A Daring Raid
Helene, later a member of Elisabeth's court, wrote a book around 1451 entitled Denkwürdigkeiten (= Reminiscences) in which she provides a first-person account of the theft of the Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen on February 20, 1440. This was an action in which she participated at the request of Queen Elisabeth, widow of King Albert. This crown was considered holy by the Hungarian people. It was then stored at the Hungarian stronghold of Visegrád.
Helene noted in her book that she exposed herself and her family to great danger by assisting the queen in her efforts to obtain the crown. In an atmosphere of political intrigue, where death was a common punishment for many crimes, Helene apparently had reservations concerning the advisibility of the queen's request: "The queen's request frightened me, for it meant great danger for me and my little children." In her writing she describes how she prayed for success and promised to make a barefoot pilgrimage to Zell. At least two assistants accompanied Helene, who did the breaking in while Helene kept watch. After they got the crown without attracting attention, they locked the doors again and fixed the queen's seal.
The crown was smuggled out of Visegrad inside a pillow. Helene took the crown with her in her sledge and she described worrying about the ice on the Danube breaking as she crossed it. The golden cross on top of the crown was however bent as they fled, and is still visible in this condition today.
Helene Kottanner then brought the crown secretly to queen Elisabeth who was hiding from her enemies at the castle of Komorn She witnessed the birth of Ladislaus the Posthumous who in her eyes was the natural heir to the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia.
Helene noted in her book that the timing had been close: "Within the same hour in which the Holy Crown arrived from Plintenburg in Komorn, within that same hour King Laszlo was born." Helene further stated in her book that she thought that this was clearly God's will at work.
Read more about this topic: Helene Kottannerin
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