New Issue: Female Rulers of Serbia (Serbia)

I haven't reviewed many new issue recently and that is because there haven't been many new issues! Once the Christmas stamps are out that usually is the end of new issues for the year.

I have reviewed most of this year's Christmas issues here.

However, there have been one or two new issues that have nothing to do with Christmas including this from Serbia, which was released on 8th December. It is very different and I thought it deserved a review.

The stamps show Serbia's female rulers of the Nemanjić dynasty, which ruled Serbia between 1166 and 1371. The women featured on the stamps are: Ana (Vukanović) Nemanjić (1125 – 1200). Ana was a Serbian Grand Princess, the wife of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Nemanjić dynasty. She helped found several monasteries.

Simonida Nemanjić (1294 – after 1345). Simonida was the daughter of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and Empress Irene. She married the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin in a marriage that was designed to guarantee peace between Serbia and Byzantium. She brought a lot of Byzantine culture with her, which influenced Serbian clothing and art. In Serbian tradition she is known for her beauty. After her husband died in 1321, Queen Simonida retired from public life and chose a monastic life. We are not sure when she died, but it was after 1345.

Anna (Dandolo) Nemanjić (? – 1258) was a Venetian noblewoman who became Serbia's queen. She married King Stefan the First-Crowned, the founder of the Kingdom of Serbia (before him Serbia had been ruled by grand princes). Anna and Stefan were crowned together in 1217 in Ras.

Jelena Nemanjić (c. 1236 – 1314), sometimes known in history as Helen of Anjou, was another Serbian queen. She appears to have had French origins and may have been a member of the Valois family, but we don't know for sure. Jelena was the the wife of Serbian King Stefan Uroš I (the son of Queen Anna) and the mother of Kings Dragutin and Stefan Uroš II Milutin. She was very influential in politics and religion and was known for her religious tolerance. After she died, she was made a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Кatalina Nemanjić (c. 1256 – after 1316) was a Hungarian princess whose brother was King László IV of Hungary. She married King Stefan Dragutin in 1268 at the age of about 12 (younger than I am now). Like a lot of 13th century Royal weddings, the marriage was part of a peace treaty. It is said that the Royal couple liked to lead a simple life where possible, and early in their marriage a shocked Byzantine envoy reported that Katalina "works at her spinning wheel in a cheap dress". Stefan Dragutin and Katalina had several children. Shortly before he died in 1316 the king became a monk. Katalina seems to have died around the same time.

Jelena (Stracimirović) Nemanjić (c. 1315 – 1376) was a Bulgarian noblewoman and Serbian queen. Later she became an empress, after her husband Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (sometimes called Stefan the Mighty) conquered parts of Greece. Jelena had a son, Stefan Uroš V, who was also known as "the Weak" and was the final king of the Nemanjić dynasty. Jelena was known as a woman of "exceptional abilities" and was an intellectual as well as a very skilled diplomat. After Dušan died, Jelena continued to be an important figure and had a lot of influence. She and her son Uroš helped to complete the Matejča Monastery near Kumanovo.

So, they are the women. What about the stamps? Design Quality - The stamps have used historical art, which helps place the female leaders in their era. It's not an exciting or very innovative design but it probably doesn't need to be. The historic coats of arms and motifs on the border of the miniature sheet are a good touch 6/10

Theme and Subject Choice - A fourth set on this theme seems unnecessary. A near-copy of a previous issue is particularly unimaginative. 7/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance - Can you get more culturally and historically relevant to Serbia than a celebration of the women who helped create the kingdom? 10/10

Innovation and Creativity - The stamp design is not particularly innovative or creative, but it is quite effective. What is more innovative is the focus on these important women. None of them were queen in their own right, but they all held huge influence and power. Often these women are forgotten about and just seen as wives of kings and princes, so it is quite innovative to put them in the spotlight. Can you image Royal Mail issuing stamps to celebrate English queens from the same era, such as Eleanor of Provence, Eleanor of Castile, Isabella of France or Philippa of Hainault? 6/10

Collectability - I think these are very collectable. They are different to most modern issues while also being appealing towards collectors interested in European history, medieval art or female rulers. Historical Royal women are not often featured on stamps and this adds to their collectability. 8/10

Personal appeal - I find these quite appealing, especially the focus on women who are often forgotten about. These exceptional women were really significant in the 13th and 14th centuries, which a very important time for Serbia. They deserve to be remembered as more than just wives of powerful men. So I really like that.

I'm not a big fan of medieval art and I don't think these are so appealing visually or creatively. But I really like the history and it has encouraged me to find out more about Serbia. 5/10

Overall score - 42/60

When I was writing this was thinking about how medieval art wasn't always trying to be realistic. I tried to image what these women would look like in the modern world. For fun, I asked ChatGPT to image these historic female rulers as modern women. This is what it came up with!