Milan I of Serbia

Milan I
King of Serbia
Reign	6 March 1882 – 6 March 1889
Predecessor	Himself as Prince
Successor	Alexander I
Prince of Serbia
Reign	10 June 1868 – 6 March 1882
Predecessor	Mihailo Obrenović III
Successor	Himself as King
Spouse	Natalija Keşco
Issue
Alexander I, Sergei Obrenović, George Obrenovic (illegitimate)
House	House of Obrenović
Father	Miloš Obrenović
Mother	Marija Obrenović
Born	(1854-08-22)22 August 1854 Mărăşeşti, Moldavia
Died	11 February 1901(1901-02-11) (aged 46) Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Burial	Krušedol monastery, Serbia
Religion	Serbian Orthodox

Monarchical styles of Milan I of Serbia
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Sir

Milan Obrenović (Cyrillic: Милан Обреновић; 22 August 1854 – 11 February 1901), was the ruler of Serbia from 1868 to 1889, first as prince (1868-1882) and as king (1882-1889).

Early years

Milan Obrenović was born in 1854 in Mărăşeşti, Moldavia where his family lived in exile ever since the 1842 return of the rival House of Karađorđević to the Serbian throne when they managed to depose Milan's cousin Prince Mihailo Obrenović III.

Milan was the son of Miloš Obrenović (1829–1861) and his Moldovan wife Elena Maria Catargiu (known in Serbia as Marija Obrenović). Milan's paternal grandfather (Miloš's father) was Jevrem Obrenović (1790–1881), brother of the famous Serb Prince — Miloš Obrenović. Milan was therefore Prince Miloš's grandnephew. Milan had only one sibling — sister Tomanija.

Shortly after Milan's birth, his parents divorced. Several years later on 20 November 1861, at the tender age of seven, Milan lost his father Miloš who died fighting the Turks near Bucharest as a foreign mercenary in the Romanian Army, meaning that mother Marija got a legal custody. Marija, however, lived a lavish aristocratic lifestyle, soon becoming Romanian ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza's mistress and bearing him two sons — Saşa and Dimitrie. As a result she showed little interest in her children from the previous marriage with Miloš so an agreement was reached for young Milan to get legally adopted by his cousin Mihailo Obrenović III who in the meantime, following the 1858 expulsion of the Karađorđevićs, returned to Serbia where he became the ruling prince in 1860. Milan was brought to Kragujevac by Prince Mihailo Obrenović III who also arranged for a governess 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, notably People's Radical Party leader Stojan Protić who went as far as making an untrue accusation in his paper Samouprava that King Milan's father is actually Alexandru Ioan Cuza, referring to King Milan as Kuzić instead of Obrenović.

After bring his nephew to Serbia, Prince Mihailo also took care of the youngster's education, sending him to Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris where the young Milan reportedly displayed considerable maturity.

Prince of Serbia (1868–1882)

On 10 June 1868, when Milan was only fourteen years of age, Prince Mihailo Obrenović III got assassinated. Due to not having any male heirs, the question of who is going to succeed him on the Serbian throne became a pressing one. In the post-assassination chaos and the resulting power vacuum, influential senior statesman Ilija Garašanin re-emerged in Serbian political life, despite only eight months earlier being removed by the late prince from the ministry president post and replaced with Jovan 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 is to be selected by the Visoka narodna skupština (Grand National Council). However, once surging cabinet minister Milivoje Petrović Blaznavac, who by now managed to consolidate his control over the army and stage a coup d'état, suggested underage Milan as the successor, Garašanin and others could only yield to the more powerful authority.

Regency of Milivoje Petrović Blaznavac

The regency ruling in underage Milan's name was a three-man council headed by Blaznavac. Statesman and historian Jovan Ristić, and Jovan Gavrilović, politician and historian hailing from a wealthy merchant family rounded out the trio.

Young Milan was brought back to Serbia from Paris and enthroned in front of the Topčider assembly while the Blaznavac-controlled army surrounded the premises just in case. Furthermore, prominent Serb nobleman from Dubrovnik, Medo Pucić, was brought to Belgrade to serve as teacher and adviser to the underage prince.

Under Blaznavac's tutelage, both personally and politically, the prince deferred to the head of the regency council in all stately matters. Prince Milan didn't get the benefit of 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.^[1] The only property young Prince Milan did inherit was his late father's compound in Mărășești that had an overwhelming amount of debt associated with it.^[1]

On 2 January 1869, the third Serbian constitution, mostly Ristić's creation, was promulgated.

In 1871, the underage prince faced two separate situations that are still unclear as to whether they were genuine attempts on his life. In May as he exited the National Theatre building, a bomb exploded couple of hundred meters away on Terazije. Buried under a sidewalk, the exploded device didn't cause anyone harm and there was frequent speculation in Serbia that it was Blaznavac who organized the explosion in order to scare and confuse the young prince who neared his age of majority into still being reliant on Blaznavac. The event became known as Terazijska bomba (Terazije Bomb) in the Serbian historiography.

Several months later, on 6 October, Prince Milan was involved in another incident, this time during a visit to Smederevo. At some point, he went to an outhouse 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. Historian Slobodan Jovanović thinks the occurrence was "likely coincidental".^[2] On the other hand, historian Leontije Pavlović in his book Smederevo u XIX veku (Smederevo in the Nineteenth Century) states the conspirators doused the wooden floor with nitric 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.^[2] The entire episode is known as Smederevski nameštaj (double meaning: The Smederevo Furniture or the Smederevo Setup).^[2]

Prince reaches the age of majority

On 22 August 1872, Milan was declared of age, and he took government into his own hands. He soon manifested great intellectual capacity, coupled with a passionate headstrong character. Eugene Schuyler, who saw him about this time, found him a very remarkable, singularly intelligent, and well-informed young man. Principality of Serbia was still a de jure part of the Ottoman Empire though in reality it already long functioned as a semi-independent state whose politics and economy was much more dependent on other Great Powers, particularly Austria-Hungary and Russian Empire, than on its formal ruler, the declining Ottomans. Milan carefully maneuvered between the Austrian and Russian geopolitical interests in Serbia, with a judicious leaning towards the former.

When Serbs from the neighbouring Bosnia Vilayet (also part of the Ottoman Empire though a lot more integrated and loyal one due to the large Muslim population) began an uprising in July 1875 on the outskirts of Nevesinje, protesting the tax system as well as harsh treatment under local beys and aghas, Prince Milan condemned it 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 the uprising's organizing and execution, including their 31-year-old heir Petar Karađorđević going over to the Herzegovina region in order to fight under 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 the Serb brethren.

Marriage

On 5 October 1875, twenty-one-year-old Milan married sixteen-year-old Natalija Keşco in a ceremony performed in accordance with the Serbian Orthodox Church rites. The bride was the daughter of Piotrj (Petre) Ivanović Keşco, a Moldavian boyar, who was also a colonel in the Imperial Russian Army. Keşco's wife, Natalija's mother, Pulcheria, was by birth a Sturdza (of the princely Sturdza family). Prince Milan and his bride Natalija were actually fairly close cousins because Milan's mother Elena and Natalija's father Piotrj were the kids of two sisters, meaning that Milan and Natalija shared a set of great-grandparents.^[1] This relation meant that their marriage had to be specifically approved by the church, namely Metropolitan Mihailo Jovanović, the Metropolitan of Belgrade, however this wasn't done.^[1]

A son, Alexander, was born to Natalija and Milan in 1876, but their relationship showed signs of friction right from the start.

At the end of the Serbo-Turkish War (1876–78), Prince Milan induced the Porte to acknowledge his independence at the Treaty of Berlin.

King of Serbia (1882–1889)

Milan I in the uniform of the Serbian Army during the Wars for Independence 1876-1878.

In 1882, Milan was proclaimed King of Serbia.

Acting under Austrian 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 the war against Bulgaria from 1885–1886. In September 1885, the union of Eastern Rumelia and Bulgaria caused widespread agitation in Serbia. Milan promptly declared war upon the new Bulgarian state on 15 November. After a short, decisive campaign, the Serbs were utterly routed at the Battle of Slivnitsa and at the Battle 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 notably Jennie Jerome (wife of Lord Randolph Churchill and mother to Winston 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 at Wiesbaden 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 the metropolitan, and procured a divorce, which was afterwards annulled as illegal. King Milan now seemed master of the situation.

On 3 January 1889, Milan adopted a new 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. No satisfactory reason was assigned for this step. Milan settled in Paris as a private individual.

Post-monarchical role

Tomb of Milan I, at Krušedol monastery.

In February 1891, a Radical ministry was formed. Queen Natalija and the ex-Metropolitan Mihailo returned to Belgrade, and Austrian influence began to give way to Russian. Fear of a revolution and of 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 his coup d'etat and taken 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.

On 29 April, a royal decree reinstated Milan and Natalija, who in the meantime had become ostensibly reconciled, in their position 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 at Biarritz, returned to Belgrade in May 1895, after four years of absence, and was greeted by the populace with great enthusiasm. The ex-king, again left the county because of this.

After reconciliation with son, Milan returned to Serbia in 1897, to be appointed as commander-in-chief of the 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 was blamed him for the increasingly authoritarian rule of the young King, and a member of 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 to Draga Mašin in July 1900. Milan opposed the match to the point that he resigned his post as commander-in-chief. Alexander subsequently banished Milan from Serbia. Milan left Serbia to Karlsbad, then to Timișoara and finally retired to Vienna. On 11 February 1901, Milan died unexpectedly. He was buried in Krušedol monastery, next to his grandaunt Princess Ljubica, Prince Miloš's wife.

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References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press 

External links

• The Serbian Army in the Wars for Independence Against Turkey 1876-1878, Dusan Babac, Helion & Company (28 April 2014)