Articles by Dr. Jožko Šavli:


	Carantanian Knights - Karantanski vitezi


	The Counts of Celje - A Question of History and Ideology


	Anna of Celje


	Barbara of Celje

	Counts and Princes of Dietrichstein


	Devin Castle


	The White Lady from Devin Castle

Slovenia - China

Coat of arms of the Free lords of Hallerstein

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

Father Ferdinand Augustine Hallerstein SJ - It is not known, if a picture of this Slovenian Jesuit exists elsewhere. The picture below shows the Observatory of Peking, where the above mentioned Jesuit worked in the 18th century AD. He originated from Mengeš not far from Lublana, where he was born at the castle there, in 1705. First he visited the Jesuit College in Lublana, and then continued his scientific studies in Klagenfurt - Celovec, Leoben, Graz, and Vienna. His studies were very ample: theology, humanities, mathematics, and astronomy. In 1721, he entered the Order of Jesuits.

After devoting several years of hard work to the order, the dream of his young life finally came true. He was transferred to the Jesuit mission in China, and in 1739 he arrived in Peking. Already in 1743, he was made a member and three years later the chairman of the mathematics tribunal there, as well as court astronomer and leader of the astronomic observatory in Peking. His scientific contribution accomplished the first useful calculation of the inhabitants of the Chinese Empires - 198,213.713 people were analyzed. The Emperor of China appointed him to mandarin. The Chinese called him Liou Song Ling K'iao Hien. He maintained correspondence about technical developments with the Royal Society in London, the Imperial Observatory in Vienna and the Academy of St. Petersburg. In 1774 he died of a heart attack . In his legacy a Slovenian Catholic songbook was found, edited by Ignacij Stržinar (Graz, 1729).

Observatory in Peking, where Pater Hallerstein worked in the 18th century AD

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Karantanski vitezi (Carantanian Knights)

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

Slovenia is experiencing a comeback of chivalric spirit. Recently, a group of vitezi (knights), mounted on horseback, set out on a ride to the ancient Duke's Throne (Vojvodski stol, Herzogstuhl) in Carinthia. This phenomenon signifies a very ancient tradition among Slovenians - The picture above demonstrates a knight standing between two extracted linden-trees. The picture has been taken from a pergament paper of the 12th century. It represents the figure of a knight, the way he appeared in Central Europe and in Carantania. The linden-trees with roots represent the ancient tree of life, worshipped by the ancient Veneti and thereafter by the Slovenians. The linden tree played an important role in Medieval Christian symbolism. - The Carantanian expression for knights was vitezi. In the Middle Ages the vitez had the duties of a warier, who carried harness and sword and travelled on horseback; he was subjected to the feudal lord. But, he was also a gentleman, courteous toward the ladies and benevolent toward the poor. His main interest was to defend the homeland. - In the 14th century, when the name »Austria« (taken over from the Habsburg Family, the House of Austria) prevailed over Carantania (Slovenia), the figure of the vitez, in capacity of a warrior in harness, gradually fall into decline in this territory. Nevertheless, the combative chivalric spirit of Slovenian men and boys has been preserved. They had proven their courage through many centuries and were outstanding in many fights, defending their homeland. This characteristic courage repeated itself in the 20th century, when Slovenian lands were occupied during the WW2, and Slovenian boys and men spontaneously sparked a rebellion, first as partisans and then also as home defenders (domobranci) against the Communist revolution. It is true, their fight was misused, but not for ever. Finally, the knightly spirit prevailed, and the Slovenian people, against all endeavours from outside forces, that are tailoring the fate of Europe, were led into a free and independent Slovenia. Once again, the Carantanian vitezi proved themselves victorious.

(cf: article Carantanian Knights)

(cf: Our Castles Part I and Our Castles Part II)

(cf: Great Carantania)

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Slovenian Nobility

A Question, which concerns also the Great German and Southern Slav Ideology

by Dr. Jožko Šavli, FAS, KdB, FSAI

Fellow of the Augustan Society

Knight de Bryan

Fellow of Sodality of the Ark International

In the last decennium of its existence, the Great German nationalism and ideology, which was carried out by Prussia and after 1871 by a united Germany under the Prussian conductors' baton, heavily invaded the Austrian Monarchy. This ideology was the very forerunner of the later militarism. Unfortunately, in German speaking territory of Austria this ideology was soon adopted as a kind of national pride. It was like a good luck token to be a member of this "great nation", as the Great-German Reich was presented in history.

The Great German ideology included also Vienna, which began to execute a Germanising policy toward the non-German nations in the Monarchy, targeting first of all the "non historical" Slavs. In this political and ideological context, Slovenians, because of their geographical position, were mostly exposed to the Germanising policy. Over their territory from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea the German Bridge was supposed to be installed, which would help to expand the German territory from the North Sea to the Port of Trieste and thereby open the gate to the South. To serve their purpose, Slovenians should be germanised and in this way disappear as a nation from the map - without damage to human culture. Therefore, Slovenians were presented to Europe and to themselves as a poor people on a surprisingly low cultural level, i.e., more like a tribe, who in their entire history never showed interest to possess a proper statehood.

The interpretation of such a "shameful" history of Slovenia was carried out in the frame of "general interpretations of history for inferior Slavs". These studies were done on a "scientific" level at universities, in particular by professors and their pupils at the University of Graz (Hildebrand, Gumplowicz, Peisker, Luschin, and Levec...). The starting point of their profound ideological interpretation above all facts was , that Slovenians never possessed their own state and nobility. Therefore, they could be treated as insignificant, could be germanised, and they should make room for a prospering German nation in notion to enlarge.

Not all German-speaking people adopted such a way of thinking. The great majority conserved a good attitude toward the Slavs and also toward the Slovenians, which they demonstrated in many ways. For example: Rudolph Baumbach, a German poet from Thuringia, composed in a German poem the Slovenian saga about the Goldenhorn (Zlatorog), which was published in Leipzig, in 1877. The contents of the poem preserved its Slovenian characters by their proper names such as Mt. Triglav and persons like Špela, Anka, Jaka... Four German composers converted the poem into operas, which were presented for the first time already in 1885 and several times later particularly in Munich, under the title "Der Trentajäger" (The Hunter of Trenta).

However, the anti-Slovenian thinking advanced in certain German circles, especially in the political and military ones, and led to the collapses of WW1 and WW2. Regretfully, it exists still in today's Austria, above all in the province of Carinthia, where a certain Jörg Haider (a non-Carinthian) propagates his ideas of political, ideological and possible expansionistic purposes.

Be that as it may, after the WW1 in the new constituted Yugoslavia, too, the model of "scientific" (ideologic) interpretation of Slovenian history was used to suit the hegemonistic Great Serbian policy carried out by Belgrade. The Slovenian nobility became the main object of Serbian jealousy, and they continuously targeted the history and culture of the "little" Slovenian people. Therefore, the "German" nobility in Slovenia became a condition sine qua non - an official interpretation of Slovenian history imposed by Belgrade. The nobility among Slovenians should represent a millenary "German" yoke, from which the Serbian brethren had redeemed them not earlier then at the end of the WW1.

Such version was imposed by Belgrade at the University of Lublana (Slovenia) as the official "scientific" interpretation of Slovenian history after WW1, and it proceeded in the same manner after WW2 and is still doing so in the new independent Slovenia. Thus, the authorities responsible at the University of Lublana, who were appointed by the Yugoslav Communist regime of the former Yugoslavia, cannot recognize even in today's independent Slovenia, that they were and still are constrained to the "Yugoslav" (Great Serbian) interpretation and not to a scientific one.

Slovenians in the democratic and free world are not aware of such falsifications, that were carefully prepared on an academic level in Slovenia (Yugoslavia), instead they concentrate their opposition to Anti-Communism only. But a very few make an exception. One of them is Joseph Felicijan, who originated from Styria and was also a professor in Cleveland. He published his famous work The Genesis of the Contractual Theory and Installation of the Dukes of Carinthia (1967). In this work the author discovered that the ceremony of the Carantanian (Carinthian) dukes served Thomas Jefferson as an example for his Declaration of Independence (1776). Frank Lausche, a Senator of Slovenian origin, presented Felicijan's work to the Senate of America. In Slovenia (Yugoslavia) this book remained totally suppressed because of Serbian jealousy.

We are presenting on this page only several coats of arms of Slovenian noble families. Thus, lots of data about Slovenian nobility is to be found in articles already published on the Carantha website. Among them, The Dynasty of Carantania might be the most interesting one.

"Juramentum Sclauonicum", these were the exact words of the famous oath spoken in Slovenian language, (besides its German and Latin versions), the way it was customarily practised in Inner Austria (Carantania). Until 1414, in the province of Carinthia the States (nobility) rendered this oath, always in Slovenian language, to the new duke in the famous ceremony of his "Installation on the Prince's Stone". Thereafter, the ceremony of the "Homage" between the States and the new duke was carried out on the Ducal Throne. In 1728, the last oath was given to Emperor Carl VI, who was also duke of the provinces in Inner Austria. Then the rights of the States were entered in the law called Pragmatic Sanction, which empowered Maria Theresa to ascend the imperial throne.

The formula here refers to Grand Duke Sigmund Franz († 1665), who in 1637 bestowed his vassals with the fiefs that he possessed in Carinthia. He was the son of Grand Duke Leopold, who in 1626 married Claudia de Medici, the daughter of Grand Duke Ferdinand I of Tuscany.

"Juramentum Sclauonicum"

the famous oath in Slovenian language as it was used in the ceremony of the Installation on the Prince's Stone

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Carantanian Knights

Karantanski vitezi

A Concealed Chapter in Slovenian History

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

Around 1200 AD, chivalric life in Carantania (Sclauinia) underwent considerable changes. The ancient predominant idea of the Christian knight (miles Cristi) went into decline. The knights, or vitezi, in Slovenian, were called ministeriales and belonged to the gentry. They were no longer the former professional warriors in armor defending the kingdom, whose only function it was to form the entourage of their lord. Although being noble, they still remained the feudal lord's servants and immediate property, but they also held positions in administrations and in military organization that figured as seigniory, meaning, the territory over which they were holding jurisdiction.

The Carantanian banner was compounded by the figure of a rampant Black Panther on a white cloth. Such a banner was apparently already in use in Great Carantania (since 10th century). The colours Sable (black) and Argent (white, silver) became later the basic colours in the coat of arms of the Carantanian knights. On the picture above are presented some of those family arms (in rows from left to right):

	•	Liechtenstein (from the upper valley of Mura, Styria),

	•	Osterwitz (at the castle near St. Veit, Carinthia),

	•	Knittelfeld (in upper valley of Mura),

	•	Keutschach (from Hodiše, in Slovenian, south of the Lake of Vrba - Wörth, Carinthia),

	•	Hagen (from Železna kapla - Eisenkappel, Carinthia),

	•	Stubenberg (from Eastern Styria),

	•	Walsee (from Friuli, from the castle Devin - Duino),

	•	Egk (from Brdo near Kranj, Slovenia),

	•	Colalto (from Treviso, Veneto),

	•	Wurmbrand (today in Lower Austria),

	•	Säckl (in the Zila Valley - Gail, Carinthia),

	•	Ras (Roz in Slovenian, Carinthia).

The knights were no longer expected to make a bare livelihood around their master's existence, but were permitted to own castles themselves, and they were no longer identified as warriors bearing harness, helmet, and sward, but rather as gentlemen who were refined, and often educated. They could employ servants, called milites (squires), who likewise were allowed to be landowners. A squire is a knight's personal servant. The knight's degree of rank was defined by ius ministerialium, i.e., by the right of service, and this right raised the knight above the other members of the lord's familia.

In Carantanian heraldry, the arms prevailed first in geometric shapes. Later associated them diverse figures. Several knights advanced in this time to famous noble families. Above are illustrated the arms of the following families (in rows from left to right):

	•	Weidegg (from Bajdek, in Slovenian, in the Valley of Zila - Gail, Carinthia),

	•	Schwarzmann (in origin very probable Cernic, the castellan of Völkermarkt - Velikovec, Carinthia),

	•	Traun (today in Upper Austria),

	•	Steierberg (at the castle of Touernik - Dobernik, near Feldkirchen - Trg, Carinthia),

	•	Breuner (from Northern Styria),

	•	Neidberg (from Eastern Styria, a line of the Stubenbergs),

	•	Nußdorf (from Orehek near Postojna, Slovenia),

	•	Colloredo (from Friuli),

	•	Mordax (North of Klagenfurt - Celovec),

	•	Rosenberg (first "de Vale", from Graz, Styria),

	•	Jabornegg (Javornik, from Ravne, Slovenia),

	•	Teufenbach (in origin Tiefenbach, near Judenburg).

In those times, troubadours spread their poetry and songs throughout Europe. The most famous troubadours came from Provence (southern France) and sang in Languedocian language. This type of singing and poetry spread also upon German speaking lands and is called Minnesang (minnesong, love poetry) in German literature. Chivalric poets and singers sojourned at castles providing entertainment for the master and his guests. In Vienna, the court of Leopold VI von Babenberg the Glorious (1194 - 1230), Duke of Austria, was the most important centre of Minnesang in the Eastern Alps, and always was in rivalry with the one in Thuringia.

The Minnesang in German language penetrated also the Carantanian provinces, and the court of the Duke Bernard (1202 - 1256) in St. Veit became the most favourite meeting place of chivalric poets . The best-known chivalric poets are Heinrich von der Türlin, Herrand von Wildon, Zacheus von Himmelberg, Rudolf von Stadeck, Konrad von Saneck, Wilhelm von Schärffenberg etc. And probably Thomasin von Zirklaere (Cividale, in Friuli) should be ranked among them.

They were singing in German and in Slovenian. - It cannot be denied that Carantania (Kärnthen) and Bohemia had a Slav knighthood as well as a Slovenian minnesang beforehand.... Trevrezent tells us about one event around 1200 AD, when he rode under Hollenburg: "Then came valorous Slovenian men as lancers toward me" (cf. A. Weiß: Kärnthens Adel bis zum Jahre 1300, Vienna 1869, p. 44). Hollenburg (Humperk in Slovenian) is a castle above the Drava River south of Klagenfurt/Celovec (Carinthia, Austria). At the same time, Wolfram von Eschenbach in his poem Parzival (496, 15-18) has his hero recite: And when I, seeking adventures, came to Rohas (Rogatec), a group of Slovenian noblemen made a stand with spears against me (da kom ein werdiu windesch diet uz durch tjoste gegenbiet). Rogatec is a little town east of Celje (Slovenia).

However, at that time Slovenian language was still written in Glagolic script, very difficult to manage and was used in liturgical services only. Therefore, in Carantania chivalric poetry in German language was recorded in Latin script and preserved forever.

At the service of the ladies

The chivalric poetry of that time paid particular attention and courtesy to the ladies, to whom the knights rendered their great love and kindness . Such a slogan dominated also Carantanian poetry and songs. In 1255, the minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein wrote a poem called vrouven dienst (Frauendienst), "at the service of the ladies", in which he described an interesting journey. Its contents is briefly as follows:

The Coat of Arms of the Liechtenstein family

	•	The coat of arms of the Liechtenstein family: Argent, two bends sable. This family origins from the second marriage of the noble Dietmar of Offenburg (ca. 1075), the castle of whom was to be found near Pöls, north of Judenburg (today Styria). The family arms reflect the banner of the northern commando of the one-time Carantanian army. The most famous member of this family was Ulric von Liechtenstein (ca. 1200 - 1275)

	•	On the right one can see his image (from the Manuscript of Heidelberg, after 1300). Since 1245 he was governor of Styria, but he was still more famous as a Minnesaenger. In 1227, he began his journey dressed as Queen Venus (see his Crest) from Venice to Bohemia. In Carinthia he was accepted by Duke Bernard and his knights with the thundering Slovenian greeting: Buge waz primi Gralva Venus! (God receive you, Kingly Venus).

In 1227, Ulrich started a journey from Venice to Vienna and Bohemia. He was dressed as Queen Venus, the Godess of Love. He notified many knights of his tour, who lived in the countryside along his way and invited them to fight with him in honour of the ladies. On the 1st of May, Ulrich and his escorts arrived at the Carantanian border, where Duke Bernard and his knights awaited them, crying out in chorus the Slovenian greeting: Buge was primi Gralva Venus!

	If cited word for word, this greeting in Ulrich's poem means: Let God receive you, kingly Venus! Then the procession moved along within Carantania. In the following days, Ulrich fought with many knights in honour of the ladies and brought them rings, vingerlin, in recognition of their courage.

As time passed by, Ulrich and his escort proceeded to Styria, and on the 11th of May they arrived in Kindberg in the Upper Mura Valley. There, a messenger rode close to Ulrich saying, that he was eagerly expected by a Slovenian lady, a windisch wip, who wanted to fight the kingly Venus according to chivalric customs. No knights could be found in her environs, who were willing to fight with Queen Venus, therefore it was the Slovenian lady's explicit desire to fight against "her" with a spear. Ulrich decided, after a spirited dialogue with the messenger, to fight the Slovenian lady, for he understood that "she" was no one else but the lord of the region, Otto von Buchs.

Then, the Slovenian "lady" indeed arrived on horseback. Her horse was covered all over with a blue silk rug, decorated with wreaths of high coloured flowers. In her hand "she" carried a spear ornamented also with wreaths. Two long breads hung from her head down to the saddle. "She" wore "godeshe" belonging to the dress of Slovenian women, and on her head a "schapel", very expensive and rich. Seeing this, Queen Venus (Ulrich) grabbed her spear as well, and both "ladies" rode against each other with top speed. They rushed their spears into one another's shields, so that small pieces of broken weapons burst all around. So ended the fight between Queen Venus and the Slovenian lady.

The seal of Henry Schärffenberg

	•	The seal of Henry Schärffenberg (September 25, 1244), which is seen on the left, pertains to the so-called rose seals (Rosensiegel) which in the 13th century were in vogue in Inner Austria (Carantania)

	•	The arms of the Ostrovrhars, the knights of Svibno (Schärffenberg) - on the right - were published in the "Sancti Christophori am Arlberg" Buch, the register of arms (14/15th century). This family was very famous, they owned the castle in Svibno near Radece and were mentioned already in the 13th century. Their members fought in the wars against the Turks.

	•	Their first arms: Argent, a crown sable (in Zürcher Wappenrolle, ca 1340). Then, the colours were changed.

	•	In 1717 the Ostrovrhars (Schärffenberg) received the title of Counts († 1847).

The rose was his symbol when he was "serving a lady". In general it was the sign of the minnesingers; however, in a particular manner the Carantanian knights experienced the rose as a symbol of love. The Carantanian knights, for a certain time, had even their seals made in form of a rose. Such was the fashion between 1230 and 1270.

The rose seal was compounded in general out of five petals onto the owner's shield, which altogether formed a rose. The minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein was the first one to have such an impressed rose seal, in 1232. Then, the rose seal came into fashion all over the Carantanian lands, embracing in the 2nd half of the century also Austria, Tyrol and Friuli.

The chapter concerning the Carantanian (Slovenian) knights is an ulterior part of Slovenian history, which was ignored by historians in Slovenia after the WW1 and the WW2, i.e., during the whole period of the existence of Yugoslavia. This government was determined to hide Slovenian history, so that it would not appear too glorious and thereby overshadow the historic past of Serbians and Croats. It was, and still today is taught throughout the school apparatus that Slovenians did not possess gentry and nobility in their history, for they were under the German yoke. In this way they should be looked upon as an inferior nation in confront to their "brethren", the Serbs and the Croats. Nevertheless, the truth is another thing.

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The Counts of Celje

A Question of History and Ideology

Georg Matthäus Vischer: Celje (Cilli), pen-and-ink drawing, 1681

	•	On the left: Arms of the Counts of Celje (G. van Ceely): Azure, three six-pointed mullets in or

•

Crest: A wing charged with the arms. Mantling azure, semé of mullets as in the arms. From "Wapenboeck" par Gelre ca. 1370 - 1386. The original is in the Royal Library in Brussels. - These arms originated from the Counts of Vovbre/Heunburg, the heirs who were in fact the Counts of Celje (in the mother's line).

by Dr. Jožko Šavli, FAS, KdB, FSAI

Fellow of the Augustan Society

Knight de Bryan

Fellow of Sodality of the Ark International

During the time between WW1 and WW2 Slovenian history suffered. The Slovenians' way of thinking was misleadingly directed to the destiny of the Counts of Celje, by representing them as the only noble family of Slovenian origin. Thus, they should personalise the nascent Slovenian State in the Middle ages. Unfortunately, the murder of the last member of this family, in 1456, has entombed all the endeavours of a proper State for Slovenians. And so, the domination of the "German" Habsburgs continued over the Slovenian people. Even after centuries, at the end of WW1, when their domination finally was over, the Slovenians were redeemed by their Serbian brethren.

Thereafter, several Slovenian writers were incited to deal with the subject of this family. The saddening fate of the Counts of Celje should also reflect the destiny of the Slovenian people throughout history, whereby the Habsburg family was always portrayed as the scapegoat. The motto "Counts of Celje today and never more" presented in a dramatic piece, was drummed into the minds of Slovenian pupils. It should symbolise the failure of all endeavours to form a proper state, to form their own Slovenia, which was denied by the Habsburgs, i.e., the "German" Austria, until the end of WW1. These endeavours should only be realised in a fraternal Yugoslavia.

Such an interpretation is certainly an ideological one. But by putting the accentuation on the Counts of Celje and their impact in Slovenian history, they disregarded the most important historical fact of the early Slovenian State of Carantania by dismissing it as a "period of short duration". In this sense, in the one-time Yugoslavia, Serbians, Croatians and Macedonians were presented with their early proper state, whereas Slovenians in their history should have only tasted the "endeavours" of it.

Moreover, the shield of Celje, in origin of Vovbre (Heunburg), was chosen without stated reasons as the coat of arms for Slovenia, and has been preserved as such until WW2. Then, it changed its emblem favouring the Soviet Communist ideology. After the declaration of independence of Slovenia, it was changed for another emblem outside of all heraldic norms. What's the matter?

In 1341, the first Count of Celje (Cilli, in German records) appeared, he was Frederic I († 1360). His father was Ulric (II), a nobleman of Zovnek (Saneck) a castle situated in the Savinja Valley, West of Celje. The Zovnek nobles derived from Gebhard I, mentioned ca. 1130 - 1173, a descendant of the ancient Margraves of the Savinja (Sann) March. His mother was Catherine, Countess of Vovbre (Heunburg) from Eastern Carinthia. She was the last and therefore the heiress of her family. From her derived the title of "Counts".

Count Frederic I was married to Ann of Walsee. Out of this matrimony derived Ulric I († 1368), Herman I († 1385), further Catherine, married with Albert of Goerz in first, and with Hans Waldburg in second law; further Anna († 1354) married with Otto of Ortenburg.

Count Ulric I was married to Adelheid of Ortenburg, and they had a son called William († 1392). He married Anna, a Polish Princess, daughter of King Casimir, the last member of the royal family of Piasts. Their daughter Anna († 1416) married Vladislav Jagiello, another Polish King, who was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Count Herman I married in 1361 the daughter of Stephen II Kotromanic, the Ban (sovereign) of Bosnia. Their children were Hans († 1372) and Herman II († 1435). The last was the most important representative of the Celje stock. His consort was Countess Anna of Schaunburg (in Upper Austria). Their children were Ludovic († 1417), Elisabeth († 1400), married to Henry of Goerz; Frederic II († 1454), married to Elisabeth of Frangipani in first, and with Veronica of Desenice in second law († 1425); further Anna († 1465), married with Nicola II Gorjanski; Herman III († 1426), married with Elisabeth, Countess of Abensberg (Upper Austria) in first, and with Beatrix, daughter of the Bavarian duke Ernst, in second law. Another daughter of Herman II, Barbara of Celje († 1451) pertains to the most important historical personalities in Slovenian history. She was married to Sigmund of Luxemburg, King of Hungary (later of Germany, of Bohemia, of Italy) and Emperor. Herman II' natural son was Herman († 1421), Bishop of Freising (1412) and then of Trento.

Seal of Ulric II, State Prince, Count of Celje

	•	In the middle, the second Arms of Celje: quarterly, 2nd and 3rd: barry of 5 gules and argent (Zovnek/Saneck); 1st and 4th: Azure, three six-pointed mullets or (Vovbre/Heunburg). Under it the date MCCCCXLIII (1443).

	•	On the left: the arms of Croatia (Dalmatia)

	•	On the right: the arms of Ortenburg. The legend says: Sigillum Udalrici Dei gra(tia) Cille Orte(m)burge Segarieg(ue) (e)tc an(n)o.

	•	To the right: the second arms of Celje and the arms of Ortenburg in colours.

Count Frederic II continued the lineage. His children were Ulric II († 1456), Frederic III, and his natural son Hans. Ulric II married Catherine, daughter of Georg Brankovic, the despot of Serbia. Their children died young: Herman IV († 1452), Georg († 1443), and Elisabeth (†1455). In this way, Count Ulric II became the last member of his family, but was killed in Belgrade by order of Laszlo Hunyady in the war against the Turks.

In the female line, the Counts of Celje descend from the Counts of Vovbre (Heunburg), whose first ancestor was Gero I (mentioned between 1050 and 1072). He was the consort of St. Emma's daughter, whose name has not been mentioned in the records. The succession in the female line, in this case the Countess Catherine of Vovbre and her son Count Frederic I of Celje, furnishes clear evidence of the Carantanian law called for in the charter institutio Sclavenica. In sense of this, the daughter too can be the heiress and can continue the line.

The Counts of Celje threatened seriously the supremacy of the Habsburgs in Inner Austria (Carantanian lands). In 1436, when Emperor Sigmund of Luxemburg nominated them to State Princes - obviously through the intervention of his consort Barbara of Celje - the Habsburgs did not recognise the advancement of their "vassals" to princes, and started a war against the Counts of Celje. Finally, the war came to an end by signing a hereditary contract with the following amendment: If the lineage of the Counts of Celje reaches its extinction first, the Habsburgs should become their heirs, and vice versa.

In this sense, the Counts of Celje were suitable to represent Great-Serbia as forerunners of the Yugoslav idea (ideology) because of their one-time relationship with Kotromanic in Bosnia and Brankovic in Serbia, as well as their position as Bans (regents) of Croatia. Based on these facts, they were declared of Slovenian origin.

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Anna of Celje

Queen of Poland

(1382 - 1416)

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

In 1370, the Polish King Casimir III the Great died, he was the last member of the famous Piast family, since he was survived by two daughters, but no male heirs. It was Casimir's wish that his nephew Louis the Great (1342 - 1382), the Hungarian king and son of his sister Elisabeth should ascend the Polish throne. In Krakow Louis proclaimed himself as "King of Poland and Hungary". He originated from the Sicilian line of the well-known distinguished Anjou dynasty.

However, he found no acceptance among the circles of the proud Polish nobility, who devoted their full attention to the Princesses Anna and Hedwig, Casimir's daughters. Consequently, Louis made arrangements to have them sent abroad to Buda in Hungary, and soon after he selected also proper bridegrooms for the princesses. Hedwig was given to a Styrian noble, whereas the elder Anna was destined to marry the widower William I, Count of Celje (Cilli). The wedding contract between William of Celje and Anna Piastowna was signed in 1382. Out of this union was born Countess Anna of Celje. Her childhood was an unhappy one, because her father had the peculiar characteristics of an elder knight, who was primarily interested in hunting and battle skills. After William's death, in 1392, his consort, Anna Piastowna, mother of young Countess Anna, married a Bavarian count, Teck by name, and left for Germany († 1425).

Young Anna of Celje was entrusted to her uncle Count Herman II of Celje, her father's cousin. He was a severe patron, and moreover, he was married with Anna von Schaumburg, a Bavarian countess, who was obsessed with the idea to introduce German customs at the court of Celje.

In the meantime Louis the Great of Anjou-Sicily, King of Poland and Hungary, after having removed the princesses from the Polish throne, destined as heiresses to the kingdom his own daughters after his death in 1382:

Hungary was given to the elder daughter Maria. She was married to Sigmund von Luxembourg, son of Carl IV, Emperor and King of Bohemia. But she passed away already in 1395, and later Sigmund took as second wife the beautiful Barbara of Celje.

Poland was given to Hedwig (Jadwiga), the younger daughter. She was not more then 16 years old, when she had to leave for Krakow. There, as Queen Hedwig, she was treated with great respect, and it did not take long before she grew fond of the Poles. Not only, because she was a descendant of the Piasts from her grandmother's side, but also for her outstanding features of mildness and religiousness. Nevertheless, political and state affairs demanded a leader and required from her to agree to a marriage with Jagiello, the great prince of Lithuania, who at that time was still a pagan ruler over an empire, that reached from the Baltic to the Black Sea, including Byelorussia. He let himself baptize and in 1386, he married Hedwig, Queen of Poland. His adopted name was Vladislav II Jagiello, and under his unique crown Poland and Lithuania were unified into a potent monarchy.

The kingly couple expected for some years the birth of an heir. Unfortunately, in 1399 Queen Hedwig died in childbirth. Her love for Poland was so immense, that she sacrificed her personal felicity for the country, and finally, she also wreathed it with the glory of the Piasts. Her consort Jagiello had to promise, that after her death he would marry Anna of Celje, who on her mother's line was a direct descendant of the Piast family.

King Vladislav II Jagiello fulfilled his promise in July 1401, when his delegation from Poland arrived in Celje to ask in his name for Anna's hand. Count Herman II of Celje was delighted, because he soon valued the new political influence that he would gain with this marriage. Therefore, he gave luncheons in honour of the Poles, and he also let call Anna's mother from Bavaria so that she would accompany her daughter on her entry in Krakow.

Queen Anna of Celje and King Vladislav II Jagiello.

The images were taken from two different woodcuts.

After her arrival in Poland, Anna had to learn the Polish language. She would not be able to become queen without proper knowledge of the language. The study lasted seven months before she passed her final examination. In November 1401, the wedding contract was signed with Jagiello, and in January 1402 the marriage took place in the Cathedral of Krakow. On March 25, 1403, she was crowned as Polish Queen. On this special occasion all Provincial States gathered around the throne, because the new Queen of Poland, Anna of Celje, was the granddaughter of Casimir III the Great.

Anna was 20 years old, when the coronation took place. She received all properties that were connected with her rank. She accompanied her consort on his journeys upon the country; she was sitting beside him when diplomat meetings, court entertainments and tourneys were held. She also had her place beside him on the throne. Nevertheless, when Poland found itself in a very critical situation, she even played her historical role in its salvation.

Marienburg, the central castle of the Theutonic Knights, that was to be found east of Danzig/Gdansk. It was renowned by Germany close before WW2. When at the end of the war the Sowjet army occupied this land, they destroyed it anew. In the right we see the coat of arms of the Teutonic Order.

At that time, the chief enemy of Poland was the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Knights had their centre in Marienburg near the Baltic Sea, south-east of Danzig (Gdansk). They controlled the entire eastern Baltic coasts with very important ports like Königsberg in Prussia, Riga in Latvia and Reval (Talinn) in Estonia. The princes of the German confederation, as well as the Habsburgs in Austria and Sigmund of Luxembourg, who ruled in Hungary and in Bohemia were standing on their side. Poland was encircled from north, west and south. It was a matter of survival.

Count Herman II of Celje (Cilli), father of Barbara, Queen and Empress. He was the most famous of all members of the Celje House and a skilful diplomat († 1435). In 1410, he travelled to Krakow to visit his niece Ann, Queen of Poland, and he secretly assured her consort, King Vladimir II Jagiello, that Poland did not need to fear a Hungarian intrusion from the south. In this way, the Polish king could direct all his forces toward the north, against the Teutonic Order, and he was victorious in the historical battle of Tannenberg - Grünwald. This picture is a reconstruction after Herman's cranium made by the painter Rudi Španzel.

In Krakow it was well-known that the Counts of Cilli were the silent adversaries of the Habsburgs. Therefore, Queen Anna invited her uncle, Count Herman II, on a visit to Poland. This invitation is still conserved in the documents of the "Monumenta medii aevi res gestes Poloniae Illustrantia" (XII, 38). It was Easter, in 1410, when Count Herman II came to Krakow. It appeared to be quite natural, that Count Herman II made frequent visits to his one-time protégé Anna, and the German observers in Poland had no foreboding of the very reasons.

In conversation with King Vladislav II Jagiello he was informed about the salvation of the Polish Kingdom threatened by the Teutonic Order that was already in war with the Lithuanians. But also Sigmund Luxembourg from Hungary and Bohemia incited Teutonic Knights to a war with Poland. The very experienced diplomat Herman II, who was the father of Countess Barbara, the Hungarian Queen, could only assure Jagiello, that the situation for Sigmund in his kingdom is so precarious, that he under no circumstances could enter a war, if he does not want to lose his throne. This news was of strategic importance for Poland. It meant that King Jagiello could concentrate all forces toward north, i.e., toward the Teutonic Knights.

The Battle near Tannenberg - Grunwald 1410

The battle near Tannenberg - Grunwald, on July 15, 1410, where the Teutonic Knights suffered a defeat from the united forces of Poland and Lithuania, under the command of King Vladislav II Jagiello.

Painting of Wojcieck Kossak, Muzeum Olsztyn (Allenstein), Poland.

Teutonic Knights reckoned that Sigmund Luxembourg would certainly attack Poland from the South. Only the Polish and the Lithuanian army was aware of the fact that this never would occur, and all combat forces were directed to the frontier of eastern Prussia, which was the state of the Teutonic Order.

On July 15, 1410, both armies were facing each other in combat near Tannenberg (in German) or Grunwald (in Polish). The Teutonic Knights employed 20,000 men under the commando of Ulrich von Jüngingen, the great master of the Order. Under the commando of Jagiello, the Polish king, were 30,000 men, i.e., the Polish and the Lithuanian army. At the beginning, the initiative was in the hands of the Teutonic Knights, who obliged the Lithuanias to retreat.

Ulrich von Jüngingen, the Great Master and commander of the Teutonic Knights in the battle near Tannenberg. He was killed in action.

But soon after they were encircled by the formations of the Poles and their reserves. The situation at the front took a turn, the knights were set to fight. The great master and many of his high commanders fell on the battlefield. It ended in a disaster for the Teutonic Order and the German feudal principalities and towns that participated in this battle. After several ulterior conflicts, a peace treaty was signed at the beginning of 1411.

The Order lost its operative superiority, its prestige and the confidence of the public, and it gradually began to decline, becoming less and less attractive for young noblemen. A new battle broke out in 1419, and another peace treaty was signed in 1422 giving Poland the lands of Cuiavia, Lithuania and Samogizia.

In 1412, Count Hermann II of Celje intervened again as an intermediary at the Polish court. He tried to solve a new quarrel between Poland and Hungary. The quarrel started with a question, that already for a long time remained in abeyance: Already in 1367 the principalities of Moldavia and Volhynia threw off the supremacy of the Hungarian king and went under the protection of Poland. This was a good enough reason for Sigmund Luxembourg, the Hungarian king, to create a plot against Poland by instigating against Vladislav II Jagiello his cousin Vitautas (Vitold), the Prince of Lithuania.

In the same year, through the initiative of Herman II, a meeting was held in his presence in Lubowla, Poland, among the Polish and the Hungarian king, as well as the Lithuanian prince. There, the Hungarian King Sigmund engaged himself, not to sustain any further the Teutonic Knights, and to renounce Moldavia and Volhynia. To Vitautas was the title of "grand prince" acknowledged. The document about this meeting also bears the seal of Herman II (Codex Germaniae Diplomaticus).

Queen Anna of Celje played in the decisive battle of 1410 a strategic role. Without inviting her uncle, Count Herman II, to Krakow, asking him for support, and without Herman's assurance, that the Hungarian king was not in a position to attack Poland from the south, the battle of Tannenberg would probably have been a loss for Jagiello. Anna of Celje sacrificed herself for Poland. However, she could not give a son to her husband, a true successor to the throne. But she gave birth to a daughter called Hedwig (Jadwiga), who, still being in her childhood, was engaged to Frederic Hohenzollern. Queen Anna of Celje died in 1416 after a long illness, and was buried in the royal vault at Wawel in Krakow.

~~~~~

Barbara of Celje

(1388 - 1451)

Queen and Empress

Who Decided the Fate of Europe

Barbara and her daughter Elisabeth are lead to Mass

(Chronicle of Council of Constance, of Ulric von Richental, 1482).

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

In 1396, while fighting against the Turks near Nikopol at the Danube in Bulgaria, Herman II Count of Celje, (now belonging to Slovenia), saved the life of Sigmund of Luxemburg, King of Hungary and son of Emperor Carl IV. King Sigmund rewarded Herman generously by bestowing him with many properties. The year before, in 1395, Sigmund became a widower, when his wife Mary, the Hungarian Queen, died. She was the daughter and heiress of Louis the Great († 1382), from the Anjou-Sicily line.

Portrait of Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg, (painting by Pisanello ca 1433).

Tempera on vellum stuck on wood, 64 x 49 cm - (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)

In 1405, Sigmund married Barbara of Celje, Herman's daughter, born in 1388. Barbara was a very beautiful, clever and also sophisticated noblewoman. She spoke Slovenian, German and Latin. Later on she also learned to speak other languages and was an adversary to his mother, Anna of Schaumburg, a Bavarian countess, who introduced German customs to the courts of Celje. On Barbara's request, her father removed the German chancellor and customs, which were introduced at the courts and castles in Celje. His army consisted only of Slovenian soldiers.

At Easter in 1410, Herman II of Celje was invited to Krakow by his niece Anna of Celje, the Polish Queen. During his visit he confided to her husband Vladislav II Jagiello, the Polish King, valuable information, which was entrusted to him by his daughter Barbara: "Sigmund, the Hungarian King, cannot reckon support from his grandees and therefore never would assault Poland from the south, otherwise he will loose his throne".

In this way the Polish King had time to direct his armed forces toward the North, and on July15th he defeated near Tannenberg (Grunwald) the knights of the potent Teutonic Order, who threatened his kingdom.

Barbara of Celje (Cilli), she married Sigmund of Luxemburg and became Queen of Hungary, and thereafter Queen of Bohemia, Germany, Italy, and finally Empress. She is undoubtedly the most visible female figure in Slovenian history († 1451). This picture of her has been taken as part of a bigger scene from the altar relief in the church of Ptujska gora (Maria Neustift), Lower Styria (Slovenia).

In 1414, Sigmund and Barbara were crowned in Aachen as King and Queen of Germany (ancient Kingdom of Eastern Franks). Afterwards they proceeded to the Council in Constance, where at that point in time the Czech reformer Jan Hus was condemned to the stake. Such an action caused fights with the Hussites in Bohemia for many long years until finally they were defeated by Sigmund's General Jan Zizka. In 1419, Sigmund and Barbara were crowned as King and Queen of Bohemia, since Sigmund's father, Emperor Charles IV, was also the Czech King, known as Charles I.

The defeat of the Hussites invigorated the German faction, not only in Bohemia but also in Hungary. This faction saw in Barbara, and not without good reason, its principal adversary. Through false information she was calumniated persistently as unfaithful to her husband. The enraged Sigmund banished her and their infant daughter Elisabeth far away to the town of Varadin. When the Polish King visited Hungary he had the royal consorts reconcile, for which Barbara and her father Herman II remained forever grateful to him.

Nevertheless, since then Barbara's influence in the Hungarian Court was very curtailed. In 1421, she could not hinder the marriage of her young daughter Elisabeth with Albert V of Habsburg (Albertine line), the ruler of Austria.

Already in 1420 the friendship between Sigmund and the Polish King was dissolved. On the Diet in Breslau, where Sigmund was elected to umpire the quarrel between Poland and the Teutonic Knights, he found himself on part of the latter. In the year 1429 Sigmund suffered a defeat from the Turks. In his opinion Alexander's (Prince of Wallachia) behaviour caused this defeat and he burdened him with guilt . However, Alexander was a vassal of the Polish King and under his protection. A very offended Sigmund tried to persuade the Grand Duke Vitold of Lithuania, to secede himself from Poland. But unfortunately, the poor man fall of his horse and perished.

In 1431, in Milan, Sigmund and Barbara were crowned King and Queen of Italy (the ancient Kingdom of Middle Franks). In 1433, in Rome, the Pope crowned them Emperor and Empress. In this way they lived as role models in the foreground of Christian Europe representing the Holy Roman Empire.

However, more bad news awaited Barbara. In 1435, her father Count Herman II of Celje and his friend, the Polish King, passed away. The forces of her consort declined too. Now the aspirations of the Habsburgs to strive after the Hungarian crown became more and more evident.

In an effort to stop the Habsburgs and the German penetration towards East, her consort nominated in 1436 Barbara's brother Frederic II and her nephew Ulric II as Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. This was obviously done on her request and it paved the way for the County of Celje to became the immediate Principality of the Empire. Although, the Counts of Celje were the former vassals of Inner Austria (ancient Carantania), ruled by Duke Frederic V of Habsburg (Leopoldinian line), who tarried at that time in Palestine. Once returned, he did not recognize Sigmund's nomination and started a fight with the Counts of Celje which lasted a very long time.

Barbara tried to hinder the Habsburgs in organizing a more potent block and she planned to unite Hungary, Bohemia and Poland under a unique crown. But she was stopped by Sigmund and interned in the Bohemian town of Znojmo. In 1437 Sigmund died.

On the 1st day of 1438 the Hungarian Diet elected as their new king Albert I of Habsburg, the consort of Barbara's daughter Elisabeth. After a few months he also was elected King of Germany, where he was known as Albert II. The Empress and Queen Barbara did not tolerate this action and escaped to Poland. There she was received in a solemn way by King Vladislaus III Jagiello.

The same year Albert II invaded Bohemia and crowned himself as King of Bohemia. But the Hussites rebelled again and turned to the Polish King for help. Albert II was constrained to ask for armistice, because the Turks invaded Hungary near Belgrade anew. He went to combat them and died on his return from diarrhea. Hungary was anew without a ruler.

However, Queen Elisabeth gave birth to a son after Albert's death and called him Ladislaus Posthumous. She wanted to assure him the kingdom, and let the child crown. But mother Barbara insisted to nominate Vladislaus III Jagiello as the new Hungarian king. It came to a struggle between the Polish party in Hungary and the partisans of Queen Elisabeth. They were conquered by the party and the Hungarian crown was given to the Polish King. In 1442, Queen Elisabeth died, her mind and body was completely exhausted from all the countless struggles and fighting.

Empress Barbara left Poland and settled down in her Castle Melnik in Bohemia. Vladislaus III Jagiello, King of Poland and Hungary, fell while fighting the Turks near Varna (Bulgaria), in 1444. In Hungary he was succeeded by Ladislaus Posthumous († 1457), and in Poland by his brother Casimir IV Jagiello († 1492). The latter was married to Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Albert II and Elisabeth, a niece of Barbara.

Barbara of Celje

Barbara of Celje, Queen and Empress, died in 1451. For a century