The female alchemist of Samobor, the Black Queen of Medvedgrad, the Snake Queen of Šenoa, or simply the factual Croatian-Hungarian, Czech, and German Queen and Empress Barbara of Celje (1381–1451) is a unique figure among the (and) Croatian ruling elite. Barbara of Celje, a woman of exceptional beauty, was the daughter of the Count and Croatian Ban Herman II of Celje and Countess Anna von Schaunberg, and the wife of the Hungarian-Croatian King Sigismund I of Luxembourg (1368–1437), and she became empress through the coronation of her husband as the German-Roman Emperor (Paušek-Baždar, S., 2008, pp. 275–280).
There are numerous folk legends related to the dissolute and vicious life of Barbara of Cilli, as well as her aggressiveness and icy cruelty, but well-known historical facts about her also make her truly special, both in character and in the things she pursued in life. She had considerable estates in the area of present-day northwestern Croatia, the most significant of which were the Samobor Old Town, where she spent the most time, followed by the Medvedgrad fortress on the Zagreb mountain, i.e., Medvednica, as well as estates in Susedgrad, Cesargrad, Kalnik, and elsewhere. As far as we know from historical sources (others looked back on her life and work because she did not leave written documents herself), in the basement of the Samobor Old Town, Barbara of Cilli had an alchemical laboratory built, where she performed numerous experiments with metals and various solvents, which was extremely rare, especially for a woman.
Originally, the term „alchemy“ refers to all those endeavors in which, if possible at all, any „lower“ metal, such as copper, iron, mercury, arsenic, and others, is sought to be transformed through various procedures and the use of the „philosopher's stone“ into a „higher“ noble (and expensive) metal, such as gold or silver. Of course, the primary function of this endeavor was to create worldly wealth. However, from the history of the development of alchemy and the understanding of the roots of its origin, we also know that alchemy is not merely a reflection of the desire to possess gold, but includes a much more important spiritual dimension and the aspiration to understand the primeval principles of nature, which seeks to reduce all cosmic constancy to unity. The concept of unity is an essentially philosophical concept used to describe the realization of the oneness of the universe, nature, and man's place within it, stemming from philosophical schools such as Platonism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, Gnosticism, and Hermetism (Paušek-Baždar, S., 2017, pp. 19-39).
Therefore, the fundamental alchemical premise is that from such a deep understanding of nature, knowledge can emerge of the ways in which chemical elements can be transformed into other, desired elements, and perhaps the elixir of immortality can also be attained. Mastering such techniques inevitably attracts even those who are inspired solely by the desire for quick enrichment, making it quite difficult to fathom the true motives of any individual alchemist.
Sources describing the alchemical activities of Barbara of Cilli (such as the authors Alexander Bauer, Hermann Kopp, and Johann von Laaz, her guest in Samobor, who should nevertheless be taken with reserve due to often problematic biographies or simply due to a lack of original historical documents) described Barbara of Cilli as a greedy woman who also had fraudulent tendencies. For example, by mixing various powders and heating them at high temperatures together with copper, which she had in abundance, (1) and which is originally reddish in color, she easily obtained a silver-colored metal and sold (passed off) it to naive buyers as pure silver. (2) If that were indeed the case, then we can speak of her less than moral intentions.
Whatever the case may be, the fact is that not just anyone could practice alchemy, and in that regard, Barbara of Celje is truly unique in these parts. Naturally, the most famous legend about Barbara of Celje is tied to Medvedgrad and her prowess in love. The story says that the Black Queen was exceptionally beautiful and sharp-witted, but at the same time an evil, arrogant, and cruel woman with long black hair, always elegantly dressed in black, which is how she got her nickname. She supposedly ruled over many beasts, the most terrifying of which was a raven, a black and dark bird trained to gouge out the eyes of anyone who crossed her with its claws and peck them to death. She brought numerous lovers to Medvedgrad, many of whom did not live to see the daylight, and the money she earned through alchemy or obtained from her victims still lies buried somewhere at the foot of the recently fully renovated old town of Medvedgrad or its immediate surroundings.
Legend also says that Barbara of Cilli made a pact with the devil to protect her wealth from the Turks who were invading from the east. The devil did his part and the Black Queen enjoyed her wealth during her lifetime, dying of the plague in 1451 in Bohemia and being buried in Prague. Since she sold her soul to the devil, her screams can reportedly still be heard at night in Medvedgrad.
The City of Zagreb lives with „its“ Black Queen in its own unique way, so the well-known Zagreb brewery Medvedgrad offers a dark beer with the telling name „Crna kraljica“ (Black Queen), and the popular children's street game "Black Queen 1, 2, 3" is still played today. Given that Barbara of Cilli comes from the counts of the Cilli dynasty, which owned estates in the Savinja Valley and Carniola (in present-day Slovenia), the Republic of Slovenia decided in 2014 to commemorate the 600th anniversary of her coronation on European currency (Figure No. 117). Thus, our queen, who left a significant mark and entered numerous folk legends of the Croatian people, also appeared on the currency.
Notes
(1) It is known that to this day, although they are not active, there are copper mines in the Samobor Hills, the most famous of which is the Mine of St. Barbara, located 5 kilometers from the village of Ruda near Samobor. It should also be noted that this mine was named after Saint Barbara, who is also the patron saint of miners, and not after Barbara of Celje.
From chemistry, we know that combining copper, mercury, and arsenic produces an alloy of a beautiful silver color.
Author: Ivor Altaras Penda
Source: Paušek-Baždar, Snježana (2008). „Queen Barbara of Celje as an Alchemist in Samobor“. Yearbook of the German National Community..., 15 (1), 275-280
This text was originally published in the book “Memento moneta: Historical tales and mishaps told through money”author Ivora Altarasa Pende.
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