The Medieval lords of Lithuania

Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras, 2014. – 101 p., iliustr. Minkšti v.
During the last three centuries of the Middle Ages or, specifically, in 1183–1492, Lithuania underwent the most intense development in its millennium-long history. The territory of the state expanded from 9 to 900 thousand square kilometres over those three centuries covering 9% of the entire European continent in the end. This expansion did not happen by itself. It was propelled and led by individuals of flesh and blood – the Lithuanian sovereigns and nobles gazing from the pages of this book as portrayed by Artūras Slapšys. Not only 39 stern masculine faces but 6 ladies, Lithuanian grand duchesses and queens of Poland, who have left their trace in the history of Lithuania, too. These portraits are mostly imaginary in nature because few contemporary sources have survived. However, they are helpful in feeling the spirit of that cruel yet fascinating epoch and singling out individual personalities in a vortex of events.