Mihailo "Miša" Anastasijević ( sr-cyr, Миша Анастасијевић; February 24, 1803 – January 27, 1885) was a businessman and the second richest man in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

in the 19th century, through his successful salt export from

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

and business partnership with Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia. He was also the ''Captain of Danube'', and acquired significant benefits from Prince Miloš. Anastasijević was the first public benefactor in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and organizer of various balls for the

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

. He was also a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Life

Anastasijević was born in Poreč, modern

Donji Milanovac Donji Milanovac ( sr-cyrl, Доњи Милановац, ) is a town in eastern Serbia. It is situated in the Majdanpek municipality, in the Bor District. It is located on the right bank of Lake Đerdap on the Danube. The population of the tow ...

, Serbia in 1803. His father, Anastas, was a landowner and petty businessman. His mother, Ruža, was a homemaker. His father died when he was only two years old, while his mother died as a result of complications during childbirth, leaving his stepmother Milja in charge of him. Miša and Milja twice crossed the Danube into Austria during the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising (; sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; ) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac (Aranđelovac), Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt ...

of the

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( / ') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman province into a Revolutionary Serbia, reb ...

. At 11 years old, due to his literacy, he became a teacher in his hometown. From 1817 to 1822, he worked as a charcoal burner (customs officer and supervisor) before going into trade. He was a business partner of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia, notably the richest. He was given the title of "Danube Captain" by Prince Miloš, from whom he also acquired significant commercial benefits. His company soon gained control over salt exports from

and

. At the top of his career, Miša Anastasijević employed circa 10,000 workers and had a fleet of 80 ships. He was the first public benefactor in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and organizer of various balls for the

. Anastasijević was called the “Prince of Danube” or “Danube

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "to the red shield", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...

” for his wealth and business skills. Miša Anastasijević married his daughter Sara (Sarka) to George, a Prince from the ruling Karađorđević family and built the most impressive building in the city ( Captain Miša's Mansion), which was supposed to be the new court, although this plan failed. The building has hosted some of the most important educational and cultural institutions of the

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia () was an autonomous, later sovereign state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was negotiated first through an unwritten agre ...

including the Belgrade Higher School, which became the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

. Occasionally, its gala hall has been used for the meetings of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

(1864–1875) and Senate (1901–1903). Today, it is the seat of the Rectorate of the

. Anastasijević died on January 27, 1885, at his home in

Bucharest, Romania Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. His body is preserved at a church in Clejani,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. According to the Romanian newspaper ''Evenimentul zilei'', it is naturally mummified and preserved in a "remarkable" state.

References

External links

D. Bataković, ''The Serbian revolution: Nation-Building and Modernization'', 2005

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anastasijevic, Misa 19th-century Serbian nobility People from the Ottoman Empire Serbian businesspeople Serbian military leaders 1803 births 1885 deaths Serbian philanthropists 19th-century philanthropists

Life

See also

References

External links