Marriage
Elizabeth's marriage to Louis was celebrated in Buda on 20 June 1353. The couple were related within the prohibited degree of kinship, Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia being Elizabeth's maternal great-great-grandfather and Louis' maternal great-grandfather. A papal dispensation was thus necessary, but it was only sought four months after the wedding took place. The historian Iván Bertényi suggests that the ceremony may have been hastened by an unintended pregnancy, as the couple had been in contact for years. If so, the pregnancy likely ended in a stillbirth. Elizabeth's mother had apparently died by the time she was married. Louis was dismayed when, upon his father-in-law's death later the same year, Elizabeth's young and ambitious cousin Tvrtko ascended the Bosnian throne. In 1357, Louis summoned the young Ban to Požega and compelled him to surrender most of western Zachlumia as Elizabeth's dowry.
The new queen of Hungary subjected herself entirely to her controlling mother-in-law, Elizabeth of Poland. The fact that the young queen's retinue consisted of the same individuals who had served the queen mother indicates that Elizabeth of Bosnia may not even have had her own court. Her mother-in-law's influence prevailed until 1370, when Louis succeeded his maternal uncle, Casimir III, as king of Poland. Elizabeth's maternal uncle, Władysław the White, had also been a candidate for the Polish throne. Following his coronation in Poland, Louis brought Casimir's underage daughters, Anne and Hedwig, to be raised by Elizabeth. Elizabeth, though queen of Poland, was never crowned as such.
The problem of the succession marked Louis' reign. Elizabeth was long considered barren, and a succession crisis was expected after the childless king's death. Her brother-in-law Stephen was heir presumptive until his death in 1354, when his son John replaced him. However, John also died in 1360. A daughter was born to the king and queen in 1365, but the child died the next year. For a few years, John's sister, Elizabeth, was treated as heir presumptive and a suitable marriage for her was being negotiated. Things suddenly took a different course after Elizabeth had three daughters in quick succession; Catherine was born in July 1370, Mary in 1371, and Hedwig in 1373 or 1374. Elizabeth is known to have written a book for the education of her daughters, a copy of which was sent to France in 1374. However, all copies have been lost.
On 17 September 1374, Louis granted various concessions to the Polish nobility by the Privilege of Koszyce, in exchange for their promise that a daughter of his would succeed him and that he, Elizabeth or his mother could indicate which one. In Hungary, he focused on the centralization of power as means of ensuring that his daughters' rights would be respected. Securing marriage to one of the princesses was a priority in European royal courts. Mary was scarcely one year old when she was promised to Sigismund of Luxembourg. In 1374, Catherine was betrothed to Louis of France, but died towards the end of 1378. The same year, Hedwig, promised to William of Austria in a sponsalia de futuro, left her mother's court and moved to Vienna, where she spent the next two years. The Polish lords swore to uphold Mary's rights in 1379, while Sigismund received this recognition three years later. Elizabeth was present, along with her husband and mother-in-law, at a meeting in Zólyom on 12 February 1380, whereby Hungarian lords confirmed Hedwig's Austrian match; this indicates that Louis may have intended to leave Hungary to Hedwig and William.
The king, weakened by illness, became progressively less active in the last years of his reign, devoting an increasing amount of time to prayer, as did his aging mother, who had returned from Poland in 1374. These circumstances allowed Elizabeth to assume a more prominent role at court. Her influence had grown steadily since she had given her husband heirs. It appeared probable that the crowns would pass to one of Elizabeth's underage daughters and by 1374, their rights were confirmed. Behind the scenes, Elizabeth began ensuring that the succession would be as smooth as possible by encouraging a slow but decisive change in the personnel of the government. Warlike and illiterate barons were gradually replaced by a small group of noblemen who excelled in their professional skills but were not distinguished by birth or military ability. Palatine Nicholas I Garai led the movement and enjoyed the full support of the queen, and their power eventually became virtually unrestricted.
