The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-10-22
ORIGIN OF a DYNASTY.
Tho Royal Family OF Scrvla sprang from
n Swine Breeder.

Swine Breeder.
Recent cable dispatches stated that
cS-Quccn Natalie of Servia was about
to begin n lawsuit in the Paris courts
agains, cN-Eing Milan, her husband. to
recover from him 100000 francs of her
own money which he has squandcred,
Unfortunately, Milan is now an impe-
cunious follow, not possessed of the
saving qualities of his ancestors who
founded the Obrenovitch dynasty, still
represented on the Servian throne by
the young King Alexander. That
dynasty in the time of NIilosch and
Michel was considered the wcalthicst
in the Balkan peninsula, says the New
York Tribune. The old Milosch, sam
pie swine breeder, after being chosen
rs the ruler of Servia and winning his
country's independence on the battle
field of Tallovo, did not give up his ag-
ricnltural pursuits. He continued while
on the throne to breed and sell swine,
which is still the predominant branch
of Servian commerce. He merely con-
scented not to act personally us mer-
chant; but he became the silent part
ner of large swine-brceding firms. The
business was exceedingly prosperous,
and tradition has kept the remembrance
of the enormous quantities of gold"
which were received from abroad and
consigned to the prince. Moreover,
under NIilosch's reign no distinction ex-
listed between the private revenues of
the prince and those of the state. The
taxation was sufficient to pay for tho
tribute still due to Turkey and for tho
general expenses of the government.
The domains of the state. the forests and
the fishing grounds on the Danube
were exploited exclusively for the bene-
fit of AIilosch, who left his son Michel
a fortune of more than S4,0OO,OOO.
Prince Michel did not follow the OK
ample of his father, and gave himself
up entirely to governmental cares.
Still, he kept his own fortune I'M
touched, though he displayed great
luxury at his court, and devoted large
amounts of money to the material and
intellectual development of Servia
When he was assassinated in 1865, in
the Topchcdcrc park, he left no chill
drcn, and his heirs were his eldest sis
ter and two nephews from another Sis
ter. Young Milan, then student in
Paris lyceum, succeeded Michel. lie
possessed an estate in Roumania worth
about 100000, and the regents obtained
from the heirs of the late Prince Michel
an agreement that they should surrender
alarge portion of their inheritance to the
new prince. Indemnity was given
them, under the form of pensions, to be
paid by the state. For instance, there
is still living in Vienna, Austria, M.
Velimir Todorovitch. natural son of
Prince Michel, who received at that
time grant of $4,000 ducats, together
with the estate of Nego, in Roumania.
On his accession to the throne, Milan
found himself ut the head of private
fortune of about 100000 besides q
civil list which reached $40, 600 year
an enormous sum for such n small
country. But in 1877, at the beginning
of the Russian-Turlish war, Milan
sold his real estate and promptly squan-
dered the proceeds; and, in fact, the
Obrenovitch dynasty is now the poorest
of all in Europe, for it has no private
fortune.