Katarina Konstantinović
Encyclopedia
Katarina Konstantinović (Serbian Cyrillic; Катарина Константиновић; 1848–1910) was a Serbian noblewoman and a descendant of the Obrenović dynasty
as the daughter of Princess Anka Obrenović
. She was also the first cousin of King Milan I to whom she acted as his de facto first lady of the royal court after the Queen, Natalie Keshko, separated from him.
Katarina married twice. Prior to her first marriage, she was the mistress
of her cousin, the Serbian ruler, Prince Mihailo Obrenović III, who was considering a divorce from his childless wife Julia Hunyady de Kéthely
to make Katarina his consort. On 10 June 1868, while she, Prince Mihailo and Princess Anka were strolling through Kosutnjak
park near the royal country residence, assassins shot and killed her lover and mother, and left her wounded. That same year she married General Milivoje Blaznavac
, by whom she had two children. Following his death in 1873, she married Mihailo Bogicevic.
, the niece of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia and the founder of the Obrenović dynasty. She had one brother, Colonel Alexander Konstantinović (died 1914) and an illegitimate half-sister, Simeona (died 1915), born of her mother's relationship with her brother-in-law, Jovan Ghermani.
, who was unable to bear children. Prince Mihailo and Katarina became lovers. Katarina did not bother to conceal her contempt for Princess Julia, and openly flaunted her affair with the prince. Mihailo wished to divorce Julia and marry Katarina, especially as Julia had her own lover, Duke Karl von Arenberg, by this time. While the Serbs made no secret of their mistrust of Julia due to her Catholic religion and Hungarian background, when the news spread of Mihailo's desire to seek a divorce in order to replace her with his second cousin, Katarina, the ordinary people as well as politicians and the clergy were all equally outraged at the prospect. One of the staunchest opponents of the divorce was Serbia's distinguished Prime Minister, Ilija Garasanin
, who was dismissed from his post in 1867 for airing his objections to Mihailo's proposed divorce from Julia and marriage to Katarina. His dismissal brought about an angry protest from Russia
.
Katarina's hopes to become Princess consort never came to fruition. On 10 June 1868, while she, Prince Mihailo, and her mother were taking a stroll through Košutnjak
park near Mihailo's country residence on the outskirts of Belgrade
, they were all shot by assassins, believed to be in the pay of the Karađorđevićs, who were the Obrenovic's dynastic rivals to the Serbian throne. Prince Mihailo was killed outright, Katarina was merely wounded, but her mother, after having bravely fought with her armed assailants, was also shot dead.
(16 May 1824- 5 April 1873), who served as Serbia's Minister of War and who was instrumental in securing the succession to the Serbian throne for Katarina's 14 year-old cousin Milan after commanding the Army to back the young Prince. The general, who acted as Milan's regent
, was 24 years Katarina's senior and together they had a son, Vojislav (1869–1910) and a daughter, Milica, who died as a child.
Years later, when Prince Milan became King of Serbia, she acted as the first lady of the court due to his separation from his consort, Natalie.
General Blazanac died in April 1873, and she married secondly her cousin, Mihailo Bogicević (1843–1899). They left Serbia and commenced a vagabond existence, living in various places throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire; however, they later returned to Belgrade, where he served as mayor
from 4 April 1886 to 4 February 1887. She fell in love with a friend of her son, Vojislav, who was 18 years younger than her. She subsequently left her husband for her young lover, and she received financial support from her son as well as her wealthy half-sister, Simeona, who was married to an important Romanian politician, Alexander Lakhovari
(1841–1897) and served as a lady-in-waiting
to Queen Elizabeth of Romania
.
Katarina died in 1910 in Niš
, southern Serbia, where her son, Vojislav was stationed as a soldier, and was buried in Belgrade. Vojislav died in the same year.
House of Obrenovic
The House of Obrenović was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor Miloš Obrenović in the Second Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which led to the formation of the Principality of...
as the daughter of Princess Anka Obrenović
Princess Anka Obrenović
Princess Anka Obrenović was a member of the Serbian royal Obrenović dynasty as the niece of the dynasty's founder Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia. She was also a society leader and writer whose translations in 1836 were the first literary works compiled by a woman to be published in Serbia...
. She was also the first cousin of King Milan I to whom she acted as his de facto first lady of the royal court after the Queen, Natalie Keshko, separated from him.
Katarina married twice. Prior to her first marriage, she was the mistress
Royal mistress
A royal mistress is the historical position of a mistress to a monarch or senior Royal. Some mistresses have had considerable power. The prevalence of the institution can be attributed to the fact that royal marriages were until recent times conducted solely on the basis of political and dynastic...
of her cousin, the Serbian ruler, Prince Mihailo Obrenović III, who was considering a divorce from his childless wife Julia Hunyady de Kéthely
Julia Hunyady de Kéthely
Countess Júlia Hunyady de Kéthely , was a Hungarian noblewoman and the Princess consort of Serbia as the wife of Mihailo Obrenović III. She remained a widow for seven and a half years after his assassination in 1868, until January 1876 she married her lover, Duke Karl von Arenberg, Prince von...
to make Katarina his consort. On 10 June 1868, while she, Prince Mihailo and Princess Anka were strolling through Kosutnjak
Košutnjak
Košutnjak is a park-forest and urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica and Rakovica .-Location:...
park near the royal country residence, assassins shot and killed her lover and mother, and left her wounded. That same year she married General Milivoje Blaznavac
Milivoje Petrović Blaznavac
General Milivoje Petrović Blaznavac was Serbian soldier and politician. His father, Petar, was a rural merchant and shopkeeper from Blaznava, although a story circulated that his real father was Prince Miloš Obrenović. He finished elementary school and painting craft...
, by whom she had two children. Following his death in 1873, she married Mihailo Bogicevic.
Family
Katarina was born in 1848, the daughter of Alexander Konstantinović and the erudite society leader Princess Anka ObrenovićPrincess Anka Obrenović
Princess Anka Obrenović was a member of the Serbian royal Obrenović dynasty as the niece of the dynasty's founder Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia. She was also a society leader and writer whose translations in 1836 were the first literary works compiled by a woman to be published in Serbia...
, the niece of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia and the founder of the Obrenović dynasty. She had one brother, Colonel Alexander Konstantinović (died 1914) and an illegitimate half-sister, Simeona (died 1915), born of her mother's relationship with her brother-in-law, Jovan Ghermani.
Prince Mihailo
Sometime after her father's death, Katarina and her mother were invited by the latter's first cousin, Prince Mihailo to live at the royal court. Since September 1860, he had assumed rule as Serbia's leader for the second time, having been deposed in 1842 after a three year reign. He was unhappily married to a Hungarian countess, Julia Hunyady de KéthelyJulia Hunyady de Kéthely
Countess Júlia Hunyady de Kéthely , was a Hungarian noblewoman and the Princess consort of Serbia as the wife of Mihailo Obrenović III. She remained a widow for seven and a half years after his assassination in 1868, until January 1876 she married her lover, Duke Karl von Arenberg, Prince von...
, who was unable to bear children. Prince Mihailo and Katarina became lovers. Katarina did not bother to conceal her contempt for Princess Julia, and openly flaunted her affair with the prince. Mihailo wished to divorce Julia and marry Katarina, especially as Julia had her own lover, Duke Karl von Arenberg, by this time. While the Serbs made no secret of their mistrust of Julia due to her Catholic religion and Hungarian background, when the news spread of Mihailo's desire to seek a divorce in order to replace her with his second cousin, Katarina, the ordinary people as well as politicians and the clergy were all equally outraged at the prospect. One of the staunchest opponents of the divorce was Serbia's distinguished Prime Minister, Ilija Garasanin
Ilija Garašanin
Ilija Garašanin was a Serbian politician and statesman, serving as Interior Minister and Prime Minister ....
, who was dismissed from his post in 1867 for airing his objections to Mihailo's proposed divorce from Julia and marriage to Katarina. His dismissal brought about an angry protest from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Katarina's hopes to become Princess consort never came to fruition. On 10 June 1868, while she, Prince Mihailo, and her mother were taking a stroll through Košutnjak
Košutnjak
Košutnjak is a park-forest and urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica and Rakovica .-Location:...
park near Mihailo's country residence on the outskirts of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, they were all shot by assassins, believed to be in the pay of the Karađorđevićs, who were the Obrenovic's dynastic rivals to the Serbian throne. Prince Mihailo was killed outright, Katarina was merely wounded, but her mother, after having bravely fought with her armed assailants, was also shot dead.
Marriages and issue
That same year of 1868, Katarina, who was 20 years old at the time, married General Milivoje BlaznavacMilivoje Petrović Blaznavac
General Milivoje Petrović Blaznavac was Serbian soldier and politician. His father, Petar, was a rural merchant and shopkeeper from Blaznava, although a story circulated that his real father was Prince Miloš Obrenović. He finished elementary school and painting craft...
(16 May 1824- 5 April 1873), who served as Serbia's Minister of War and who was instrumental in securing the succession to the Serbian throne for Katarina's 14 year-old cousin Milan after commanding the Army to back the young Prince. The general, who acted as Milan's regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
, was 24 years Katarina's senior and together they had a son, Vojislav (1869–1910) and a daughter, Milica, who died as a child.
Years later, when Prince Milan became King of Serbia, she acted as the first lady of the court due to his separation from his consort, Natalie.
General Blazanac died in April 1873, and she married secondly her cousin, Mihailo Bogicević (1843–1899). They left Serbia and commenced a vagabond existence, living in various places throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire; however, they later returned to Belgrade, where he served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
from 4 April 1886 to 4 February 1887. She fell in love with a friend of her son, Vojislav, who was 18 years younger than her. She subsequently left her husband for her young lover, and she received financial support from her son as well as her wealthy half-sister, Simeona, who was married to an important Romanian politician, Alexander Lakhovari
Alexandru Lahovary
Alexandru Lahovary was a member of the Romanian aristocracy, a politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Justice, Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Property, Minister of Public Works and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Romania....
(1841–1897) and served as a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Queen Elizabeth of Romania
Elisabeth of Wied
-Titles and styles:*29 December 1843 – 15 November 1869: Her Serene Highness Princess Elisabeth of Wied*15 November 1869 – 26 March 1881: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Romania...
.
Katarina died in 1910 in Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, southern Serbia, where her son, Vojislav was stationed as a soldier, and was buried in Belgrade. Vojislav died in the same year.