Bona Sforza was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, and Duchess of Bari and Rossano in her own right. She was a surviving member of the powerful H
Cameo with bust of Bona Sforza, c. 1540
The Palace of the Grand Dukes (marked as number 6) in Vilnius Lower Castle in the late 16th century.
Poisoning of Queen Bona, painted in the 19th century by Jan Matejko
Tomb monument of Bona Sforza in the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari
Sigismund II Augustus was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Bona Sforza
…throne. First, the Lithuanian nobles gave him the ducal throne in October 1529 and in December of the same year, he was declared king; he was crowned Sigismund II Augustus in February 1530. This led to huge opposition from Polish lords, which led to the adoption of the bill that the next coronation would take place after…
Portrait by Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1553
A 1568 Lithuanian coin of Sigismund II Augustus with the coat of arms of Lithuania, Gediminas's Cap, and Columns of Gediminas
Child armour of Sigismund II Augustus, commissioned by his father-in-law Emperor Ferdinand I.
Posthumous painting of Queen Elizabeth of Austria, by Lucas Cranach the Younger.