| Stephen I | |
|---|---|
| Ban of Bosnia | |
| Reign | 1287–1314 |
| Predecessor | Prijezda I |
| Successor | Stephen II |
| Born | 1242 (1242) Bosnia |
| Died | 1314 (aged 71–72) Bosnia |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Elizabeth of Serbia |
| Issue | Vladislaus Ninoslaus Stephen II another son Catherine Mary |
| House | Kotromanić |
| Father | Prijezda I |
| Mother | Elizabeth of Slavonia |
Stephen I Kotromanić (Serbo-Croatian:Стефан I /Stjepan I) (1242–1314) was aBosnian Ban from 1287 to 1290 jointly withBan Prijezda II and 1290–1314 alone as avassal of theKingdom of Hungary.[1]
His ancestry is not known precisely. It is believed that he was the son of a German noblemanGotfrid, founder of the family he belonged toKelad went to strengthen the Hungarian hold in Bosnia in 1162 or 1163. This German nobleman co-signed theedicts forBosnia in theSplitChurch in 1163 with theHungarian KingStephen IV. Apparently, theHungarian KingStephen III invited him to place him as a regional ruler in Hungary's name because of his ancestor's successes. Kotroman ruled as a vassal of thisKing. Mauro Orbini claimed in his work The Kingdom of Slavs that the Ragusan document refers to him as " CotrumanoGoto", i.e.Kotroman the German but it's unclear from where did Orbini make this reference. It has also been speculated that Kotroman might have been a son ofBosnian BanPrijezda I.
Since 1287, when his father,BanPrijezda I withdrew from power, Kotroman ruled jointly as Ban ofBosnia with another son of Prijezda I,Prijezda II. Kotroman separated the country with Prijezda II, and took easternBosnia. After the death of Prijezda II, Kotroman became the sole Ban ofBosnia in 1290.
In 1284 he marriedElizabeth of Serbia, daughter of the King ofSyrmia,Stefan Dragutin of theHouse of Nemanjić, and Queen Catherine, daughter ofHungarian KingStephen V andElizabeth the Cuman. Dragutin had already controlled two banates in Bosnia:Usora andSoli and Kotroman immediately fell under his influence – many of his acts were at Dragutin's command. The marriage was political and arranged by BanPrijezda II who had attempted to forge an alliance withStefan Dragutin.
In 1290Hungarian KingLadislaus IV died leaving no heirs to thethrone. The cousin of Ladislaus IV,Andrew III, was crownedKing, despite the desire of the sister of the former KingLadislaus IV,Mary of Hungary, Queen of Naples, who wanted her son,Charles Martel as the new King in Hungary. The latter party had much more support, soPope Nicholas IV had crowned Charles Martel as King of Hungary. This movement was supported by the most powerfulCroatian nobility, theŠubićs,Princes ofBribir. As the current head of the family,Paul Šubić was also son-in-law of KingStefan Dragutin, family connections made Kotroman support Charles Martel's crowning. To increase his influence in Kotroman's realm, Charles Martel issued numerous edicts to split the land among the lessergentry to gain support for his reign. It appears that he gave the reign overBosnia to the Šubićs. Charles Martel died unexpectedly in 1295, before the campaign to seize the power inHungary was finished. The Queen of Naples and sister of former King Ladislaus IV, Mary, had then decided to put her grandson, son of Charles Martel,Charles Robert as the future King of Hungary.Pope Boniface VIII declared the twelve-year-old boy as KingCharles I of Hungary in 1297.Paul Šubić ofCroatia declared himself as "Dominus ofBosnia" in 1299 and gave the title ofBosnian Ban to his brother,Mladen I Šubić. All of Kotroman's land except for theDonji Kraji (Lower Endstransl. Lower Ends – transl. Lower Edges), which was ruled byPrinceHrvatin Stjepanić as a vassal of the Šubićs, was held by the House of Šubić; as was confirmed by Charles I Robert. Paul Šubić wanted to bringKing Charles Robert toSplit acrossCroatia toZagreb, which would become the main station of his campaign against King Andrew III of Hungary. During the preparations for war, Andrew III died unexpectedly.Charles Robert assessed the Hungarian throne, but had to fight numerous opponents to his regime up to 1309.
Stephen Kotroman had resisted the growth of the Šubićs' power in Bosnia, but had lost by 1302 most control over the land toMladen I Šubić. Although, Kotroman was not defeated as he still had some influence and power in Bosnia. His father-in-law KingStefan Dragutin could not send him aid since a succession-war had erupted in theSerbian Kingdom between him and his brother, the powerfulKingStefan Milutin.[2] Additionally, during the problems over the Hungarian crown, Dragutin had attempted to insert his son Vladislav as the newKing of Hungary.[3]
Despite the many difficulties, Stephen Kotroman had held out. The war turned into religious conflict, as Mladen I Šubić had started acampaign to exterminate the adherents of theBosnian Church – the kristjani. This balanced the conflict in Kotroman's favour, as number of kristjani had joined his side because of this. After his death Paul Šubić in 1305 proclaimed himself "lord of All Bosnia".
Paul's reign did not last long as he died in 1312. The disappointedBan Stephen Kotroman died in 1314, before he managed to act.
Stephen and Elisabeth had six children:
Stephen II was to succeed Kotroman asBosnian Ban; but had to flee to theRepublic of Ragusa to hide from theŠubićs with his brothers and their mother,Elizabeth.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ban of Bosnia 1287–1299 withPrijezda I (1287-1289) | Succeeded by |
| Bans of Bosnia (1254–1377) |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Banesses of Bosnia | ||
| Kings of Bosnia (1377–1463) | ||
| Queens of Bosnia | ||
| Other significant members | ||