| Milan I Милан I Обреновић | |
|---|---|
 Milan inc. 1885 | |
| King of Serbia | |
| Reign | 6 March 1882 – 6 March 1889 |
| Predecessor | Himself as Prince of Serbia |
| Successor | Alexander I |
| Prime Ministers | |
| Prince of Serbia | |
| Reign | 10 June 1868 – 6 March 1882 |
| Predecessor | Mihailo Obrenović III |
| Successor | Himself as King of Serbia |
| Born | (1854-08-22)22 August 1854 Mărășești,Moldavia,Romania |
| Died | 11 February 1901(1901-02-11) (aged 46) Vienna,Austria-Hungary |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Alexander I Prince Sergei George Obrenovic(illegitimate) |
| House | Obrenović |
| Father | Miloš J. Obrenović |
| Mother | Marija Obrenović |
| Religion | Serbian Orthodox |
| Signature |  |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Serbia |
| Branch |  Royal Serbian Army |
| Years of service | 1900–1901 |
| Rank | Army general[1] |
| Styles of Milan I of Serbia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
Milan Obrenović IV (Serbian Cyrillic:Милан Обреновић,romanized: Milan Obrenović; 22 August 1854 – 11 February 1901) reigned as thePrince of Serbia from 10 June 1868 until 1882, when he becameKing of Serbia, a title he held until his abdication on 6 March 1889.[2] His son,Alexander I of Serbia, became the second King of Serbia.
Milan Obrenović was born in 1854 inMărășești inMoldavia,[3] where his family had lived in exile ever since the return of the rivalHouse of Karađorđević to theSerbian throne in 1842 when they managed to depose Milan's cousin PrinceMihailo Obrenović III.
Milan was the son ofMiloš Obrenović (1829–1860) [sr] and of his Moldavian wifeMarija Obrenović, née Elena MariaCatargiu (1831–1879). Milan's paternal grandfather (Miloš's father) wasJevrem Obrenović (1790–1856), brother ofMiloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia from 1815 to 1839 and from 1858 to 1860. Milan was therefore Prince Miloš's grandnephew. He had only one sibling — his older sister Tomanija.
In 1855, shortly after Milan's birth, his parents divorced. When Milan was aged 7, his father Miloš died on 20 November 1860 (or 1861) while fighting theTurks nearBucharest as a foreign mercenary in theRomanian Army, meaning that his mother Marija got legal custody. Marija, however, lived a lavish aristocratic lifestyle, soon becoming Romanian rulerAlexandru Ioan Cuza's mistress and bearing him two sons —Alexandru Al. Ioan Cuza (nicknamed Sașa) and Dimitrie. As a result, she showed little interest in her children from her previous marriage with Miloš. Therefore, an agreement was reached for young Milan to be legally adopted by his cousinMihailo Obrenović, who in the meantime, following the 1858 expulsion of theHouse of Karađorđević, had returned toSerbia and had become the ruling prince in 1860.
Milan was brought toKragujevac by Prince Mihailo Obrenović III who also arranged for agoverness to raise the youngster. Decades later, once Milan became a king, details of his mother's personal life were often used by his political opponents, notablyPeople's Radical Party (NRS) leaderStojan Protić who went as far as making an untrue accusation in his paperSamouprava that King Milan's father was actually Alexandru Ioan Cuza, referring to King Milan pejoratively as Kuzić instead of Obrenović.
After bringing his nephew to Serbia, Prince Mihailo also took care of the youngster's education, sending him toLycée Louis-le-Grand inParis where young Milan reportedly displayed considerable maturity.
On 10 June 1868, when Milan was only fourteen years of age, Prince Mihailo Obrenović III was assassinated. As the late prince did not have any male heirs, the question of who was to succeed him on the Serbian throne became a pressing one. In the post-assassination chaos and the resulting power vacuum, influential senior statesmanIlija Garašanin re-emerged in Serbian political life, despite only eight months earlier being removed by the late prince from the post ofPrime Minister of Serbia and replaced withJovan Ristić. While consolidating forces within the state to prevent the conspirators from taking over the power, Garašanin also reportedly contemplated solving the throne issue by starting a third royal dynasty. General political consensus was that the new ruler should be selected by the Visoka narodna skupština (Grand National Assembly). However, cabinet ministerMilivoje Petrović Blaznavac was rapidly increasing his power and influence. He had managed to consolidate his control over the army and stage acoup d'état. So when Blaznavac suggested the young Milan as the successor to Prince Mihailo, Garašanin had no choice but to yield to the more powerful authority.
As Milan was still underage to rule on his own, a regency was established to rule in Milan's name. The three-man council was headed by Blaznavac. Statesman and historian Jovan Ristić andJovan Gavrilović, a politician and historian from a wealthy merchant family rounded out the trio.[4]
Young Milan was brought back to Serbia from Paris and enthroned in front of the Topčider assembly while the Blaznavac-controlled army surrounded the building just in case. Furthermore, a prominent Serbnobleman fromDubrovnik,Medo Pucić, was brought to Belgrade to serve as a teacher and adviser to the prince.
Under Blaznavac's tutelage, both personally and politically, the prince deferred to the head of the regency council in all matters of state. Prince Milan did not benefit from a large inheritance from his wealthy family as all of Prince Mihailo's vast property went to Mihailo's sisters (Prince Miloš's daughters) Petrija's and Savka's children.[5] The only property young Prince Milan did inherit was his late father's manor in Mărășești that had an overwhelming amount of debt associated with it.[5]
On 2 January 1869, the thirdSerbian constitution, mostly Ristić's creation, was promulgated.
In 1871, the prince faced two separate incidents although it is unclear as to whether these were genuine attempts on his life. In May as he exited theNational Theatre building, a bomb exploded a couple of hundred metres away onTerazije. Buried under a footpath, the exploded device didn't cause anyone injuries. At the time and there was speculation in Serbia that it was Blaznavac who had organised the explosion in order to scare and confuse the young prince who was nearing hisage of majority into remaining reliant on Blaznavac. The event became known as theTerazijska bomba [sr] (Terazije Bomb) in the Serbian historiography.
Several months later, on 6 October, Prince Milan was involved in another incident, this time during a visit toSmederevo. At some point, he went to anouthouse to relieve himself and while above the pit toilet, the wooden floor caved in under his weight and he fell into the pit. As he was armed at the time, the prince began shooting from his pistol in order get the attention of his entourage who rescued him. Historical accounts of the nature of this event differ. HistorianSlobodan Jovanović thinks the occurrence was "likely coincidental".[6] On the other hand, historian Leontije Pavlović in his bookSmederevo u XIX veku (Smederevo in the Nineteenth Century) states the conspirators doused the wooden floor withnitric acid that ate away at the planks. However, these claims couldn't be confirmed as he based them on an item from the historical archives that has since disappeared.[6] The entire episode is known as theSmederevski nameštaj [sr] (double meaning: The Smederevo Furniture or the Smederevo Setup).[6]
On 22 August 1872, Milan was declared of age, and he took government into his own hands. He soon demonstrated great intellectual capacity, coupled with a passionate headstrong character.Eugene Schuyler, who observed him about this time, found him to be a very remarkable, singularly intelligent and well-informed young man. The Principality of Serbia was still ade jure part of theOttoman Empire though in reality it already had long functioned as a semi-independent state whose politics and economy was much more dependent on other Great Powers, particularlyAustria-Hungary and theRussian Empire, than on its formal ruler, the declining Ottomans. Milan carefully manoeuvred between the Austrian and Russian geopolitical interests in Serbia, with a judicious leaning towards the former.
When Serbs from the neighbouringBosnia Vilayet (also part of the Ottoman Empire, though more integrated and loyal due to its large Muslim population) began anuprising in July 1875 on the outskirts ofNevesinje, protesting the tax system as well as harsh treatment under localbeys andaghas, Prince Milan condemned the uprising and refused to take part in it. The rival House of Karađorđević, whose members lived in exile across Europe, had a different approach, taking part in organising and implementing the uprising. Their actions included the 31-year-oldPetar Karađorđević going to the Herzegovina region in order to fight under the pseudonym Petar Mrkonjić. As the uprising grew, spreading to the rest of Herzegovina and soon engulfing the entire Bosnia Vilayet, domestic pressure in the Serbian principality increased on young Prince Milan to help his Serb brethren.
Early in his life, there had been plans for Milan Obrenović to marryPrincess Olga of Montenegro, an orphaned daughter ofDanilo I. According to the reports of Serbian statesmanMilan Piroćanac, Olga’s mother,Princess Darinka, hoped to see the match realized, invoking provisions of the secret Serbian–Montenegrin treaty of 1866 as justification. At the time when the potential marriage was being considered, relations between the Obrenović andPetrović-Njegoš dynasties had cooled considerably, and Olga's cousinPrince Nicholas I, showed no willingness to support the idea previously arranged by Darinka and his late cousin, Mihailo.[7]
Later, another plan emerged for Milan to marryGrand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia, whom he had met during his official visit to theRussian Empire, where he opened the ball atLivadia Palace by dancing with her.[8] However, this proposal was rejected by the Austro-Hungarian authorities; as Dr. Mihailo Rosen, who was the Austrian correspondent in Belgrade and confidant ofBéni Kállay, reported, such a marriage “would make Serbia little more than a province ofRussia, and theMonarchy would not permit this.”[9]
Afterward, the regents of young Milan—Milivoje Blaznavac in particular—resolved to embark on a diplomatic endeavor to secure as his brideDuchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the only daughter ofDuke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz andGrand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia. However, after a year of negotiations, this plan of Milan’s regents—to bind him, in a sense, more closely to Russia—ultimately came to nothing.[10]
Instead, Milan marriedNatalie Keshko, member of an ancientHouse of Keshko, on 17 October [O.S. 5 October] 1875 at theSt. Michael's Cathedral, Belgrade, Serbia.[11] Natalie, then sixteen, was the daughter of theBessarabian nobleman Petre Ivanovich Keshko (1830–1865), a colonel in theImperial Russian Army and a son of Ioan Keșco (1809–1863),Marshal of Nobility ofBessarabia,[12] and his wife Pulcheria, née PrincessSturdza (1831–1874), herself a granddaughter ofIoan Sandu Sturdza, the rulingPrince of Moldavia. They were second cousins, as her grandmother Nathalia (1812–1830) was younger sister of Smaranda Balș (1811–1886), Milan's grandmother, whoseBalș family, although old andnoble, dubiously claimed descent from an old medievalHouse of Balšić.[13][5] Because of this close familial connection, the marriage required specific ecclesiastical approval fromMihailo Jovanović, theMetropolitan of Belgrade; however, this approval was never sought.[5]
A son,Alexander, was born to Natalija and Milan in 1876, but their relationship showed signs of friction right from the start. The had another son, Prince Sergei (Sergej) (14 September 1878 - 19 September 1878), who, prematurely born, died just a four days after his birth in 1878.
It was under Milan's reign that theFirst Serbian–Ottoman War broke out, against his own personal preference, out of deference to public opinion. Meanwhile, theKarađorđević pretender,Peter, fought for the Serbs as a volunteer.[14]
The Serbian effort to invade Turkish territory was stopped to the east ofZaječar, while Turkish troops destroyed the strategic Serbian post ofKnjaževac. Retreating Serbian troops were then defeated atAleksinac.[14]
As the Serbian military situation became desperate Prince Milan asked for the Great Powers to intervene, and an armistice was granted by the Ottomans, but it fell apart in the wake of theDeligrad Event.[14]
The resumed fighting went in favor of the Ottomans, and after the fall ofĐunis, Ottoman troops began their march to Belgrade. It was at this point that the government of the Russian Empire intervened offering an ultimatum to thePorte to grant both Serbia and Montenegro an armistice within 48 hours or face Russian intervention. Such an armistice to last for two months was granted on November 1, 1876, and subsequently extended until March 1, 1877, when a definitive peace treaty was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Serbia. The treaty preserved thestatus quo ante bellum. Serbia gained no territory, but was not forced to cede anything either or pay awar indemnity.[14]
At the end of theSerbo-Turkish War (1876–78), Europe's powers induced theSublime Porte to acknowledge Serbian independence at theTreaty of Berlin.
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On 6 March 1882, the Principality of Serbia was declared akingdom and Milan was proclaimed King of Serbia.[15]
Acting under Austro-Hungarian influence, King Milan devoted all his energies to the improvement of the means of communication and the development of natural resources. However, the cost of this, unduly increased by reckless extravagance, led to disproportionately heavy taxation. This, coupled with increased military service, rendered King Milan and the Austrian party unpopular.
Milan's political troubles were further increased by the defeat of the Serbians in thewar against Bulgaria from 1885–1886. In September 1885, the union ofEastern Rumelia and Bulgaria caused widespread agitation in Serbia.[15] Milan promptly declared war upon the new Bulgarian state on 15 November. After a short, decisive campaign, the Serbs were utterly routed at theBattle of Slivnitsa and at theBattle of Pirot. Milan's throne was only saved by the direct intervention of Austria-Hungary. Domestic difficulties now arose which rapidly assumed political significance.
In his personal life, Milan was anything but a faithful husband, having an affair with most notablyJennie Jerome (wife ofLord Randolph Churchill and mother toWinston Churchill) among others, while Queen Natalija was greatly influenced by Russian sympathies. In 1886, the couple, mismatched both personally and politically, separated after eleven years of marriage.
Natalija withdrew from the kingdom, taking with her the ten-year-old Prince Alexander (later King Alexander I). While she was residing atWiesbaden in 1888, King Milan succeeded in recovering the crown prince, whom he undertook to educate. In reply to the queen's remonstrances, Milan exerted considerable pressure upon theMetropolitan of Belgrade, and procured a divorce, which was afterwards annulled as illegal. King Milan now seemed master of the situation.
On 3 January 1889, Milan adopted anew constitution much more liberal than the existing one of 1869. Two months later, on 6 March, thirty-four-year-old Milan suddenly abdicated the throne, handing it over to his twelve-year-old son.[3] No satisfactory reason was assigned for this step. Milan settled in Paris as a private individual.[3]
In 2020, a number of letters written in French by King Milan were discovered. In the letter Milan I of Serbia advised his son how to rule and gave critical comments on political figures of his time, such as PMNikola Pašić.[16]
In February 1891, a Radical ministry was formed. Queen Natalija and the ex-MetropolitanMihailo returned to Belgrade, and Austrian influence began to give way to Russian. Fear of a revolution and King Milan's return led to a compromise, by which, in May 1891, the queen was expelled, and Milan was allowed a million francs from the civil list, on condition of not returning to Serbia during his son's minority.
In March 1892, Milan renounced all his rights and even his Serbian nationality. The situation altered dramatically, however, after the young Alexander I had effected hiscoup d'etat and taken the government into his own hands in April 1893. Serbian politics began to grow more complicated, and Russian influence was rife. In January 1894, Milan suddenly appeared in Belgrade, and his son gladly welcomed his experience and advice.[3]
On 29 April, a royal decree reinstated Milan and Natalija, who in the meantime had become ostensibly reconciled, in their positions as members of the royal family. On 21 May, the constitution of 1869 was restored, and Milan continued to exercise considerable influence over his son. The queen, who had been residing chiefly atBiarritz, returned to Belgrade in May 1895, after four years of absence, and was greeted by the populace with great enthusiasm. At this, the ex-king again left the country.
After reconciliation with his son, Milan returned to Serbia in 1897, to be appointed as commander-in-chief of theRoyal Serbian Army. In this capacity, he did some of the best work of his life, and his success in improving the Serbian military system was very marked. His relations with the young king also remained good for a time. The Serbian pro-Democratic opposition blamed him for the increasingly authoritarian rule of the young King, and a member of the Radical Party attempted to kill him on 6 July 1899 (24 June OS), on the Orthodox holiday of Ivanjdan (Birth of St. John the Baptist).
The good relations between father and son were interrupted, however, by the latter's marriage toDraga Mašin in July 1900. Before making the announcement of his intended engagement, Alexander did not consult with his father, who had been on vacation inKarlsbad and making arrangements to secure the hand of the suitableGerman royal,Princess Alexandra Karoline of Schaumburg-Lippe, member of an ancientHouse of Lippe, youngest sister of theQueen of Württemberg, for his son.[17] A preferred choice of the king’s father, Princess Alexandra had the advantage of being related to, and maintaining ties with, both theGerman andHabsburg courts.[18] Before the conclusion of the proposed marriage, the governments ofGermany andAustria promised Milan a dowry of one million, as the king, after marrying the German princess, would sign a military treaty bringing Serbia into theTriple Alliance.[19][20] The German reigning houses found the withdrawal from the nearly completed negotiations on the King’s marriage insulting, and Serbia was openly described in Vienna as a state ship drifting on the political high seas without a compass.[18]
Alexander neither consulted hisPrime Minister, Dr.Vladan Đorđević, about his intended engagement, as Đorđević was visiting theUniversal Exhibition in Paris at the time of the announcement.[21] Đorđević immediately resigned, and Alexander had difficulty in forming a new cabinet. Both of Alexander's parents opposed his marriage; as a result, his mother was banished from the kingdom, while his father, King Milan, resigned as commander-in-chief in protest and was later expelled from Serbia by his son. Milan left Serbia toKarlsbad, then toTimișoara and finally retired toVienna. On 11 February 1901, Milan died unexpectedly. He was buried inKrušedol monastery, next to his grandauntPrincess Ljubica, Prince Miloš's wife.
He received the following orders and decorations:[22]
Order of the Cross of Takovo, Serbia
Order of the Cross of Takovo, with Swords, Serbia
Order of the White Eagle, Serbia
Order of St. Sava,Serbia
Military Merit medal, Serbia
Commemorative medal of theSerbo-Bulgarian War, Serbia
Order of St. Andrew,Russia.svg)
Order of St. Stanislaus, Russia
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, Russia
Order of St. Anna, Russia
Imperial Order of the White Eagle, Russia
Order of St. George, Russia
Order of the Seraphim,Sweden
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus,Italy
Legion of Honour,France
Royal Order of Kalākaua,Kingdom of Hawaii
Royal Order of Kamehameha I,Kingdom of Hawaii[23]
Order of Albert the Bear,Duchy of Anhalt[24]
Order of St. Stephen,Austria-Hungary
Order of Franz Joseph, Austria-Hungary
Imperial Order of Leopold, Austria-Hungary
Order of St. Hubert,Kingdom of Bavaria
Order of Leopold,Belgium
Order of Henry the Lion,Duchy of Brunswick
Order of St. Alexander,Kingdom of Bulgaria
Order of Military Merit
Order of the Elephant,Denmark_-_ribbon_bar.png)
Ludwig Order,Grand Duchy of Hesse
Order of the Redeemer,Kingdom of Greece
House Order of the Wendish Crown,Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Order of St. Charles,Monaco
Order of Prince Danilo I,Principality of Montenegro
Order of the Netherlands Lion,Netherlands
House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis,Grand Duchy of Oldenburg._Medal.gif)
Order of the Lion and the Sun,Persian Empire
Sash of the Two Orders,Kingdom of Portugal[25]
Order of the Black Eagle,Kingdom of Prussia[26]
Order of the Red Eagle, Kingdom of Prussia[26]
Order of the Star of Romania,Kingdom of Romania.png)
Ribbon for Military Virtue of Romania, Kingdom of Romania
Saxe-Ernestine House Order,Saxe-Meiningen
Order of the White Falcon,Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Order of the Rue Crown,Kingdom of Saxony
Order of Charles III,Spain
Order of Osmanieh,Ottoman Empire
Order of the Württemberg Crown,Württemberg
Order of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
Исте јесени, 5. октобра, беше у београдској Саборној цркви свечано венчање кнеза Милана са кнегињом, доцније краљи- цом Наталијом.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh (1911). "Milan Obrenovich IV.".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). pp. 441–442.; the original source for the text of this articleMilan I of Serbia Born: 22 August 1854 Died: 11 February 1901 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prince of Serbia 10 June 1868 – 6 March 1882 | Became king |
| New title | King of Serbia 6 March 1882 – 6 March 1889 | Succeeded by |
 Revolutionary Serbia(1804–1813) |  | |
|---|---|---|
 Principality of Serbia(1815–1882) |
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| Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918) | ||
 PR Serbia / SR Serbia(constituent republic ofFPR Yugoslavia / SFR Yugoslavia) (1945–1992) | ||
 Republic of Serbia(constituent republic ofFR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro) (1992–2006) |
| |
 Republic of Serbia(since 2006) |
| |
Regents or interimpresidents are initalics | ||
