Prince Mihailo Obrenovic
1823-1869

Being a child of Prince Milos and Princess Ljubica, he was born on September 4^th, 1823 in Kragujevac. He completed his school education in Pozarevac, and then moved together with his mother to Vienna. His older brother Milan I Obrenovic came to the throne by right of inheritance on June 1^st 1839. But due to his poor health he reigned less than a month. Prince Milan died on July 8^th, 1839 in Belgrade.

The elder statesmen were glad to raise another son of Milos, Prince Mihailo Obrenovic to the throne. 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 a “Musir” and awarded him the Order of Lftihara. Accompanied by a Saint, Prince Mihailo arrived in Serbia on March 2^nd 1840.
So he got on the throne for the first time on June 26^th 1839 and reigned until August 25^th 1842. Since he was underage, his appointment was designated. As very young and inexperienced, Mihailo did not cope with the complex circumstances of Serbia’s internal and external position. He was overthrown from the throne in 1842, in a riot led by one of the most prominent attorneys, Toma Vucic Perisic. In 1843 the Constitutional Council elected Aleksandar Karadjordjevic at the assembly for being the new prince.
Austria and Turkey had decided about the fate of the young Mihailo. Together with his mother he was sent to the Banat, the estate of his sister Savka Nikolic. After Banat, he moved to Vienna together with his father. He traveled across Europe in search of a living companion. Finally, in Vienna in 1853 he married Countess Julio Hunjadi.

After the death of his father Prince Miloš, Prince Michael came to the throne for the second time on September 14^th 1860. At the beginning of his second reign, significant changes were made in Serbia’s policy. The “Turkish Constitution” was abolished; completely other legal orders came into force, which were passed by the National Assembly, and sanctioned by the prince. Prince Mihailo also brought orders for the organization of the national army and gave new tax laws. When Serbian blood fell on Cukur-fes on June 3^rd 1862, Turkey began bombing Belgrade. Prince Mihailo traveled to Lausanne, where he prepared a war with Turkey for the liberation of Serbian cities. He arrived in Belgrade on July 23, 1862, and at the ministerial session he called on all Serbs to oppose Turkish pretensions. Already on September 23^rd 1862, the Turks emigrated from Serbia, except the cities where only parts of the army remained. On the feast of Pentecost, May 23^rd 1865 Prince Mihailo gave to all the fighters from Prince Miloš’s uprising who had celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the restoration the monument of the first cannon of Prince Miloš, named Takovo Cross.

Prince Mihailo received a letter from the Sultan to come and receive a “firman” by which Serbia should get back the above mentioned cities. This document was received on March 30^th 1866.

On the fourth of April of the same year, he returns to Belgrade, where he is greeted by the enthusiastic people. Ali Riza Pasha, the commander of the Belgrade city, who had accompanied him to Constantinople, arrived together with him.

The ferman of the Sultan was read on the Kalemegdan place on April 6th 1867, when Ali Riza Pasha, the last Belgrade governor, handed over to Prince Mihailo the keys of the cities in Serbia, and then the Serbian and Turkish flag were highlighted on the Belgrade fortress. On Sunday May 29^th 1869 Prince Mihailo was taking carriages to Kosutnjak. With him went adjutant Svetozar Garasanin, the son of Ilija Garasanin and in the carriages to the Prince sat as well Anka Konstantinovic, the sister of his uncle and her daughter Katarina. In the park Kosutnjak appeared Pavle and Kosta Radovanovic in solemn black suits, cylinders on their heads and pistols directed towards the Prince’s carriage. Prince Mihailo, was killed with three shots.

All the conspirators were brought to a hearing the same day. The group was 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 with military honors at St. Mark’s cemetery in Belgrade, which is now abandoned. Later his relics were transferred to the Cathedral Church in Belgrade. He was succeeded by Prince Milan Obrenovic, son of Milos Jevrem Obrenovic.