Milan Obrenović, Prince of Serbia

Milan Obrenović II (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Обреновић II, romanizedMilan Obrenović II) (21 October 1819 – 8 July 1839) was the ruling Prince of Serbia for just four weeks in 1839. By birth, he was member of the House of Obrenović.[1]

Milan Obrenović II
Milan Obrenović II
Милан Обреновић II
Prince of Serbia
Reign13 June 1839 – 8 July 1839
PredecessorMiloš Obrenović I
SuccessorMihailo Obrenović III
Born(1819-10-21)21 October 1819
Kragujevac, Serbia
Died8 July 1839(1839-07-08) (aged 19)
Belgrade, Serbia
Burial
HouseHouse of Obrenović
FatherMiloš Obrenović
MotherLjubica Vukomanović
ReligionSerbian Orthodox
SignatureMilan Obrenović II Milan Obrenović II Милан Обреновић II's signature

Early life

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Milan Obrenović was the eldest son and heir of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia and his wife, Princess Ljubica. He was ill from his earliest childhood and his health was poor throughout his entire life from tuberculosis. He was a student of the Belgrade Higher School, modern-day University of Belgrade. He had a full curriculum of study, including French and German languages. In 1830, when the Principality of Serbia obtained its autonomy, Milan Obrenović became the Crown Prince of Serbia and designated heir of his father.[2]

Prince of Serbia

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Milan with his mother, Princess Ljubica, painted by Stevan Todorović (1882)

His father Miloš Obrenović I abdicated on 13 June 1839 in favour of Milan. However, by then, Milan was already gravely ill with tuberculosis.[3] After his father's resignation, all the officials present went to congratulate him on becoming a Prince. It was published in the official newspaper of the Principality of Serbia. After that, Milan was visited by officers led by Ilija Garašanin. Garašanin introduced the officers to the new prince with the words: "My lord, the officers have come to bow to you, and to declare their loyalty and devotion to Your Highness." From his bed, Milan replied: "I thank the gentlemen officers for their loyalty, and I, for my part, assure the officers that I will make sure, in agreement with the Soviet, that the condition of the officers will improve. If God allows me to recover soon, I will invite you, gentlemen, to Topčider for lunch."[4] Prince Milan has never married, nor did he have any known children. Since his rule lasted only 26 days, no public documents were officially issued under his name. His death caused political crisis, and due to that, the "first regency" was formed in Serbia and lasted until 1840.[5]

Death

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He died on 8 July 1839 in Belgrade, aged 19, having never regained consciousness. After his death, his younger brother Mihailo Obrenović succeeded to the throne. Milan II was buried in the church of Palilula, and later his grave was moved to St. Mark's Church, Belgrade.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lars Ulwencreutz (November 2013). Ulwencreutz's The Royal Families in Europe V. Lulu.com. pp. 128–. ISBN 978-1-304-58135-8.
  2. ^ Aleksandra Bogdanović (2016-02-17). "Zaboravljeni knez iz dinastije Obrenović: Vladar koji je imao NAJTRAGIČNIJU SUDBINU u Srbiji | Dnevno.rs". www.dnevno.rs (in Croatian). Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  3. ^ Dragnich, Alex N. (1978). The development of parliamentary government in Serbia. East European monographs. ISBN 9780914710370.
  4. ^ https://imus.org.rs/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/z-394.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ https://www.vig.mod.gov.rs/eng/clanak/12
  6. ^ "Vreme - 170 godina od smrti kneza Milana: Vladao Srbijom 26 dana". www.vreme.com. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
Milan Obrenović, Prince of Serbia
Born: 21 October 1819 Died: 8 July 1839
Regnal titles
Preceded by Prince of Serbia
25 June 1839 – 8 July 1839
Succeeded by