Matej Ninoslav established control of most of Bosnia after the Hungarian withdrawal.
17 Facts About Matej Ninoslav
1.
2.
Matej Ninoslav continually defended Bosnia during the Bosnian Crusade that persecuted its heretic population.
3.
Matej Ninoslav was succeeded by his cousin, Ban Prijezda, in 1254.
4.
The Prenestine Bishop James, serving as the Pope's legate, finished a business in Hungary and came to Bosnia to influence Matej Ninoslav to give a statement that he will remain a Catholic, even though his ancestors were adherents of the Bosnian Church.
5.
Ban Matej Ninoslav himself had to beg to Rome itself for the release of Prijezda's son.
6.
Some time between 1232 and 1235, Matej Ninoslav issued an edict to the Republic of Ragusa, guaranteeing the old privileges given to Ragusa by Ban Kulin long ago.
7.
Matej Ninoslav had to retreat to Dubrovnik in 1240, after the numerous crusaders overran his realm.
8.
King Bela IV was on the retreat which enabled Matej Ninoslav to restore control over most of Bosnia.
9.
In retaliation, Matej Ninoslav punished the Pope's supporters throughout Bosnia after he restored control.
10.
Matej Ninoslav intervened in the civil war in Croatia between the loyalist city of Trogir and rebelling Split as he was looking to gain more of Split's possessions.
11.
Matej Ninoslav sided with Split which rebelled against King Bela IV and elected Ninoslav as its new Prince.
12.
Matej Ninoslav lost Split, as the Hungarian Army, under Slavonia's Ban Dionisus, together with the forces of Trogir took the city in the summer of 1244.
13.
Matej Ninoslav had to only nominally recognize Hungarian rule and kept his possessions abroad, in Slavonia.
14.
Matej Ninoslav had to grant numerous lands in Bosnia itself, recognizing and keeping the organization and infrastructure of the Catholic Church.
15.
The situation grew very dangerous, so Matej Ninoslav wrote to the new Pope that he always remained a staunch Catholic Christian, and never a heretic.
16.
The Pope wrote to the Catholic Archbishop in 1248 stating that he found Matej Ninoslav to be a noble man and loyal to the Catholic faith, despite the sympathy he received infidels against his old enemies, and asked the Archbishop not to rise up against the Ban.
17.
The remainder of his reign, Ban Ninoslav Matej dealt with inner matters in Bosnia.