I, Helene Kottannerin
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€21.99
A01=Christina Lutter
A01=Julia Burkhardt
Author_Christina Lutter
Author_Julia Burkhardt
autobiography
Category=JBSF1
Category=NHDJ
Category=NHTB
court intrigue
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
female agency
fifteenth century
Helene Kottanner
historical source
Hungarian crown
medieval history
middle high German
personal testimony
political uncertainty
Queen Elizabeth
royal succession
visegrad
women's writing
Product details
- ISBN 9781487565305
- Weight: 260g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 24 Mar 2026
- Publisher: University of Toronto Press
- Publication City/Country: CA
- Product Form: Paperback
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This remarkable translation portrays Helene Kottannerin’s thrilling and rare autobiographical tale of stealing the Hungarian royal crown in 1440 to protect the throne for the unborn heir of Queen Elizabeth of Luxembourg.
In a time of political uncertainty following King Albert II’s death, the pregnant and widowed queen entrusted her lady-in-waiting, Helene, with the daring mission to retrieve the kingdom’s Holy Crown from the castle of Visegrád. Helene’s successful theft not only altered the course of Hungarian history but also inspired her to compose one of the most extraordinary autobiographical documents of late medieval Central Europe – a rarity for its time, especially from a woman’s perspective. Esteemed historians and translators Julia Burkhardt, Christina Lutter, and Jonathan R. Lyon offer an up-to-date English translation of Helene’s vivid narrative, originally written in Early New High German. Supplemented by the authors’ insightful commentary on the history, culture, and implications surrounding Helene’s actions and writing, this book is a unique historical source accessible to students and general readers alike.
Helene’s enthralling story provides an unparalleled window into the world of fifteenth-century court politics, female agency, and the power of personal testimony.
In a time of political uncertainty following King Albert II’s death, the pregnant and widowed queen entrusted her lady-in-waiting, Helene, with the daring mission to retrieve the kingdom’s Holy Crown from the castle of Visegrád. Helene’s successful theft not only altered the course of Hungarian history but also inspired her to compose one of the most extraordinary autobiographical documents of late medieval Central Europe – a rarity for its time, especially from a woman’s perspective. Esteemed historians and translators Julia Burkhardt, Christina Lutter, and Jonathan R. Lyon offer an up-to-date English translation of Helene’s vivid narrative, originally written in Early New High German. Supplemented by the authors’ insightful commentary on the history, culture, and implications surrounding Helene’s actions and writing, this book is a unique historical source accessible to students and general readers alike.
Helene’s enthralling story provides an unparalleled window into the world of fifteenth-century court politics, female agency, and the power of personal testimony.
Julia Burkhardt is a professor of medieval history at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich.
Christina Lutter is a professor of history at the Institute for Austrian Historical Research at the University of Vienna.
Jonathan R. Lyon is a professor of history of the high and late Middle Ages at the University of Vienna.
