2014 Slovenia €2 Coin Issue "Coronation of Barbara of Cilli 600 Years"

• Mint: Royal Dutch Mint
• Denomination: €2
• Quality: Proof/UNC
• Issue limit: 10,000/1 million
• Alloy: Base Metal
• Diameter: 25.75 mm
• Weight: 8.5 grams
• Design: studiobotas
• Box/Capsule: No/No
• Certificate: No

Additional Information

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Barbara of Cilli was born around 1392 in Cilli, the youngest daughter of Hermann II, Count of Cilli, and Countess Anna of Schaumburg. In 1405 she married Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary, and was simultaneously crowned Queen of Hungary. In 1411, Sigismund was elected Holy Roman Emperor, and was crowned King of Germany in Aachen on 8 November 1414. He exercised the right to have his wife crowned alongside him, and Barbara of Cilli thus became Queen of Germany, which legitimately placed her at the very summit of the state authorities. On 11 February 1437 in Prague she was crowned Queen of Bohemia in her own right. In 1441 she left for Mělník, where she died on 11 July 1451. She is buried in Prague, in St Vitus Cathedral in Hradčany, where a number of European rulers are also buried.

Barbara of Cilli was an important representative of the Counts of Cilli in the highest circles of European nobility. She played a major role in establishing peace between the Polish crown and the Teutonic Knights, and in the alliance between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the kingdoms of Poland and Hungary. Barbara also used her royal status to advance the Counts of Cilli. With Sigismund she founded the Order of the Dragon in 1408, which brought together the closest imperial confidants and the biggest and most important European rulers of the time. Barbara was the only female member of this elite order, whose members included Hermann II and Frederick II of Cilli.

Barbara of Cilli was one of the most progressive and free-thinking women of the age. She was a master of diplomacy, spoke several languages, and argued in favor of new artistic and social developments. She also had an interest in astrology and alchemy. She was often depicted negatively during her life and later by historians, but more recent studies aim at presenting a more objective image of her.