Helen of Zadar

Queen Consort of Croatia

Helen of Zadar

Bust of queen Helen by sculptor Ivan Mirković, made for thousandth anniversary of her death.

Regent of Croatia
Regency| 969–976
Queen consort of Croatia
Tenure| 949–969
Coronation| 949

Born| Zadar
Died| 8 October 976
Burial|

Church of St. Mary, Solin

Spouse| Michael Krešimir II
House| Trpimirović (by marriage)
Madi (by birth)

Helen of Zadar (Croatian: Jelena) (died 8 October 976), also known as Helen the Glorious (Croatian: Jelena Slavna), was the queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia, as the wife of King Michael Krešimir II, from 946 to 969, a period which was marked by "peace, order and expeditious growth".[1] She was the regent of Croatia after the death of her spouse during the minority of her son Stephen Držislav of Croatia, and ruled from 969 until 976.[2]

## Life

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She is said to have originated from the old patrician family Madi from Zadar. She married Michael Krešimir II, and became queen consort in 949.

She became the queen dowager of Croatia after the death of her husband in 969. However, since her husband was succeeded by their son who was a minor, she also became the regent of Croatia on behalf of her son.[2][3] As such, she ruled until her own death.

### Regency

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According to the Thomas the Archdeacon's 13th century Historia Salonitana, Queen Helen built the churches of St. Stephen and St. Mary in Salona (today's Solin). The atrium of the St. Stephen became the Mausoleum of Croatian Kings and is preserved to the present day.[4]

> ...sancti Stephani et sancte Marie in Salona cum omnibus earum bonis. Has siquidem ecclesias edificauit et dotauit quedam Helena regina, donans eas Spalatine sedi iure perpetuo possidendas. Que ob reuerentiam regalium sepulchrorum concesse fuerant quibusdam regularibus ad tempus, qui assidue in eis officiorum ministeria exercebant. Ibi namque magnificus uir Cresimirus rex, in atrio uidelicet basilice sancti Stephani, tumulatus est cum pluribus aliis regibus et reginis.[4]

Jelena played a central role in uniting Croatian and Latin elements within the Kingdom thus laying the groundwork for her son, Stephen Držislav, to assume sovereignty over the Dalmatian thema (which was under nominal Byzantine rule).

### Epitaph

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Helen died in October 976 and is buried next to her husband in St Mary's. The royal inscription on her sarcophagus was an epitaph discovered by archaeologists. The epitaph, which shed light on the genealogy of early Croatian rulers, was discovered by Don Frane Bulić on 28 August 1898. The epitaph also shows that older rulers, prior to her son Stephen Držislav, bore the title of kings. The Latin and English translation of the epitaph reads:

> IN HOC TUMULO QUIESCIT HELENA FAMOSA, QUE FUIT UXOR MIHAELI REGI, MATERQUE STEFANI REGIS, HABENAS RENUIT REGNI. VIII IDUS MENSIS OCTOBRIS IN PACE HIC ORDINATA FUIT ANNO AB INCARNATIONE DOMINI DCCLXXVI INDICTIONE IV, CICLO LUNARE V, EPACTA XVII, CICLO SOLARI FIT PUPILLORUIM TUTORQUE VIDUARUM. ICQUE ASPICIENS VIR ANIME DIC MISERERE DEUS.[5]

> In this grave rests the famous Jelena who was the wife of King Michael and mother of King Stjepan. She ruled the kingdom. On the eighth day before the Ides of October she was buried here in peace 976 years of the fourth indiction after the incarnation of the Lord, in the fifth cycle of the Moon, the seventeenth epact, and the fifth cycle of the Sun which is concurrent with the sixth. And she who during her life was a queen, was also the mother of orphans and the protectress of widows. May he who looks (hereon) say: 'Lord, have mercy on her soul!'.[5][6]

## Gallery

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>   * Reconstructed original Helen's epitaph in Museum of Croatian Archeological Monuments in Split.

>   * "Building of a church on the island" by Vjekoslav Paraća, Queen Helen is shown in the centre

## References

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1. ^ Budak, Neven (2007). "Foundations and Donations as a Link between Croatia and the Dalmatian Cities in the Early Middle Ages (9th-11th c.)". Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas. 55 (4): 483–490\. ISSN 0021-4019.483-490&rft.date=2007&rft.issn=0021-4019&rft.aulast=Budak&rft.aufirst=Neven&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41051963&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Helen+of+Zadar" class="Z3988">
2. ^ a b Homza, Martin (2017-01-01), "Christian Female Ruler Archetype of Empress St. Helena", Mulieres suadentes - Persuasive Women, Brill, pp. 33–79, ISBN 978-90-04-33813-5, retrieved 2024-05-1333-79&rft.date=2017-01-01&rft.isbn=978-90-04-33813-5&rft.aulast=Homza&rft.aufirst=Martin&rft_id=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004338135/B9789004338135_005.xml&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Helen+of+Zadar" class="Z3988">
3. ^ Homza, Martin (2017-01-01), "Adelaide, Princess of Cracow and Wife of Grand Duke of Hungary Geza: On the Problem of Fictivity and Reality in East-Central European Medieval Narratives", Mulieres suadentes - Persuasive Women, Brill, pp. 169–210, ISBN 978-90-04-33813-5, retrieved 2024-05-21169-210&rft.date=2017-01-01&rft.isbn=978-90-04-33813-5&rft.aulast=Homza&rft.aufirst=Martin&rft_id=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004338135/B9789004338135_008.xml&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Helen+of+Zadar" class="Z3988">
4. ^ a b Archdeacon, Thomas (2003). Olga Perić, Mirjana Matijević-Sokol, Radoslav Katičić (ed.). Historia Salonitana. Split: Književni krug. p. 80–81. ISBN 953-163-189-1.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
5. ^ a b Matijević-Sokol, Mirjana (1999). "Latin inscriptions". In Ivan Supičić (ed.). Croatia in the Early Middle Ages: A Cultural Survey. London, Zagreb: Philip Wilson Publishers, AGM. p. 245\. ISBN 0856674990.
6. ^ "Muzej Hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika, Sarkofag kraljice Jelene". Archived from the original on 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2009-11-24.

* v
* t
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House of Trpimirović

* Trpimir I (845-864)
* Zdeslav (878-879)
* Muncimir (892-910)
* Tomislav (910-928)
* Trpimir II (928-935)
* Krešimir I (935-945)
* Miroslav (945-949)
* Michael Krešimir II (949-969)
* Stephen Držislav (969-997)
* Svetoslav Suronja (997-1000)
* Krešimir III (1000- c. 1030) and Gojslav (1000-c. 1020)
* Stephen I (c. 1030-1058)
* Peter Krešimir IV (1058-1074)
* Demetrius Zvonimir (1075-1089)
* Stephen II (1089-1091)

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