Gavro Manojlović was born on 21 October 1856 in Zadar. He started primary school in his birthplace and completed it in Ogulin; then he went to secondary school in Senj, Karlovac and Zagreb. Manojlović enrolled at the university in Zagreb and studied history, geography, philosophy and classical philology. After that he worked as both a teacher and a secondary school principal in Požega, Osijek and Zagreb. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1895 and began his teaching/scientific work at the University of Zagreb. His greatest achievements were in the field of Byzantology, which he had promoted with works that were not always completed, in scientific magazines, and he also distinguished himself by publishing four studies in 1910-1911 on the topic of paramount importance for all South Slavic nations, about De Administrando Imperio by Constantine Porphyrogenitus. His History of the Old Orient, in three volumes, published in 1923, remained unfinished, but this interest of his resulted in the establishment of the Oriental collection at the Yugoslav Academy of Arts and Sciences (JAZU), which was compiled during his mandate at the Academy. During that time Manojlovic was also engaged, with much dedication, in the philosophy of history. He paused his career on several occasions in order to fulfil his political obligations, but also because of the punishment applied as a result of that political engagement. He was an envoy on the list of the Croatian-Serbian Coalition in 1905 and performed this duty with short breaks until 1920, when he became member of the Interim Parliament of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He was appointed a permanent member of JAZU in 1908 and a corresponding member of the Serbian Royal Academy in 1910. Between 1924 and 1933 he was President of JAZU. Manojlović died in Zagreb on 1 November 1939.