ...

(Slavonia, now in Croatia) *

Vuzenica Vuzenica (, ) is a major settlement in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Vuzenica. It lies on the right bank of the Drava River and extends south into the Pohorje Hills. The municipality is included in the Carinthia Stati ...

(Styria, now in Slovenia) *

Žalec Žalec (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 44.) is a town in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žalec. It lies ...

(County of Celje, now in Slovenia)

Marriage and children

On 20 April 1434, Ulrich married Princess Katarina Brankovic of Serbia. She was a daughter of Despot Đurađ Branković of Serbia and Princess Eirene Kantakouzene of Byzantium. Through this marriage, Ulrich became the brother-in-law of the Ottoman sultan

Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...

. Ulrich and Katarina had five children, all of whom died before their parents: # Herman IV of Celje (14391452) # Georg (1445) # Albert († 1448) # Catherine (14411441), twin sister of Elizabeth #

Elizabeth of Celje Elizabeth of Celje (1441 – 1455), also Elizabeth of Cilli, was the first wife of Matthias Corvinus, the future King of Hungary. Family background Elizabeth was born to Ulrich II, Count of Celje and his wife Catherine Branković, daughter of ...

(14411455), twin sister of Catherine, first wife of

Matthias Corvinus of Hungary Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and adopted the tit ...

Family tree

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulrich 02 Of Celje Counts of Celje 1406 births 1456 deaths Bans of Croatia Bans of Slavonia