There are several legends that pass between the generations in Croatia about the Black Queen, but no-one quite knows what the truth is about this mysterious figure. We know that Barbara of Celj was born in 1392 to nobleman Hermann II of Celj. At a young age she was betrothed to the much older King Sigismund of Luxembourg. It seems she was an intelligent and hypnotically beautiful woman who found herself ruling Croatia in her husband’s absence. And here’s where the stories diverge. Was she a merciless ruler, governing with a rod of iron and little pity in her heart? Or was she deeply misunderstood, unpopular simply for being a politically astute woman? On the one hand she is said to have refused water from her plenteous well to her fellow citizens during a drought. On the other she is said to have summoned unearthly forces to create the Plitvice Lakes and bring water to her people. Where does the truth lie? The debate goes on.
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