Jelena Gruba
| Jelena Gruba | |
|---|---|
| Queen regnant of Bosnia | |
| Reign | September 1395 – April 1398 |
| Predecessor | Dabiša |
| Successor | Ostoja |
| Queen consort of Bosnia | |
| Tenure | 1391–95 |
| Born | c. 1345 |
| Died | after 18 March 1399 |
| Spouse | Dabiša, King of Bosnia |
| Issue | Stana Kotromanić |
| House | Nikolić |
Helen (Serbo-Croatian: Jelena/Јелена; c. 1345- after 18 March 1399), also known by the name Gruba (Груба), was queen of Bosnia, first as queen consort from 1391 until 1395 and then as queen regnant until 1398. Born probably into the Nikolić noble family, which ruled a part of Zachlumia, she was the widow and successor of King Dabiša, a member of the House of Kotromanić. She remains the only female head of state in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nothing is known for certain about Helen's origin. She was most likely a member of the Nikolić noble family from Zachlumia. A charter dated 17 July 1392 is the earliest extant source naming Helen as queen and wife of Dabiša, who had ascended the throne in March 1391, and places her at Dabiša's side in Lušci. As queen consort, Helen endorsed her husband's acts, and he emphasized in his charters that he had consulted with his wife. Queen Helen's family gained significant influence in state affairs during her husband's reign, as well as the right to collect the tribute of Ston from the Republic of Ragusa in 1393. The royal couple had a daughter named Stana, whose daughter Vladava married the nobleman Juraj Radivojević during Dabiša's lifetime.
In 1394, Helen agreed to Dabiša's decision to designate King Sigismund of Hungary as his heir. When Dabiša died on 8 September the following year, however, the leading noblemen – Grand Duke Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, Prince Pavao Radinović, Duke Sandalj Hranić and Juraj Radivojević – refused to honor the agreement Dabiša had made with Sigismund. Sigismund raised an army and marched to nearby Syrmia with the aim to claim the Bosnian throne, but the noblemen convoked a stanak and elected Helen as Dabiša's successor. Not willing to engage the united nobility in war, Sigismund withdrew; the death of his wife Mary, heiress of Hungary and relative of Dabiša, made his position too precarious to attack Bosnia, as did the defeat by the Ottomans at the Battle of Nikopolis. By mid-December, Helen had successfully consolidated her grasp on the throne.
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