Stjepan II (1089 - 1091)
Stjepan II was the last member of the Trpimirovic dynasty and second last Croatian king. He was due to succeed Petar Kresimir IV, but was sidelined by the people and clergy in 1075 who instead bestowed the title of king to Dmitar Zvonimir, Ban (Governor) of Slavonia. Zvonimir was not a member of the Trpimirovic family and his enthronement angered Stjepan II. By the time Zvonimir died in 1089, Stjepan was old and seriously affected by ill health. Nevertheless, he assumed the throne after being persuaded by the aristocracy and clergy.
Stjepan's rule was relatively ineffectual and lasted less than two years. He spent most of this time in the tranquillity of the monastery of Sv. Stjepan pod Borovima (St. Stephen beneath the Pines) near Split. Meanwhile, Zvonimir's widow Jelena, quietly plotted the inheritance of the Croatian Crown for her brother, King Laszlo I of Hungary.
Stjepan II died peacefully in 1091, without leaving an heir. War and unrest broke out shortly afterward.
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