The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-17
EX-KING MILAN's ANCESTRY.
He Has Less Royal Blood Than Any
Other Prince in Europe.
From the New York Times.

from the New YORK Times.
st. Petersburg-"Noo one is more useful
TO the cause of the Karageorgovitch than
ex-King Milan himself" said Prince
Karageorgevitch, when interviewed the
other day in Genoa on the subject of the
present crisis in Servia. There is htte
doubt that Milan is the worst enemy of
the OBJ enovitch dynasty, AMI that the
course he is pursuing means the ruin not
Only of the dynasty, but of Servia as well.
If the laws of heredity be taken into
consideration, the career of King Milan
is about what was to be expected from his
ancestry. The eX-King has about as little
royal blood in his veins as any prince of
Europe or Asia. The Bonapartes of the
present generation, though generally look
ed upon as parvenus, are of aristocratc
lineage when compared to the Obrenovitch
family. One may, by taking a glance
back two or three generations, easily find
an explanation of the causes which have
made Milan what he is
At the beginning of the present century
the Servian people were made up of ignor-
ant peasants, who could neither read nor
write, and whose principal wealth, besides
their cornfields, consisted of herds of swine
in the forests of oaks. The Mussulman sol
diers in the country formed kind of aris-
tocracy, the leading Servians being dealers
in hogs. The Christian Servians took adj
vantage of civil war between their Mus
sulman masters to rebel against Turkish
rule, and in 1905, after a long siege. they
became possessed of Belgrade and pillaged
the town. The rebel chief, George-nick-
named Kara" (the Black by the Turks
was a retired dealer in hogs, who had be-
come a non-commissioned officer in the
Austrian army 1t Is from him that are
descended the Karageorgevitch, whose
present representative, mentioned above, is
the son-in-law of the Prince of Monte
negro, and resides in Geneva.
During the Turko-Russian war of 1906
1872 the Servians continued their struggle
for independence; but when peace was
concluded between the Sultan and the
Car. in 1912, the Servlan rebel forces, I'M
der Karageorgevitch, were annihilated by
the Turks, who once more established
their tyranical rule. During the next few
years the Servians lived under reign
of terror men, women and children being
butchered, burned at the stake, or i'm
paled. It was then that a local chief,
Mnoch Obrenovitch, an enemy of Kara
georgevitch, but, like him, a dealer in
hogs, took up arms for his country's in
dependence.
When. in 1918. Kara eorgevitch returned
to Servia, he was assassinated by order
of Obrenovtch. Two years later, having
made his peace with the Sultan. Miloch
Obrenovitch was granted the monopoly of
the trade in hogs and the title of Prince
of the Servians in the 'pachalik of Bel
grade" Later on, 10 reward him for his
neutrality during the TurlSo-Greek war,
the Sultan made his title Of Prince heredi-
tary. From that time on Miloch took
up his residence at Kragujevatch and
ruled the country as an absolute sover-
eign, taxing the people according to his
will. Whoever was imprudent enough to
complain of his tyrannical rule was MUIR
dered, and the report was given out that
his death was due TO Turkish brigands
King Milan is a great-grandson of this
Miloch.
In 1899 Miloch was compelled to abdi-
cate in favor of his son, Milan, who died
when a mere youth leaving the throne
to Michel, boy of 16, his brother Michel
was dethroned in 1912, and replaced on
the throne by = son of Karageorge, Alex
ander Karageorgevitch. He, in turn, was
dethroned in 1858 by the Skouptchina.
which recalled cd Miloch and restored
him to the throne. In 1860 Michel sue
ceeded Miloch but was assassina ted in 1868
by the Karageorgevitch following VINO
thus revenged themselves for the death
of their ancestor. AS Michel left no chn-
dren, the Skouptchina appointed as his
successor his granddaughter, Milan, then
boy of IA. The country was then gov
erned by a regency until 1872 This re-
gency made an attempt to introduce a
constitution and manners of government,
modelled on che constitutional regimes OF
Western Europe. Milan attained his ma
jority in 1873. and in 1882 he was recognized
as King by the Powers, a tNle which he
has since proceeded to drag in the mud.
Such, in brief, is the story of ex-King
Mi.an's ancestry. As for the recent events
In his own career they are too well known
to be repeated his abdication, exile. di
vorce, and return TO Servia having all
been discussed at length. What the life
OF the exiled monarch in Paris has been