Stephen I, Ban of Bosnia

Stephen I Kotromanić (Serbo-Croatian: Stjepan Kotromanić, Стефан Котроманић) (1242–1314) was a Bosnian Ban from 1287 to 1290 jointly with Ban Prijezda II and 1290–1314 alone as a vassal of the Kingdom of Hungary. He is the eponymous founder of the Bosnian ruling dynasty, the House of Kotromanić.

His ancestry is not known precisely. It is believed that he was the son of a German nobleman in the service of German knight Gotfrid, founder of the family Kelad who went to strengthen the Hungarian hold in Bosnia in 1162 or 1163. This German nobleman co-signed the edicts for Bosnia in the Split Church in 1163 with the Hungarian King Stephen IV. Apparently, the Hungarian King Stephen 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 this King. The Dubrovnik Archives from the 15th century refer to him as "Cotrumano Goto", i.e. Kotroman the German. Kotroman might have been the son of Bosnian Ban Prijezda I.

Since 1287, when his father, Ban Prijezda I withdrew from power, Kotroman ruled jointly as Ban of Bosnia with another son of Prijezda I, Prijezda II. Kotroman separated the country with Prijezda II, and took eastern Bosnia. After the death of Prijezda II, Kotroman became the sole Ban of Bosnia in 1290.

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