Prince Michael Obrenović III of Serbia was the ruling Prince of Serbia from 1839 to 1842 and again from 1860 to 1868. His first reign ended when he was deposed in 1842, and his second when he was assassinated in 1868. He is considered to be a great reformer and the most enlightened ruler of modern Serbia. He advocated the idea of a Balkan federation against the Ottoman Empire.
Early life
Michael was the son of Prince Miloš Obrenović and his wife Ljubica Vukomanović. He was born in Kragujevac, the second surviving son of the couple. He spent his childhood in Kragujevac, then in Požarevac and Belgrade. Having finished his education in Požarevac, Michael left Serbia with his mother to go toVienna. His elder brother by four years, Milan Obrenović II, born in 1819, was frequently in poor health.
First reign
Initially, Prince Miloš abdicated in favour of his firstborn Milan Obrenović II, who was by then terminally ill and died after just one month of rule. Michael came to the throne as a minor, having been born in late 1823, and acclaimed prince on June 25, 1839. He was declared of full age the following year. Few thrones appeared more secure, and his rule might have endured throughout his life but for his want of energy and inattention to political developments. In his first reign, his inexperience meant he did not cope well with the challenges Serbia faced. In 1842, his reign was ended by a rebellion led by Toma Vučić-Perišić, which enabled the Karađorđević dynasty to assume power.
Life in exile
After the overthrow, Prince Michael withdrew from Serbia across the Sava and Danube with around one thousand of his adherents. His destiny was decided by Austria and Turkey. Prince Michael was directed to the estate of his sister Savka Nikolić, while Princess Ljubica was sent to Novi Sad. She died there in 1843. Michael organized her burial at Krušedol monastery. He wrote to Vučić in 1853 to say that he did not want to recover the throne by violence. The prince later moved to Vienna with his father, Prince Miloš Obrenović. There he managed his father's large estate. At that time, he wrote the poem "Što se bore misli moje. He married Countess Júlia Hunyady de Kéthely, the daughter of Count Ferenc Hunyady de Kéthely and Countess Júlia Zichy de Zich and Vásonkeő. The marriage was childless, although he had at least one illegitimate child by a mistress whose identity is unknown. While in exile, he learned to speak French and German fluently.
Second reign and assassination
Michael was accepted back as Prince of Serbia after 18 years in exile, in September 1860, after the death of his father who had regained the throne in 1858. For the next eight years, he ruled as an enlightened absolute monarch. During his second reign, the People's Assembly was convened just three times, in 1861, 1864 and 1867. Prince Michael's greatest achievement was in persuading the Turkish garrisons to leave Serbia, in 1862 and 1867. This was achieved with major diplomatic support from Russia and Austria. In 1866–68, Michael forged The First Balkan Alliance by signing the series of agreements with other Balkan entities. During his rule, the first modern Serbian coins were minted. He was also the first in modern Serbian history to declare Belgrade the capital city of the country. Michael wished to divorce his wife, Julia, in order to marry his young mistress, Katarina Konstantinović, the daughter of his first cousin, Princess Anka Obrenović. Both resided at the royal court at his invitation. His plans for a divorce and subsequent remarriage to Katarina met with much protest from politicians, clergy and the general public. His astute and gifted Prime MinisterIlija Garašanin was dismissed from his post in 1867 for daring to voice his opposition to the divorce. However, the divorce never took place. While Prince Michael Obrenović was gradually introducing absolutism, a conspiracy was formed against him. The main organizers and perpetrators were the brothers Radovanović, who wanted to avenge their brother, Ljubomir Radovanović, who was in prison. Kosta Radovanović, the main perpetrator, was a wealthy and respected merchant. His brother, Pavle Radovanović, was with him during the assassination, and the third of the brothers, Đorđe Radovanović, was also involved. On June 10, 1868, Michael was travelling with Katarina and Princess Anka in a carriage through the park of Košutnjak near his country residence on the outskirts of Belgrade. In the park appeared Pavle and Kosta Radovanović in formal black suits, and pointing a loaded gun at the Prince, Kosta approached the carriage. Prince Michael Obrenović recognized him, because of a dispute over his brother Ljubomir. The last words of the Prince, which Kosta himself admitted when on trial were: "Well, it's true." Michael and Anka were shot dead, and Katarina wounded. Further details of the plot behind the assassination have never been clarified; the sympathizers and cousins of the Karađorđević dynasty were suspected of being behind the crime, but this has not been proven. Anka's granddaughter Natalija Konstantinović was married in 1902 to the Montenegrin Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, whose sister Zorka had married King Petar Karađorđević I in 1883. He was awarded Order of Prince Danilo I, Order of the White Eagle, Order of Saint Anna, Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Order of the Redeemer, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Order of the Medjidie, Order of Glory and Order of Leopold.
