Helena of Hungary, Queen of Croatia
| Helen of Hungary | |
|---|---|
 Betrothal of King Zvonimir, by Mato Celestin Medović | |
| Queen consort of Croatia | |
| Tenure | 1075 – Ca. 1089 |
| Died | C. 1091 |
| Issue | Radovan, Klaudija, Vinica |
| House | Árpád dynasty) |
| Father | Béla I of Hungary |
| Mother | Richeza of Poland |
Helen of Hungary, also known as Helen the Fair (Croatian: Jelena Lijepa; Hungarian: Ilona) (d. 1091), was a queen consort of Croatia.
Biography
Family
Helen was born as a Hungarian princess and was the daughter of Árpád dynasty's king Bela I, sister to Ladislaus I of Hungary, granddaughter of Polish king Mieszko II Lambert, and a great-granddaughter of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria.
Marriage
Helen became queen of Croatia during her marriage with Croatian king Dmitar Zvonimir, a distant relative whom she married in 1063. They had a son, prince Radovan,[1] who died in his late teens or early twenties. Their daughter were princesses Klaudija[2] and Vinica.[3]
Helen had excellent family connections, being an aunt to Irene, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos.
Helen was very popular with the Croats, and they often called her Jelena Lijepa ("Helen the Beautiful"). She is thought to have been an influential consort.
Upon the death of Zvonimir, Helen was said to have been quietly plotting the inheritance of the Croatian Crown for her brother, the King of Hungary, which caused a decade of war and instability in the kingdom. Helen died around 1091.[4]
She is not to be confused with Helen of Zadar, who was the wife of Michael Krešimir II of Croatia.
External links
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Hicela Orseoloas last known queen |
Queen consort of Croatia 1075–1091 |
Vacant Title next held by Felicia of Sicilyas next known queen |
Notes
- ↑ Codex Diplomaticus Croatiæ, Vol. I, CCXI, p. 177.
- ↑ Monumenta Historiam Slavorum Meridionalium, Vol. VII, Acta, 121, p. 146.
- ↑ Family of king Dmitar Zvonimir
- ↑ Zdravka Jelaska Marijan: "Dolazak ugarskoga kralja"