Matthias of Bosnia

Who is Matthias of Bosnia?

Matthias of Bosnia was the first of two kings of Ottoman Bosnia and one of the last known members of the House of Kotromanić.

Matthias was one of three sons of anti-king Radivoj of Bosnia, illegitimate son of King Stephen Ostoja of Bosnia, and Catherine of Velika, daughter of Nicholas of Velika, who got married in 1449. His father unsuccessfully claimed the crown of Bosnia between 1432 and 1435. Matthias' brothers were Tvrtko and George.

In 1463, Matthias' father, brother Tvrtko and first cousin, King Stephen Tomašević of Bosnia, were executed on the order of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, while the Kingdom of Bosnia was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. In the last months of 1465, Mehmed the Conqueror named Matthias King of Bosnia. However, Matthias gained little more than the title, as the actual kingdom was defunct. His "realm" was probably Lašva Valley. The only sources that mention him are those of the Republic of Ragusa and are related to his granting favours.

The first Ottoman puppet king of Bosnia was last mentioned in 1471. He was succeeded by Matija Vojsalić, while King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary named Nicholas of Ilok as the Hungarian King of Bosnia.