The town of Becej was in Hungary at the time, and when he was less than a year old his family lost everything in the turmoil of the abortive revolution of 1848. He father, who fought in the revolution, died in 1856, a broken man. His mother believed strongly in education and scrimped enough to keep him, and his two brothers, in school. Aleksandar Popović tutored other students and won scholarships to complete his basic education in Pest. His older brother Stephan gained preferment with the Serbian PrinceAlexander Karađorđević who was living in Pest at the time, and thus was able to support the family, allowing Aleksandar Popović to attend the University of Budapest where he studied geology under Professor József Szabó.