2003650th Anniv. of the Death of Stjepan II Kotromanic - First Day Cover

Ban Stjepan II began his reign as the vassal to Mladen Šubić, and later continued as an independent ruler after forming an alliance with the Croatian-Hungarian King Karl and turning against Šubić. Taking advantage of the unrest to the east and the west, he battled successfully to turn the small country of Bosnia into a great Banovina and secured it contact with the sea. One of his greatest political successes was winning over Hrvatinići, which to that point was under the patronage of Šubić.