Jelena was born in 1407 as the daughter of
Balša III of
Zeta and
Mara Thopia. She was named after her grandmother
Jelena.[1] Jelena's lineage is traced back to the
Balšić and
Thopia noble families. In 1424, at the age of 17, Jelena married
Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, a significant political figure of the time. The union between Jelena and Stjepan Vukčić played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the region. Jelena was not only a wife and mother but also a central figure in the complex power dynamics of the time. Through her marriage to Stjepan Vukčić, she became the mother of several notable children, each leaving a mark on the history of the Balkans.[2] Jelena died in 1453.[3]
Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha (
c. 1430–1515), baptized Stjepan; the youngest son of Stjepan Vukčić, whom Sultan
Mehmed II took to his court, became a Muslim in the Sultan's service. He became the
Grand Vizier and Grand Admiral to the Sultan, married Sultan
Bayezid II's daughter, Fatima, in 1482; and had descendants by her.
У јеку сукоба, Балша III. се 1407. оженио Маром, кћерком арбанашког господара Никете Топије. Брзо је добио кћер, којој је, по мајци, дао име Јелена. In the midst of the conflict, in 1407, Balša III married Mara, the daughter of the lord of Arbaná, Niketa Topija. He soon had a daughter, whom he named Jelena after her mother