Jelena Balšić

Who was Jelena Balšić?

Jelena Balšić was a medieval Serbian noblewoman and a member of the Lazarević dynasty. She had a very strong personality and significantly influenced the way her husbands, first Đurađ II Balšić and second Sandalj Hranić, and her son Balša III governed their realms. Jelena encouraged them to resist Venetian encroachment on territory belonging to Zeta, the medieval Serbian state ruled by Đurađ II and then by Balša III after Đurađ II's death. She is also known as a writer. Her three epistles are part of the Gorički zbornik, a medieval manuscript collection.