Velimir Mihailo Teodorović

The Only Obrenović Who Left Everything to Serbia

Velimir Mihailo Teodorović (1849–1898) was a Serbian benefactor, endowment-builder and illegitimate son of Prince Mihailo Obrenović. He holds a special place in the history of Serbian endowment-building as the only member of the Obrenović dynasty who left all of his property to Serbia.

According to his will of 1889, he named the Kingdom of Serbia as the sole heir to his movable and immovable property. The will was supplemented in 1893, when a legacy in the form of a forest was left to his half-sister Tereza Šuster, from whose revenues she was paid an annuity in German marks for the rest of her life, up to 1944.

According to his clearly expressed wish, the endowment had to be kept separate from state property and established under the name “Velimirijanum”. Its main purpose was the advancement of science, art, trade, industry and crafts, and the management of the fund was entrusted exclusively to the State Council.

The Struggle for the Endowment’s Survival

After Velimir’s death, lengthy and costly legal disputes followed, including proceedings before Romanian courts. The inheritance was contested by numerous descendants of the Obrenović family, among them the descendants of Mihailo’s sister Petrija and Queen Natalija.

The Negoj estate in Dolj County had to be sold in 1904, and the State Council received about 1,700,000 gold dinars. The law on the operation of the endowment was signed in 1905 by King Petar I Karađorđević, which created the legal framework for its activity.

The Work of the Velimirijanum

The endowment financed numerous humanitarian, educational and cultural activities. Funds were regularly awarded to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the University of Belgrade, and many schools across the country. Every year, 10% of its income was earmarked for the improvement and beautification of Belgrade.

The Velimirijanum purchased books and periodicals and sent them to grammar schools, teacher-training schools and village schools, while part of the collection remained in the endowment’s library. The endowment operated successfully until 1945, when, after the abolition of the State Council, its administration was transferred to the Ministry of Education.

The last known assistance from the fund was granted in 1971 to the poet Srboljub Mitić. The endowment formally exists to this day, but no longer functions.