Review: Ljušić R. Prince Miloš (1783–1860). The state-making ruler. Novi Sad: Orthodox word, 2021. 923 p. ISBN 978-86-81648-15-5

Abstract

In 2021, the first full biography of an outstanding figure in Serbian history — the leader of the second Serbian uprising, the ruler of the Serbian principality, and the founder of the Obrenović dynasty, Prince Miloš — was published. The author of the book is a respected historian, retired University of Belgrade professor Radosh Ljušić. This deep and grounded research fills a significant gap in Serbian historiography, as there were no studies on this subject until recently. This biography of the second Serbian ruler of the modern period is extremely comprehensive: In addition to the collections of documents, memoirs, diaries, and periodicals well-known to the scientific community, Ljušić actively used previously unpublished materials from Serbian, Russian, and Austrian archives while writing the book. It is also noteworthy that the author studied the huge amount of scientific literature while composing a biography of Miloš Obrenović. The monograph is a fairly voluminous writing (923 pages), divided into six parts: “From shepherd to leader”, “Prince”, “Outcast and returnee”, “Possessions”, “Traitor”, and “Rudnichanin”. The study is also provided with rich illustrative material and maps. For the first time in world history, the biography of a Serbian prince is presented without significant gaps and omissions. The undoubted advantage of this book is that by following the life milestones of Prince Miloš, the author does not ignore the events, customs, and social norms of that era in Serbia. This biography is written without ignoring the historical context. This article offers journal readers a brief review of this work, which is worthy of the attention of researchers and interested readers.