Catherine of Bosnia, Countess of Cilli

Catherine of Bosnia (Bosnian: Katarina Kotromanić; Slovenian: Katarina Celjska-Kotromanićka) was a Bosnian noblewoman. She was Countess of Cilli by her marriage to Hermann I, Count of Cilli, and a member of the House of Kotromanić by birth.

Family

It is known that Catherine was of Bosnian origin, but her parentage is disputed. Some ^[1] believe that Catherine was the daughter of Vladislav Kotromanić and his wife Jelena Šubić. Others ^[2] believe she was the second daughter of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, and his third wife Elizabeth of Kuyavia. If Catherine was a daughter of Stephen, she is the sister of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary; if she was a daughter of Vladislav, she was sister of King Tvrtko I of Bosnia.

Catherine's parentage is not clear because there is no evidence to link Catherine to either of the couples.^[3]

Marriage

Catherine was married in 1361 to Hermann I, Count of Cilli (Celje). The couple were married for twenty-three years and had at least two children:

1. Hans of Cilli, died young
2. Hermann II, Count of Cilli, married Countess Anna of Schaunberg and became father of Holy Roman Empress Barbara.

There is a famous coin with Catherine's image which confirms that Catherine died in the 15th century.^[4]

References