Description

Mihailo Obrenović (Serbian: Михаило Обреновић; 1823–1868) was 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 the most enlightened ruler of modern Serbia. He advocated the idea of a Balkan federation against the Ottoman Empire.

The Principality of Serbia was a semi-independent state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was negotiated first through an unwritten agreement between Miloš Obrenović, leader of the Second Serbian Uprising and Ottoman official Marashli Pasha. It was followed by the series of legal documents published by the Porte in 1828, 1829 and finally, 1830 — the Hatt-i Sharif. Its de facto independence ensued in 1867, following the expulsion of all Ottoman troops from the country; Treaty of Berlin (1878) recognized its independence internationally. In 1882 the country was elevated to the status of kingdom.

Engraver: Anton Scharff