r. It was remarkable that this woman, in a stirring time, when
writing was troublesome and difficult even to men, recorded the
important events of her life and her share in politics in the shape of
a memoir. Our surprise at so unusual a circumstance increases, when we
examine closely the fragment of her memoirs which is preserved to us.
Her narrative is strikingly detailed, clear, and graphic.

There is no doubt that the fragment is genuine: it was published at
Leipzig, 1846, with some explanatory remarks by Stephen Endlisher, from
the manuscript still preserved in the Imperial Library at Vienna (No.
2920), under the title, 'From the Memoirs of Helen Kottenner, 1439,
1440.' The principal event recorded is the theft of the Hungarian
crown, by which the coronation of the child Ladislaus was effected.

To enable the reader to understand this, we must mention that up to the
present time a mysterious importance has been attached by the
Hungarians to the crown of the Holy Stephen, "_die heilige_," without
which no one could become rightful King of Hungary; and this mysterious
importance has, as is well known, added many romantic adventures to the
long and sorrowful history of this crown. When King Albrecht died, his
widow Elizabeth had not given birth to the heir who was to secure the
succession of the throne of Hungary. Amid the fierce and egotistical
quarrels of the nobles who then decided the fate of the country, two
large parties may be distinguished,--the national and the German. The
national party was desirous of giving the throne to the King Wladislaus
of Poland, whilst the Germans sought every means of preserving it to
the royal family of Germany. Helen Kottenner writes as follows:--

"Her highness the noble Queen came to reside at Plintenburg,[11] and
many Hungarian lords with her. These went down to the vaults and
brought up from thence a chest in which was kept the holy crown, which
they took out with its case: there were many seals to this, which they
broke open, and looked to see that it was all right. I was present.
Then they placed the holy crown in a small chest. This was standing
near a bed in which lay the noble Queen, about to be confined, and in
the same room with her were two maidens, one called Barbara, the
daughter of a Hungarian lord, the other called Ironacherin, and there
was a wax taper for a nightlight, as is the custom amongst princesses.
One of these maidens got up in the night, and upset the li