Mladen II Šubić of Bribir

Mladen II Šubić of Bribir (, ; c.1270 – c.1341), a Croatian leader and member of the Šubić noble family, was a Ban of Croatia and Lord of all of Bosnia. After succeeding his father Paul, he further consolidated the Šubić domain, and brought Stephen Kotromanić to administer Bosnia under his overlordship. His subsequent rule marked the weakening of the Šubić and ended with a mutiny of Dalmatian cities and Croatian nobility in 1322. This further led to Mladen's defeat at the Battle of Bliska and subsequent imprisonment by Charles I of Hungary, whom the Šubićs had previously brought to take the throne in Hungary. Mladen continued to develop the state and court institutions, and his de facto rule led to the further development of the chivalric culture in Croatia.

Background

Coins issued by Paul I Šubić of Bribir. It reads: DVX PAVL – BAN –MLADEN. Mladen II was christened as Ivan, in honour of John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Šubićs'.

Following a dynastic fracture in the monarchy of Hungary and Croatia, Mladen's father Paul emerged as a powerful oligarch who asserted sovereign rule over all of Croatia and Dalmatia, whose territories he distributed among his family members. He ruled from his seat in the fortified town of Bribir, where he erected, along with his castle, the three-aisled basilica of St. Mary inside the Franciscan convent.

After the extinction of the Árpád dynasty, Paul had the Angevins brought to the throne, although their power over the land held by the Šubić family was merely nominal throughout the entirety of their administration. Paul took extensive campaigns and significantly expanded his dominion eastward, over Bosnia and Hum, and also warred successfully against the Republic of Venice, taking the Dalmatian capital Zadar. He was the most powerful Croatian noble at the end of the 13th century and beginning of the 14th century. He also issued his own coin.

Biography Early years Mladen II Šubić was an eldest son of Paul I Šubić of Bribir, who was the most powerful Croatian noble at the end of the 13th century and beginning of the 14th century, and his first wife whose name is not known. In regard to the date of his birth, there are no records available, but he is assumed to have been born around the year 1270. Mladen II had three brothers: George II Šubić, Gregory III Šubić and Paul II Šubić.

After the death of his uncle, the Bosnian Ban Mladen I Šubić in 1304, his father Paul I Šubić himself had to lead an army to crush the resistance in Šubić's Bosnia, after which in 1305 he took the title of "Lord of the all Bosnia" (totius Bosniae dominus), and passed the title of ban to Mladen. Upon the taking of the city of Zadar from the Venetians, he was elected Duke of Zadar by the commune and also assumed the title "Prince of Dalmatia". His troops also participated in the subsequent battle against the Venetian Republic, who attempted to take the city back. He ruled over Bosnia under his father, but after Paul's death in 1312, the situation in Bosnia and Croatia became more complicated.

Reign

He succeeded his father as Ban of Croatia in the aftermath of his death on 1 May 1312 and inherited a strongly-founded dominion encompassing all of Croatia, Bosnia, Zahumlje and the Dalmatian cities. His wife Helen, was a relative of the Capetian House of Anjou, and Mladen already made marriage contracts of their children to the counts of Gorizia, which could serve as valuable allies in the war against the Republic of Venice.

Mladen greatly weakened the Venetian attempts to take Zadar, by buying off the leader of their mercenaries, which greatly reduced their potential on land. However, in September 1313, he allowed the return of Zadar to Venice, under the condition of granting the city considerable autonomy. He relinquished the title Duke of Zadar, but was granted citizenship of Zadar under Venetian patronage by 1314. In doing this, he kept a strong and stable relations with the city and made status quo with Venice. In 1318, he joined the crusade of Phillip of Taranto, titular Latin Emperor and cousin of his wife, against the King of Rascia, Milutin. Mladen invaded Raška from his territories in Zahumlje and was initially successful, but had to withdraw in the subsequent years. In the aftermath, his younger brother George II (who was the prince of Omiš) was given as a hostage to the opposing side as part of the peace negotiations, and was subsequently transferred to the city of Dubrovnik for safe keeping.