Jelena was born in 1411 as the daughter of Balša III of Zeta and Mara Thopia of Albania.[1][2][3] She was named after her grandmother Jelena.[4][5] Jelena's lineage is traced back to the Balšić and Thopia noble families. In 1424, at the age of 13, Jelena married Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, a significant political figure of the time.[6] The union between Jelena and Stjepan Vukčić played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the region. Jelena was not only a wife and mother but also a central figure in the complex power dynamics of the time. Through her marriage to Stjepan Vukčić, she became the mother of several notable children, each leaving a mark on the history of the Balkans.[7] Jelena died in 1453.[8]
Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha (c. 1430–1515), baptized Stjepan; the youngest son of Stjepan Vukčić, whom Sultan Mehmed II took to his court, became a Muslim in the Sultan's service. He became the Grand Vizier and Grand Admiral to the Sultan, married Sultan Bayezid II's daughter, Fatima, in 1482; and had descendants by her.
^Fine, Jr, John V. A. (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. p. 512. ISBN978-0-4720-8260-5. ...Early in 1407 Balsa married the daughter of Nikola Thopia, a Venetian vassal...
^Djukanovic, Bojka (2023). Historical Dictionary of Montenegro. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 30. ISBN978-1-5381-3915-8. ...Mara, a daughter of Niketa Topia, the lord of Kruje and the son of Karl Topia, Prince of Albania...
У јеку сукоба, Балша III. се 1407. оженио Маром, кћерком арбанашког господара Никете Топије. Брзо је добио кћер, којој је, по мајци, дао име Јелена. In the midst of the conflict, in 1407, Balša III married Mara, the daughter of the lord of Arbaná, Niketa Topija. He soon had a daughter, whom he named Jelena after her mother
^Fine, Jr, John V. A. (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. p. 516. ISBN978-0-4720-8260-5. ...But Balsa was in no position to lead a major campaign. He was much sicker and, realizing that death was approaching, was concerned with his succession. His one son had died as an infant. His eldest daughter–who was to marry Sandalj's nephew Stefan Vukcic in 1424—was then only about thirteen...
