Hermann II, Count of Celje

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Hermann II of Celje
Barbara, Holy Roman Empress
Elizabeth of Celje
Anne of Celje
Hermann of Cilli (legitimized)
FatherHermann I of Celje
MotherCatherine of Bosnia

Hermann II (

medieval Croatia
. Hermann was one of the most important representatives of the House of Celje, having brought the dynasty from regional importance to the foreground of Central European politics.

Family

Hermann II was the younger son of

Tvrtko I.[2] His older brother Hans (c. 1363–1372) having predeceased their father, Hermann was the sole heir of their father upon the latter's death on 21 March 1385. The death of his son-less cousin William on 19 September 1392 made him the sole possessor of the family titles and estates.[3]

Hermann II married Anna, daughter of Count Henry of Schaunberg and Ursula of Gorizia, in c. 1377. They had six children:

accused her of witchcraft and had her drowned.[4] Frederick's rebellion against Hermann ended with Frederick's imprisonment.[3]

Rise of Celje

Romanticized portrayal of the Battle of Nicopolis, with Count Hermann helping King Sigismund, by Hermann Knackfuss

In 1396, Hermann bravely fought at the side of

Kingdom of Croatia and the Holy Roman Empire.[2] These grants were hereditary and made the Celje counts the greatest landowners in Slavonia; from then on, they styled themselves "counts of Celje and Zagorje".[1]

Hermann's loyalty persisted during the Hungarian civil war, when Sigismund's kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary were being claimed by

Nicholas II Garay procured his release later that year,[1] after Hermann threatened to invade Hungary.[2] The relations between the two men then became even closer.[2] Sigismund had promised to remove foreigners such as Hermann from state offices upon being liberated, but never carried out the promise.[1]

In 1405, Sigismund married Hermann's youngest daughter Barbara and granted extensive lands in Slavonia to his father-in-law. Anne, another daughter of Hermann, was married to the Palatine, linking the three families through

Kingdom of Croatia.[2] Hermann was one of the founding members of Sigismund's elite Order of the Dragon, established in 1408.[3] For reasons of economy rather than religious fanaticism, Hermann expelled all Jews from his domain.[3]

When

right of coinage as well as the right to collect tolls and revenues from various mines.[2] Now enjoying a direct legal relationship with the Crown, Hermann was free to concentrate on a new goal: becoming Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. He was close to succeeding in this endeavour as well in 1430, but the draft charter granting him this honour never seems to have been published, possibly due to Habsburg objections.[3]

Bosnian succession

In 1426, the

Tvrtko II, was desperate to obtain Hungarian protection. King Sigismund agreed but under a condition: the childless Tvrtko was to recognize Hermann, his second cousin and Sigismund's father-in-law, as his heir presumptive. The Bosnian nobility was outraged by the demand. Hermann's accession would have meant an increased influence of Hungary over Bosnia, something they were determined to prevent. Besides, they were used to controlling the royal succession and considered it their right to elect kings. They also feared that Hermann, whose domain enveloped Bosnia, would assist Tvrtko in curbing their power and privileges. The plan nevertheless went ahead; a treaty providing for Hermann's accession in the event of Tvrtko's death without male issue was signed on 2 September 1427.[2]

Death and aftermath

Skulls of the counts of Celje

Hermann died in

Slovene lands. The Celje were recognized as princes of the Holy Roman Empire a year following his death, though there is spurious evidence that suggests this may have taken place shortly before Hermann's death, on 27 September 1435. Hermann's allodial titles passed undivided to his firstborn and the only son who outlived him, the 56-year-old Frederick II.[3]

The most outstanding among the counts of Celje, Hermann inherited the headship of a family of merely local significance and eventually transformed it into one of Central Europe's most prominent noble families.[3] Hermann's efforts to help Sigismund strengthen the royal authority and centralize the state earned him a bad reputation in old Hungarian historiography, which was itself usually sympathetic to Hungarian nobility. He was portrayed as a selfish manipulator of a weak king.[1]

Family

Marriage and children

Hermann married Anna, a daughter of Henry VII, Count of Schaunberg. They had six children who survived infancy:

Family tree

Stephen I of Bosnia
Vladislaus of Bosnia
Ulrich I of Celje
∞ Adelaide of Ortenburg
Hermann I of CeljeCatherine of BosniaLouis I of HungaryElizabeth of BosniaTvrtko I of Bosnia
William of Celje
Hermann II, Count of Celje
∞ Anna of Schaunberg		Tvrtko II of Bosnia
2.
Sigismund of Luxembourg
1.Mary, Queen of Hungary1.Jadwiga of Poland
Ulrich II, Count of Celje
∞ Katarina Branković

Descendants

Through his granddaughter

Emperors of Germany
.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-271-01758-9
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0472082604
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-3631570111
  4. ISBN 1576072436
    .
  5. ISBN 9783709106051
    .

External links
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Hermann I & William
Count of Celje
1385–1435
with William
(1385–1392) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Count of Ortenburg

1418–1435
Political offices
Preceded by
Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia

1406–1408 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Ban of Slavonia
1423–1435 		Succeeded by
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