Mihailo Karađorđević

Mihailo Karađorđević was the brother of the second reigning emperor of the Serbian empire, Stefan Borislav I and the former Prime minister and regent of the empire. He was known by his title; "His most excellent Vojvode"

History:

Mihailo was born on the 4th of April, 1905, in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. He was raised along side his older brother, Stefan Borislav I and was specifically raised for a military career. Mihailo was forced to escape the country with his father, Franjo, in 1916, as the country was completely occupied by the forces of the Central powers.

Mihailo returned to Serbia in 1918 at the age of 13 and went back to living with his grandfather in Belgrade. At the age of 17, in May of 1922, Mihailo was conscripted into the army. He ended his conscription in June of 1923, at the age of 18. He then decided to sign up for military school in January of 1924.

Military career:

Mihailo rose through the ranks very quickly, as he was a part of the royal family. Mihailo eventually got to the rank of General on the 19th of March, 1926, around 2 months before his action in military strategy. Mihailo participated as a general in the Serbo-Croatian war, where he was put in charge of occupying Dalmatia with the 2nd field army.

After the war, Mihailo also decided to join the navy, where he also managed to skyrocket through the ranks because of his high status in government Mihailo eventually reached to the rank of Admiral by the outbreak of the Yermanian independence rebellion. Mihailo did not participate in the war, as he decided to focus on his political career.

Political career and the second world war:

Mihailo was appointed to the post of Secretary of State in 1932, which he served as for 6 years from November of 1932 to February of 1939. He had joined the Monarchist party in July of 1932, so that he could help his grandfather keep absolute power in Serbia.

Mihailo was also appointed to the post of Minister of War in December of 1938, which he kept until his escape from Serbia in January of 1945. As the Minister of War, he was one of the main signers of the document which officially declared war on the Third Riech on the 20th of May, 1940, which brought the Second World War to Serbia.

Mihailo was put in charge of leading the 2nd field army once again, but this time into Italian lands. His army made it well into Italy, taking important cities such as Venice and Trentino. But after the Italians started pouring more and more resources into the Serbian front and the Serbs started being pushed back in Germany, Mihailo was forced to retreat all the way back to the Tolmezzo-Monfalcone defensive line.

The 2nd field army was eventually pushed back into the territory of Serbia in April of 1943, with the Germans and Italians making a big offensive into the Kingdom of Serbia. Eventually, the Serbian forces were defeated in Belgrade in March of 1945, ending the war in Serbia and transforming the country into the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. Mihailo escaped the nation 2 months before this, however and was eventually joined in exile by his nephew, the future Stefan Borislav II.

Return to Serbia:

Mihailo returned to Serbia in May of 1950, after his father retook control in the country. Mihailo became a well respected member of the parliament and eventually he was promoted to the head of the Navy by his brother in July of 1953, after he had defeated the Romanians in the Romanian revolution.

Mihailo saw action in the Great European War, as he was put in charge of keeping the navy around the coast to make sure that the Germans would not invade their coast. However, this failed, as in October of 1964, the Germans naval invaded Podgorica, but they were quickly repelled by Jakob Brko's 3rd infantry corps which was stationed in Podgorica. After the attack was repelled, Mihailo's ships gave chase to the retreating German ones, managing to destroy 9 out of 20 ships in the process.

Mihailo eventually became the prime minister of the empire in May of 1973.

Third world war and retirement:

Mihailo became an important figure during the war after Borislav I left politics and the military from November 1973 to July of 1975. Mihailo was declared as Regent of the empire on the 1st of December, 1973, to replace Borislav during his break. He visited his brother often during his break and talked to him about retiring after Borislav would return.

On the 4th of April, 1975, Mihailo left Belgrade to travel to Chisinau, where he would fight against field marshal Rokossovsky's forces. The Serbs fought hard but eventually Mihailo was forced to retreat. As soon as Borislav returned to governing on the 19th of July, 1975, Mihailo would start to make his way back to Belgrade, finally getting there on the 21st, where he would then announce his retirement. He then proceeded to move to the palace in Niš with his nephew, Stefan Borislav III, before he became emperor.

Mihailo died of a stroke on the 11th of June, 1985, in his home in Niš, at the old age of 80. Mihailo is known for his military skill throughout the empire's history and his time as the regent of the empire, which many say single handedly saved the empire from collapse during his brother's break.

Medals and Awards:

* Order of St. Prince Lazar (Awarded: 15th of August, 1927)
* Order of Karađorđe's Star (Awarded: 7th of January, 1934)
* Order of Merits in Defense and Security, 2nd class (Awarded: 29th of November, 1944)
* Sretenje Order, 1st class (Awarded: 12th of March, 1951)
* Order of the White Eagle, 1st class (Awarded: 2nd of June, 1973)
* Order of the Serbian Flag, 1st class (Awarded: 5th of May, 1974)