Stephen, Duke of Slavonia

Stephen
Duke of Transylvania, Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia
Stephen with his mother and brothers
Born	26 December 1332
Died	9 August 1354(1354-08-09) (aged 21)
Burial	Székesfehérvár Basilica
Spouse	Margaret of Bavaria
Issue	John, Duke of Slavonia Elizabeth, Princess of Taranto
House	Capetian House of Anjou
Father	Charles I of Hungary
Mother	Elizabeth of Poland
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Stephen, Duke of Slavonia (26 December 1332 – 9 August 1354), was a Hungarian prince of the Capetian House of Anjou who served as governor of the provinces of Transylvania, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Croatia during the reign of his brother, King Louis I.

Youth

Stephen was the youngest of five sons born to Charles I and his third wife, Elizabeth of Poland. Of the five, Louis, Andrew and Stephen survived infancy. Charles granted Louis and Stephen the duchies of Transylvania and Slavonia respectively, though they did not assume direct government of the provinces; Andrew, on the other hand, became Duke of Calabria by marrying the heiress apparent to the Neapolitan throne (the future Joan I of Naples). Louis became king upon their father's death in 1342, and Andrew was assassinated in Naples in 1345; the latter's son, Charles Martel, died the next year. This turn of events made Stephen heir presumptive to the childless King Louis.^[1]

Dukedom

In 1349, Stephen was given a household of his own and a small region to govern the counties of Szepes and Sáros. Louis went to Naples to avenge Andrew's death in 1350; Stephen and his mother functioned jointly as lieutenants of the kingdom for a short while. Upon his return, Louis made Stephen Duke of Transylvania. In 1351, he also made him Duke of Croatia and Dalmatia, before finally trusting him with the government of Slavonia in 1353. Stephen's political role was nevertheless rather insignificant.^[1]

Stephen died in 1354. He was survived by his wife, Margaret of Bavaria, and their two children, Elizabeth and John of Slavonia. John succeeded Stephen as duke and heir presumptive to the Hungarian throne, with Margaret as his guardian, but soon died in infancy.^[1]

Ancestry

References