Book | Ilona Skujaitė | War Bride

History rarely gives happy endings. But it always gives extraordinary women.

From an unloved daughter to the Queen of Sweden.

This is the life and love story of Catherine Jagiellon, the youngest sister of Sigismund Augustus.

Based on true historical facts, the narrative resembles a Hollywood adventure thriller, the fierce “Game of Thrones,” and a touching melodrama.

Sigismund Augustus’s youngest sister, Princess Catherine, lived an inconspicuous and largely unneeded life in Vilnius – much like Cinderella. However, with the outbreak of a brutal war with Moscow, she became almost the most desired bride in Europe.

The fate and love story of Catherine Jagiellon are no less intriguing than the famous love drama of her brother, Sigismund Augustus, and Barbara Radziwiłł. At almost thirty-six, she married a man eleven years her junior, transforming from an unneeded princess into an influential woman, from unloved to desired, from a prisoner to a queen.

Having suffered bitter betrayals multiple times, having survived the horrors of war and personal dramas, Catherine did not break. She became the Queen of Sweden, respected on both sides of the Baltic Sea.

“A solid literary and historical look at the life and love story of the youngest Jagiellonian daughter – Catherine.”
Doctor of Historical Sciences Rasa Leonavičiūtė-Gecevičienė

“Lithuanian history is full of remarkable, brave, and determined women who can inspire and enrich our historical narrative today. The author masterfully portrays the complex personality of Catherine Jagiellon, worthy of a novel and even a film script. The book captivates from the first sentence to the last.”
Historian and public figure Luka Lesauskaitė

Author: Ilona Skujaitė
Publisher: ALMA LITTERA
Year of publication: 2023
ISBN: 9786090154366
Format: 143 × 213 mm / hardcover
Pages: 288
Language: Lithuanian