Serbian Constitution of 1835

The Sretenje constitution, among the most liberal of its decade, crushed within weeks.

Overview

Promulgated in February 1835 at Kragujevac by Prince Milos Obrenovic under secretary Dimitrije Davidovic, the Sretenje Constitution defined Serbia as a principality with separation of powers, civil rights, and equality before the law and taxation, at a time when the Ottoman Empire was still suzerain. Its liberal imprint alarmed the great powers and the Porte, and under Russian and Turkish pressure Milos annulled it after barely two weeks. Though short lived, it anchored Serbian constitutional tradition and is celebrated as a milestone of Balkan state building.