distinguished Prime Minister, Ilija Garašanin, who was dismissed from his post in 1867 for airing his objections to Mihailo's proposed divorce from Julia and marriage to Katarina. His dismissal brought about an angry protest from Russia. Katarina's hopes to become Princess consort never came to fruition. On 10 June 1868, while she, Prince Mihailo, and her mother were taking a stroll through Košutnjak park near Mihailo's country residence on the outskirts of Belgrade, they were all shot by assassins, allegedly in the pay of the Karađorđevićs, who were the Obrenović's dynastic rivals to the Serbian throne; though it was never proven. Prince Mihailo was killed outright, Katarina was merely wounded, but her mother, after having bravely fought with her armed assailants, was also shot dead. Marriages and issue That same year of 1868, Katarina, who was 20 years old at the time, married General Milivoje Blaznavac (16 May 1824- 5 April 1873), who served as Serbia's Minister of War and who was instrumental in securing the succession to the Serbian throne for Katarina's 14-year-old cousin Milan after commanding the Army to back the young Prince. The general, who acted as Milan's regent, was 24 years Katarina's senior and together they had a son, Vojislav (1869–1910) and a daughter, Milica, who died as a child. Years later, when Prince Milan became King of Serbia, she acted as the first lady of the court due to his separation from his consort, Natalie. General Blaznavac died in April 1873, and she married secondly her cousin, Mihailo Bogicević (1843–1899). They left Serbia and commenced a vagabond existence, living in various places throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire; however, they later returned to Belgrade, where he served as mayor from 4 April 1886 to 4 February 1887. She fell in love with a friend of her son, Vojislav, who was 18 years younger than her. She subsequently left her husband for her young lover, and she received financial support from her son as well as her wealthy half-sister, Simeona, who was married to an important Romanian politician, Alexander Lakhovari (1841–1897) and served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth of Romania. Katarina died in 1910 in Niš, southern Serbia, where her son, Vojislav was stationed as a soldier, and was buried in Belgrade. Vojislav died in the same year. References Sources Hawkesworth, Celia (2000) (Google). Voices in the shadows: women and verbal art in Serbia and Bosnia. Budapest: