On the death of Mary, Sigismund took Barbara of Cilli as his wife, the daughter of the Count of Celje and the Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. She received the castle of Strečno from Sigismund as a gift. Today, Barbara is better known for gossip about her philanderous nature, but the truth is that she was a relatively emancipated and capable ruler. Thanks to this, she obtained extensive property from her husband, a large part of which was situated in present-day Slovakia. After the king, she was the richest person in Hungary. She also showed herself to be a good administrator, because she often lent the king money for his military expeditions. It is said of Sigismund that he drank a lot, was lame in one leg and bore the nickname “ginger fox”. Thanks to his successful policy of expansion, Barbara also became Queen of the Holy Roman Empire. As an aspirer to the title of Empress, she was the First Lady of European Queens. Later, she also became Queen of Bohemia, and a third royal crown finally decorated Barbara’s head. In the last days of King Sigismund’s life, she was accused of treason. She was imprisoned for a while, and ended up being dispossessed of all her property, which is the reason why she fled from Hungary. Whether this punishment was justified or merely a fabricated accusation is something that her contemporaries took to their graves.
