Elizabeth of Serbia (/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 a daughter of King Stefan Dragutin of the Nemanjić dynasty. Her mother was Catherine of Hungary. Elizabeth was the second of four children; her brother was Stephen Vladislav II of Syrmia.

Life

After 1283, she married Stephen I Kotroman, Ban of Bosnia. Dragutin had already controlled two banates in Bosnia: Usora and Soli and Kotroman immediately fell under his influence – many of his acts were of Dragutin's command. The marriage was political and arranged by Ban Prijezda II who had attempted to forge an alliance with Stephen Dragutin (Elizabeth's father). Elizabeth and Stephen had at least six children, all of whom are believed to have lived to adulthood:

Regency

After her husband's death in 1314, Elizabeth briefly ruled as regent for her eldest son, Stephen II. According to a 1601 source whose reliability is unknown, Elizabeth fled to the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and died around 1331. Upon extinction of the Nemanjić dynasty, Elizabeth's grandson Tvrtko, Ban of Bosnia, had himself crowned King of Bosnia and King of Serbia based on his descent from Elizabeth.

Sources