Queen Mother Katarina Kosacha-Kotromanic

By Natasha Bartula Hebert

Set against the backdrop of 15th-century Bosnia's tragic downfall, Queen Mother Katarina Kosacha-Kotromanic tells the deeply moving story of a queen who, though not the last by title, remains the most cherished and remembered sovereign in the hearts of her people, a woman whose legacy endures as both sovereign and saint.
Born into the noble Kosacha family, Katarina's life takes a fateful turn when she marries King Stjepan Tomas and becomes queen consort of Bosnia. Amid growing political turmoil and the looming threat of the Ottoman Empire, Katarina navigates her role with unwavering devotion to her children, her people, and her homeland.
As the kingdom collapses, Katarina, already a widow, suffers unbearable losses: her two children are captured by Sultan Mehmed II, and her country falls under Ottoman rule. Forced into exile in Rome, she clings to her identity as both queen and mother, turning her sorrow into silent resistance.
Told through the lens of her final days in a quiet Roman district near the Church of St. Mark, the novel traces her inner world: her memories of childhood in Blagaj, the court of her father Duke Stjepan Kosacha, her conversion to Catholicism, her role as queen, and ultimately, her grief-stricken exile. Despite the absence of her children and homeland, Katarina never relinquishes her dignity nor her mission.
Rooted in meticulous historical research and enriched by the rediscovered epigrams of Leonardo Montagna, an Italian humanist who admired Katarina during her years in Split, these novel captures both the grandeur and the pain of a woman who became a symbol of maternal love, national endurance, and sacred memory.
Katarina emerges not only as a queen, but as the ancestral mother of Bosnia, a figure of noble sacrifice, deep faith, and quiet heroism. Her life, though marked by tragedy, becomes a lasting testament to the strength of a woman who transformed sorrow into hope and faith.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FL1994ZH
• ISBN13: 9798294081171
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"