He was born in Srednja Dobrinja (near Užice) around 1787 to his mother Višnja and father Todor Mihailović Obrenović. He was Miloš Obrenović's youngest brother, after Jevrem Obrenović. Jovan took part in the Meeting in Takovo and the Battle of Ljubić with Lazar Mutap in 1815.[2] He also took part in the suppression of the Đak rebellion in 1825. His clerk in Brusnica was Nićifor Ninković (also Kara-Marko Vasić's clerk at one time) from 1828. He built a church in Brusnica in 1836.[1] The Jovan rebellion from 1839 was named after him. Together with Jevrem Obrenović, he opposed the Miloš Obrenović administration during the political turmoil from 1839 to 1842.[3]
He married Kruna Mihailović in 1814 and had a son Obren (1818-1826) and a daughter Jelisaveta Savka (1828-1834) with her. He entered into a second marriage in 1835 with Ana Joksić (1818-1880) and had two daughters with her - Anastasia Stana (1839-1933) and Ermila (1844-1918). Anastasia was married in 1858 to Teodor Aleksić of Maïna (1825—1891). Ermila was married to Nikola Čupić in 1860, and in 1867 to Tihomilj Tesa Nikolić (1832-1886).[4]
Jovan Obrenović died on 22 January 1850 in Sremski Karlovci.
In his residence from 1835, there is a permanent exhibition of the National Museum in Čačak. He was credited with the renovation of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in 1834 in Čačak.