View source for Helena of Hungary, Queen of Croatia

{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| name         = Helen of Hungary
| image        = Depiction of Queen Helen the Fair by Celestin Medović.jpg
| caption      = Depiction of Queen Helen the Fair on a painting [[Betrothal of King Zvonimir]], by [[Celestin Medović]]
| death_date   = {{circa|1091}}
| succession1  = [[List of rulers of Croatia|Regent of Croatia]]
| reign1       = 1089–1090
| succession2  = [[Queen consort of Croatia]]
| reign2       = 1075&ndash;c. 1089
| dynasty      = [[Árpád dynasty|Árpád]]
| spouse       = [[Demetrius Zvonimir]]
| issue        = Radovan<br>Klaudija<br>Vinica
| father       = [[Béla I of Hungary]]
| mother       = [[Richeza of Poland, Queen of Hungary|Richeza of Poland]]
}}
'''Helen of Hungary''', also known as '''Helen the Fair''' ({{langx|hr|Jelena Lijepa}}; {{langx|hu|Ilona}}) (d. 1091), was a [[queen consort of Croatia]].
== Family ==
Helen was born as a [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]] [[princess]] and was the daughter of [[Árpád dynasty]]'s king [[Béla I of Hungary|Bela I]], sister to [[Ladislaus I of Hungary]], granddaughter of [[Poland|Polish]] king [[Mieszko II Lambert]].
== Marriage ==
Helen became queen of Croatia during her [[marriage]] with Croatian king [[Demetrius Zvonimir of Croatia|Demetrius Zvonimir]], a [[cousin marriage|distant relative]] whom she married in 1063. They had a son named Radovan,<ref>''Codex Diplomaticus Croatiæ'', Vol. I, CCXI, p. 177.</ref> who died in his late teens or early twenties, and daughters named Claudia<ref>''Monumenta Historiam Slavorum Meridionalium'', Vol. VII, Acta, 121, p. 146.</ref> and Vinica.
Helen had excellent family connections, being an aunt to [[Irene of Hungary|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, resulting in the [[Croatia in union with Hungary|personal union of Croatia and Hungary]] that lasted until 1918. Helen died around 1091.<ref>[http://www.matica.hr/HRRevija/revija042.nsf/AllWebDocs/marijan Zdravka Jelaska Marijan: "Dolazak ugarskoga kralja"]</ref>
==External links==
*[http://members.tripod.com/royalcroatia/zvonimir.htm Dmitar Zvonimir and Helen]
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{{s-roy}}
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{{S-vac|last=Hicela Orseolo|as=last known queen}}
{{S-ttl | title = [[Queen consort of Croatia]] | years=1075&ndash;1091}}
{{S-vac|next=[[Felicia of Sicily]]|as=next known queen}}
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== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helen Ii, Queen Of Croatia}}
[[Category:11th-century Croatian nobility]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:1091 deaths]]
[[Category:Hungarian princesses]]
[[Category:11th-century Hungarian people]]
[[Category:House of Árpád]]
[[Category:Burials at the Church of St. Mary, Knin]]
[[Category:11th-century Croatian women]]
[[Category:11th-century Hungarian women]]
[[Category:Croatian people of Hungarian descent]]
[[Category:Croatian people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:Croatian people of Bulgarian descent]]
[[Category:Daughters of kings]]