Catherine of Hungary, Queen of Serbia
| Catherine of Hungary | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of Serbia | |
| Tenure | 1276–1282 |
| Born | c.1256 |
| Died | after 1314 |
| Spouse | Stephen Dragutin of Serbia |
| Issue |
Stephen Vladislav II of Syrmia Elizabeth, Baness of Bosnia Urošic |
| House |
House of Arpad (by birth) House of Nemanjić (by marriage) |
| Father | Stephen V of Hungary |
| Mother | Elizabeth the Cuman |
Catherine of Hungary (Hungarian: Katalin, Serbian: Каталина; c. 1256 – after 1314) was the second daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and his wife Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Seyhan, chieftain of the Cumans. Catherine became Queen consort of Serbia by her marriage to Stephen Dragutin of Serbia.
Catherine was the second of six children. Her sister Elizabeth also became a Queen of Serbia, by her marriage to Stephen Dragutin's brother, Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia. Another sister, Maria married Charles II of Naples and had fourteen children. Catherine's third sister, Anna married Andronikos II Palaiologos. Catherine's brother was Ladislaus IV of Hungary.
Catherine's paternal grandparents were Béla IV of Hungary and his wife Maria Laskarina. Her maternal grandparents were Seyhan, leader of a tribe of Cumans, his wife was Mstislawna, a Russian noblewomen who may have royal connections.
The efforts of Catherine's grandfather, Bela IV of Hungary to secure his southern boundary while moving toward the Adriatic included establishing leaders in Srem (John Angelos) and Slavonia (Rostislav Mikhailovich) who were not only capable but also closely connected to the royal family. It is quite reasonable that an effective way to at least neutralize Serbia under Uros would be to connect him through dynastic marriage to Hungarian nobility, whether by diplomacy or force. Such use of dynastic marriage occurred, for example, in 1268 when Stephen Uroš I of Serbia unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Macva (Macsó). The result was the marriage of Catherine to his son Stephen Dragutin of Serbia in c.1268. A detailed reexamination of the relations between Hungary and Serbia in the period 1240-1265, and especially around 1250, would be expected to show that the marriage of Helen of Anjou and Stephen Uros was a natural outcome of political factors. Such a study would also aid in illuminating later developments in Hungarian-Serbian relations.
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