Ave!
Hungary, Queen Maria, Silver Dinar, ca.1382-1395 AD
Silver; 14mm/0.4gm
Con/ Extremely Fine for the issue
Obv/ + MON SIGISMVNDI; Patriarchal cross
Rev/ + MONETA MARIA; Large M surmounted by Crown of Hungary
Seller's Note/Maria of Anjou (1371 – 1395), reigned as Queen of Hungary and Croatia (formally "king") between 1382 and 1385, and from 1386 until her death. She was the daughter of Louis the Great, King of Hungary and Poland, and his wife, Elizabeth of Bosnia. Mary's marriage to Sigismund of Luxembourg, a member of the imperial Luxembourg dynasty, was already decided before her first birthday. A delegation of Polish prelates and lords confirmed her right to succeed her father in Poland in 1379.
To strengthen Mary's position, the queen mother, Queen Elizabeth of Bosnia, wanted her to marry Louis, the younger brother of Charles VI of France. Their engagement was announced in May 1385.
In the meantime, Charles III of Naples landed in Dalmatia in September 1385. Sigismund of Luxembourg invaded Upper Hungary (now Slovakia), forcing the queen mother to give Mary in marriage to him in October. However, they could not prevent Charles from entering Buda. After Mary renounced the throne, Charles was crowned king on 31 December 1385, but he was murdered at the instigation of Mary's mother in February 1386!
Mary was restored, but the slaughtered king's supporters captured her and her mother on 25 July. Queen Elizabeth was murdered in January 1387, but Mary was released on 4 June 1387. Mary officially remained the co-ruler with Sigismund, who had meanwhile been crowned king, but her influence on the government was minimal. She and her premature son died after falling from her horse during a hunting trip. She was only 24 years old at the time of her untimely death but what a tumultuous life she had.
The 2nd photo is Mary as depicted in the Chronica Hungarorum. In the last photo, we see Nicholas Garai defending his sovereign Mary and her mother Elizabeth from the evil Croatians. By Mihály Kovács.