RULERS
Prince Milos Obrenovic
1783-1860
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He ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1839 and from 1858 to 1860. He was a great statesman and diplomat. One of the most deserving of a good political status of Serbia in Europe. Milos surname was Teodorovic (by father Teodor Mihajlovic). Surname Obrenovic took over from Obrenovic from the village of Brusnica, respectively his brothers by his mother, Jakov and Milan. For it was the most deserving Milan, who as a prominent duke, had a great reputation among the people. Besides him, Milos went through almost all the battles in the First Serbian Uprising. Management and defense Uzice Nahia was entrusted to him.
After the failure of the uprising, Milos was the only prominent duke who remained in Serbia. He was given amnesty by the Turks and became oborknez Rudnik, then Pozega and Kragujevac Nahia.
In 1815, 23rd of April Milos stood at the helm of the Second Serbian Uprising, which has raised in Takovo. He has participated in major battles and personally led the negotiations with the Turks. Thus, on October 25, 1815 entered into an oral agreement with Ali-Pasha about the mixed Serbo-Turkish Administration in Belgrade pashaluk. The deal was arranged by special decree, which Serbia officially received several significant benefits.
Persistent diplomacy and with a lot of political tact, Milos in 1830 received a special act of the Sultan about partial internal self-government and free school, called Hatiserif. With special Berat Milos was recognized hereditary princely dignity.
Although he was illiterate, Prince is well felt needs of the new era. Thanks to him, Serbian young men have started to education in Russia, Hungary, Austria and Germany, whereas the Prince's invitation, in Serbia started coming doctors, professors, engineers. The economy of the whole country is being improved, so what's new residents sent in deserted areas and to receive official tax breaks.
In 1835 established the first Serbian constitution of the modern state, known as "Sretenjski Constitution". The Constitution was quickly suspended because he did not fit the big powers Russia, Austria and Turkey. In place of him 1838 was passed an Hatiserif, called "Turkish Constitution". This Constitution establishes the Soviets.
With such power sharing, Prince Milos on June 1st, 1839 abdicate and leave the country. He was succeeded by difficult diseased older son Milan, who died a month later, so the throne went to Milos's younger son Mihailo.
Mihailo reign was short. Soon by the Constitutionalists shall be expelled from the country. In his place are 1842 led Karadjordje`s son Aleksandar, who ruled until 1858.
After nineteen years of exile, Milos returned to Serbia and began his second short reign. He died on September 26th, 1860. He was buried in the Cathedral Church in Belgrade.
Prince Milan Obrenovic
1819-1839
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He was born on October 21st in Kragujevac. He was a Prince of Serbia as the first heir to the throne Obrenovic.
​The elder son of Prince Milos I Obrenovic and Princess Ljubica, brother of Prince Mihailo.
Though he was sickly all his life and did not have regular systematic education, he managed to partially build certain political views and opinions, but still the disease tuberculosis eventually prevent his development and operation. He came to the throne abdication of Prince Milos (13 June) and ruled until 8 July 1839, when he died. Due to illness and counteract the Council of regency he did not have a chance to as a prince sign a single document. In the history of the Serbs entered as a ruler with the shortest period of rule (25 days).
Prince Mihailo Obrenovic
1823-1868
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A child of Prince Milos and Princess Ljubica, was born on September 4th, 1823 in Kragujevac. He completed his schooling in Pozarevac, and then with his mother moved to Vienna. His older brother Milan I Obrenovic he came to the throne by right of inheritance, on June 1st, 1839. But poor health, reigned less than a month. He died on July 8th, 1839 in Belgrade.
Official elders decided that the throne brought another son Milos, Prince Mihailo Obrenovic. In that time Mihailo was in Bucharest. Before coming to Serbia, Prince with his mother went to the Turkish Sultan Abdul Mecid, who welcomed him with great honors. Sultan gave him the title of Musir and awarded him the Order of Iftihar. Accompanied by a retinue, Prince Mihailo arrive in Serbia on March 2nd, 1840.
On princely throne came the first time on June 26th, 1839 and reigned until August 25th, 1842. Since he was a minor, defined his governorship. Porta confirmed his choice. As a very young and inexperienced, Mihailo is a hard time in complex situations internal and external position of Serbia. He was deposed in 1842, in the uprising led by one of the foremost defenders of the Constitution, Toma Vucic Perisic. Constitutionalists are in 1843 at the Serbian Assembly elected a new prince Alexander Karadjordjevic.
The fate of the young Mihailo decided Austria and Turkey. Together with his mother was sent to the Banat, the estate of his sister Savka Nikolic. After Banat, moved to Vienna with his father. He traveled to Europe in search of life partners. Finally, in Vienna in 1853 married Countess Julia Hunjadi.
Knez Mihailo after the death of his father, Prince Milos, the second time, came to the throne, on September 14th, 1860. At the beginning of his second reign of significant changes were made in the policy of Serbia. Repealed "Turkish constitution", came to a completely different legal orders, which was passed by the National Assembly, and the prince sanctioned. Prince Mihailo has brought orders for the regulation of the national army and the tax laws.
When on June 3th, 1862 on Cukur-fountain fell Serbian blood, the Turks started bombing Belgrade. Prince Mihailo traveled to Lausanne, where he was preparing a war with Turkey for the liberation of Serbian cities. He came to Belgrade on July 23 1862 and the ministerial session invites all Serbs to resist the Turkish pretensions. Already on September 23, 1862, reported that the Turks would move out of Serbia, except cities, which will remain a military crew. On the festival of Pentecost, May 23, 1865, Prince Mihailo is all the fighters of the uprising of Milos who experienced the celebration of the 50th anniversary of restored freedom gave a memorial spill from the first cannon of Prince Milos, called Takovo Cross.
Prince Mihailo received a letter from the Sultan to come and receive the firman that Serbia be left to the mentioned cities. Ferman received on March 30, 1866.
On April the same year he returned to Belgrade, where it welcomes enthusiastic people. With him arrived and Ali Riza Pasha, commander of Belgrade town, who accompanied him to Constantinople. Sultan's firman was read at Kalemegdan, April 6, 1867, when Ali Riza Pasha, the last Belgrade muhafis, surrendered to Prince Mihailo key cities in Serbia, and then in Belgrade fortress prominent Serbian and Turkish flags.
On Sunday, May 29, 1869, Prince Mihailo is going to drive a stagecoach through Kosutnjak. With him went adjutant Svetozar Garasanin, son of Ilija Garasanin, and in carriages to the Prince sit Anka Konstantinovic, his sister from uncle and her daughter Katarina. In the park Kosutnjak appeared Pavle and Kosta Radovanovic in solemn black suits, cylinders on their heads and the guns pointed in the direction of Prince's carriage. Prince Mihailo, was killed with three shots.
All the conspirators are brought to a hearing the same day, and the main word, led by Nikola Hristic. They were sentenced to death and executed at midnight, at Karaburma.
For the murder of Prince Mihailo national mourning lasted three days. Prince Mihailo was buried at St. Mark's now abandoned cemetery in Belgrade, with military honors. Later, his relics were transferred to the Cathedral Church in Belgrade. He was succeeded by Prince Milan Obrenovic, son of Milos Jevrem Obrenovic.
King Milan Obrenovic
1854-1901
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He was born in Mărășești, Moldavia 10/22. August 1854. Father of Milan Obrenovic, Milos Jevrem Obrenovic as a foreign hireling served in the Romanian Army and was killed in battle with the Turks near Bucharest on November 20, 1861. Mother of Milan, Elena Maria Catargiu was the daughter of Romanian Count Costin Catargiu. After the birth of Milan, Milos and Elena Maria parted. Milan was their only son, and he had one sister Tomania. After the death of his father, took care of him mother who led a luxurious aristocrat life. Milan's upbringing was not paying particular attention. Taking care of the young Milan was taken over by his cousin, Prince Mihailo Obrenovic, Prince of Serbia. Milan Obrenovic comes with six years in Kragujevac with Prince Mihailo who takes care of him. Prince gained an excellent governess that he was brought up and taught. Upon maturation, Prince Mihailo sent Milan to study in Paris Lyceum. As one of the main teachers of the young Milan Obrenovic was the famous Dubrovnik poet Medo Pucic. The murder of Prince Mihailo reached him in Paris. Large Assembly recognized his right to inherit the throne, and then the Porta gave the permit hereditary Prince. The Governors were his Blaznavac, Ristic and Gavrilovic.
After Ristic, Prince Milan in 1873 brought to power a government conservatives. Between conservatives and liberals in Serbia this time there have also been conflicts that have often ended ministerial crises, and even to the first dissolution of Parliament in the recent history of Serbia in 1875. Herzegovinian uprising that broke out that year, relations between Serbia and Turkey, which anyway were not good, rapidly deteriorating. In the meantime, Prince Milan was married with Natalia, the daughter of a Russian colonel Peter Kesko and next year, during the war between Serbia and Turkey, born his son Aleksandar.
After the first war, and the next in 1877 Serbia has another war with Turkey, what will the Congress of Berlin lead to the independence of Serbia and the merger of four new districts. In foreign policy, Prince Milan after the Berlin Congress turning from Russia to Austro-Hungary and all of closer relations with Vienna. Safe in support of the Viennese court office, Prince Milan in 1882 declared Serbia for the Kingdom. That same year occurred in the assassination of King Milan, to whom shoot Ilka Markovic, widow of Colonel Jevrem Markovic. King Milan changing internal politics and their support gives Progressionist party, against Radical Party, which will doves to Timok rebellion which, with the help of the army quickly crushed.
Unification of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia in 1885 Milan had suffered as a preparation for the conquest of Macedonia, which led him to the war with Bulgaria. In the brief war Serbia was defeated, a major battle was fought on the river Slivnica from 5 to 7 November 1885. Peace was signed in Bucharest, under the principle of returning to its original state.
Immediately after endings Serbian-Bulgarian War, attempted assassination of King Milan in a very specific way. The conspirators were able to sneak in Palace and saw off the beams of his bathroom. Only thanks to the alertness of the guards who saw hoax, King Milan was saved. Because of the love affairs came into conflict with his wife, Queen Natalia. After many vicissitudes, there has been a divorce in 1888.
That same year declared the Radical constitution known for his liberal and refinement. In his decision, was used as a model for the Belgian constitution of 1835.
February 22, 1889 in celebration of the Day of the Kingdom, King Milan announced his abdication. Coming down from the throne, the King Milan, under the Constitution, appointed three regents, who had the rule to adulthood King Aleksandar. After ceding the throne to his minor son, King Milan was for some time kept in Serbia. Based on Milan's agreement with the Russian court, government on March 14, 1892 passed a law according to which King Milan prohibits stays in Serbia and again obtaining Serbian citizenship without the approval of the National Assembly. Only in the case of illness of King Aleksandar, Milan had the right to come and to remain in Serbia for the duration of the disease. In the meantime, King Aleksandar has performed a coup and declared himself an adult. After the first visit and returned to Serbia, King Milan in the spring of 1895 for the second time left Serbia. Under the new agreement with his son, Milan returns to Serbia on October 7, 1897. Aleksandar gave him the position of Supreme Commander of the active army, Milan had started trained and modernized. At Milan Obrenovic was another assassination attempt, at Ivandan 1899 when a radical attempt to kill him.
New problems with King Aleksandar comes after its decision to marry Draga Lunjevica. King Milan had rebuked him in the letter and did not give him a blessing. After that, Milan have always traveled from Serbia at the end of 1900. For a time he lived in Carlsbad, then in Temisvar, to the last moments spent in Vienna. King Milan was deathly ill from pneumonia. A team of medical who examined him said he has no salvation. Emperor Franz Joseph, as a sign of good relations provided one of their house where the sick visited Milan and sent the Hungarian Count Eugene Zichy that till the last minute to be with him. Often Milan face such pain, that in desperation sought the revolver to terminate yourself the trouble. While he was in agony, he managed to confide sition that can not buried in Serbia. He would often after the cessation of pain, embrace Zichy, saying:
"My friend, is it not terrible to die so young?"
In the delirium is often called to the wolves, and once he asked to take him to look at act of Rakovski in the theater. Milan Obrenovic died 29 January / 11. February 1901 at age 47. He was buried in Krusedol, in addition to Princess Ljubica.
King Aleksandar Obrenovic
1876-1903
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He was born on 2/14. August 1876 in Belgrade. He was born in a maternity hospital which was personally funded by King Milan Obrenovic. He was brought up in Serbia, and for the governors had Dr Lazar Djokic and General Jovan Miskovic. All the care of the young Crown Prince only took upon himself the King Milan. Also, at the expense of father the young prince was sent to school in Paris. He returned to Belgrade with less than eleven years old in 1887. 21 February / 6. March 1889 abdication of King Milan leaves the throne to his son Aleksandar, and from that moment, at the head of Serbia should do its coming of age, to be regents: Jovan Ristic and generals Jovan Belimarkovic and Kosta Protic. Four years after coming to the throne, Aleksandar took over the power from the regency, aided by his father Milan. At the time, the King made the palace revolution, and so took power, around him was a handful of senior officers, including equestrian Colonel Lazar Petrovic, who would later become his personal adjutant, and the King will advance him to the rank of general. Protests minister remained without result, when the king repeated it's better for everyone. The new government is composed of kings former educator, Dr. Lazar Dokic, with several prominent radicals.
At the celebration of 500 years anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo 1889 in Monastery Zica, Metropolitan Mihail was annointed King Aleksandar, in the presence of the royal governor, Ministers of Serbian Government and the Russian Minister Alexander (Constantine) Persiani. The act of anointment was very solemn. For the same opportunity King was first brought the Order of Saint Prince Lazar, Order who could carry only the King and his Heir of the Royal House of Obrenovic. Previously, the young King attended a vigil in Lazarus Church in Krusevac, laid the cornerstone for a monument to Kosovo heroes and on the way to the Zica stopped at Monastery Ljubostinja, which was prepared especial importance at the tomb of Empress Milica. A special law has established the Society to raise the Temple of Saint Sava, which has obtained the release of all tax levies.
Due to the very difficult position of Serbian population within the Ottoman Empire, King Aleksandar visited Constantinople in the summer of 1894, to obtain some political privileges for Serbian population in Turkey. Cultivating good relations with Greece, King Aleksandar in the spring, returning from Constantinople, visited the Greek court. In this way, after a few centuries, visited the Sveta Gora and Hilandar, which has threatened to take over the Bulgarians. On that occasion Hilandar brotherhood gave the King Miroslav Gospel, Nemanja's original charter of the monastery and several manuscripts. This visit of the King and his large financial contributions, Hilandar remained a Serbian monastery.
In the summer of 1900, when the King Milan and then Prime Minister, Dr Vladan Djordjevic found outside Belgrade, King Aleksandar suddenly announced his engagement to Draga Lunjevica. Many were opposed to this marriage, while Djordjevic ministry resigned. After some concerns with senior officers, King Aleksandar gathered them in the Cathedral Church on July 10, 1900 at the memorial service for the victims killed in the war for the liberation of Serbia and gave a speech to them:
"I am the Head of the House of Obrenovic and I first have a right and duty to take care about the fate and future of the Dynasty. Accordingly opinion of my father in the part of my marriage is a sideshow and little importance. It is the main what I think, not my father. My father did not answer my desires and I did it, as the Supreme Commander, therefore rightly dismissed the commander of the active army. "
After announced the engagement, followed by the King's marriage on July 23, 1900 in the Cathedral Church in Belgrade. In foreign policy the King turned immediately to Russia, releasing previously radicals from prison accused of Ivandan assassination. Due to such events count Goluhovski, otherwise the Austro-Hungarian ambassador in Belgrade, sent a sharp protest. Especially big problems for King Aleksandar emerged nonexistent pregnancy of Queen Draga. On this first reacted Imperial Palace in St. Petersburg and did not want to receive the King and Queen of the promised visit.
Due to the increasing resentment of the Russian court, King Aleksandar, from autumn 1902 tried to get close again to Austria, and certain steps undertook it before.
On the night of 29 May / 11. June 1903, a group of conspirators, under the leadership of captain Dragutin Dimitrijevic Apis, under the patronage of the then Prince Peter Karadjordjevic, carried out the coup. King Aleksandar Obrenovic and Queen Draga were brutally murdered in the bedroom, their bodies thrown over the window. These bloody and dramatic night are still killed: Prime Minister Dimitrije Cincar- Markovic, War Minister Milovan Pavlovic, both the queen's brother Nikodije and Nikola Lunjevica. Gates Palace opened an officer Petar Zivkovic.
King Aleksandar and Queen Draga rest in the crypt of St. Mark's Church in Belgrade.