- The title Aleksandar of Yugoslavia also has other uses
Alexander of Yugoslavia may refer to:* King Alexander I of Yugoslavia * Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, born 1945, the current pretender* Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia , born 1924, son of Prince-Regent Paul...
.
Alexander I Karađorđević (Serbo-Croatian:
Aleksandar I Karađorđević,
Cyrillic scriptThe Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is the official modern alphabet used to write the Serbian language. It is an adaptation of the Cyrillic alphabet for the Serbian language, and was developed in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić from the traditional Cyrillic alphabet...
: Александар I Карађорђевић) ( – 9 October 1934) was the first king of the
Kingdom of YugoslaviaThe Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
(1929–34) as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1921–29).
Childhood
Alexander Karađorđević was born in
CetinjeCetinje is a town in Montenegro, located at . It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
in
Principality of MontenegroThe Principality or Princedom of Montenegro was a principality in Southeastern Europe. It existed from 13 March, 1852 to 28 August, 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Knjaz Nikola, who then became king....
in December 1888. His father was King Peter I of Serbia and his mother the former Princess
Zorka of MontenegroPrincess Ljubica Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro , and later became Princess Zorka Karageorgevich in Serbia. She was better known as Princess Zorka....
, a daughter of King Nicholas of Montenegro. In
BelgradeBelgrade Belgrade Belgrade (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, Serbian Latin: Beograd (meaning "White City" in Serbian) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where Central Europe's Pannonian Plain meets...
on 8 June 1922 he married HRH Princess Maria of Romania, who was a daughter of
Queen MariaMarie of Edinburgh was Queen of Romania as spouse of King Ferdinand of Romania.-Early life:...
, the Queen Consort of Romania. They had three sons:
Crown Prince PeterPeter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia, previously known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes before 1929.He was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Princess...
, Princes
TomislavPrince Tomislav of Yugoslavia was a member of the House of Karageorgevich.-Early life and education:...
and
AndrejPrince Andrew of Yugoslavia was the third son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Maria of Romania , the second daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Marie of Edinburgh .-Exile:After the fall of monarchy in...
.
He spent his childhood in
MontenegroMontenegro , is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south...
, and was educated in
GenevaGeneva, is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie...
. In 1910 he nearly died from stomach typhus and was left with stomach problems for rest of his life. He continued his schooling at the Corps de pages imperial in
Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd and Leningrad...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, but had to quit due to his brother's renounciation, and then in Belgrade. Prince Alexander was not the first in line for the throne but his elder brother, Crown Prince George (Đorđe) was considered unstable by most political forces in Serbia and after two notable scandals (one of which occurred in 1909 when he kicked his servant, who consequently died), Prince George was forced to renounce his claim to the throne.
Balkan Wars and World War I
In the
First Balkan WarThe First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success...
in 1912, as commander of the First Army, Crown Prince Alexander fought victorious battles in
KumanovoThe Battle of Kumanovo on 23 - 24 October 1912 was a major battle of the First Balkan War. It was an important Serbian victory over the Ottoman army in Vardar Macedonia, shortly after the outbreak of the war...
and
BitolaThe Battle of Monastir took place near the town of Bitola, Macedonia during the First Balkan War, from 16 to 19 November 1912. As an ongoing part of the Balkan Wars, the Ottoman Vardar Army retreated from the defeat at Kumanovo and regrouped around Bitola...
, and later in 1913, during the
Second Balkan WarThe Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria dissatisfied from its share after the division of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies repulsed the Bulgarian offensive and counter-attacked...
, the
battle of BregalnicaThe Battle of Bregalnica was fought between the Kingdom of Bulgaria army and the Kingdom of Serbia during the Second Balkan War. Serbian forces came out victorious....
. In the aftermath of the Second Balkan War Prince Alexander took sides in the complicated power struggle over how Macedonia should be administered. In this Alexander bested Col.
Dragutin DimitrijevićDragutin Dimitrijević was a Serbian soldier and nationalist leader of the Black Hand group which assassinated Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria in 1914...
or "Apis" and in the wake of this Alexander's father, King Peter, agreed to hand over royal powers to his son. On 24 June 1914 Alexander became
RegentA regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor....
of Serbia.
At the outbreak of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
he was the nominal supreme commander of the Serbian army - true command was in hands of Chief of Staff of Supreme Headquarters - position held by
Stepa StepanovićStepa Stepanović was a field marshal of the Serbian Army who distinguished himself in Serbia's wars from 1876 to 1918.Stepa Stepanović was born in the village of Kumodraž outside of Belgrade on...
(during the mobilisation),
Radomir PutnikRadomir Putnik, also known as Vojvoda Putnik, was a Serbian Field Marshal and Chief of General Staff in the Balkan Wars and the World War I, and took part in all wars that Serbia waged from 1876 to 1917.-Biography:In the mid-18th century, Putnik's family returned from exile in...
(1914-1915),
Petar BojovićPetar Bojović was one of four Serbian vojvodas in Balkan Wars and World War I....
(1916-1917) and
Živojin MišićŽivojin Mišić was a Vojvoda and the most successful Serbian commander who participated in all Serbia's wars from 1876 to 1918.-Early years:Misic's grandfather was born in Struganik near Mionica...
(1918). The Serbian army distinguished itself in the battles at
CerThe Battle of Cer also known as Battle of Jadar was one of the first battles of World War I, it also marked the first Allied victory in the war. The battle was fought between the Austro-Hungarian Army and Serbian forces. Results improved Serbian standing in the Alliance...
and at the
DrinaThe Drina is a river in Serbia and Republika Srpska, Serbian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkan Peninsula, and it is largest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed. It is a 346 kilometer long tributary of the Sava River, and it forms most of the...
(the
Battle of KolubaraThe Battle of Kolubara was a major victory of Serbia over the invading Austro-Hungarian armies during World War I. The invaders were routed, and driven back across the Serbian border.-Austrian advance:...
) in 1914 , scoring victories against the invading
Austro-HungarianAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
forces and evicting them from the country.
In 1915 the Serbian army with the aged King Peter and Crown Prince Alexander suffered many losses being attacked from all directions by the alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. It withdrew through the gorges of Montenegro and northern Albania to the Greek island of
CorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and its northern part lies off the coast of Sarandë, Albania from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km , including one near ancient Butrint, while its southern part lies...
, where it was reorganized. After the army was regrouped and reinforced, it achieved a decisive victory on the
Macedonian FrontThe Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
, at Kajmakcalan. The Serbian army carried out a major part in the final Allied breakthrough in the autumn of 1918.
King of Yugoslavia
On 1 December 1918, in a prearranged set piece, Alexander, as Regent, received a delegation of the People's Council of the
State of Slovenes, Croats and SerbsThe State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs was a short-lived state formed from the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after its dissolution at the end of the World War I by the resident population of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs...
, an address was read out by one of the delegation, and Alexander made an address in acceptance. This was considered to the birth of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
In 1921, on the death of his father, Alexander inherited the throne of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which from its inception was colloquially known both in the Kingdom and the rest of Europe alike as Yugoslavia.
On 6 January 1929, in response to the political crisis triggered by the murder of
Stjepan RadićStjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
, King Alexander abolished the Constitution, prorogued the Parliament and introduced a personal dictatorship (the so-called "January 6 Dictatorship",
Šestojanuarska diktatura). He also changed the name of the country to
Kingdom of Yugoslavia and changed the internal divisions from the 33 oblasts to nine new
banovina-History:* One of the subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1929 to 1941* Any territory ruled by a ban -See also:* Banovina of Slavonia, a province of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary...
s on 3 October.
In the same month, he tried to banish by decree the use of Serbian Cyrillic to promote the exclusive use of
Latin alphabetThe Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. It evolved from the western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, and was initially developed by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language.During the...
in Yugoslavia.
In 1931, Alexander decreed a new Constitution which transferred executive power to the King. Elections were to be by universal male suffrage. The provision for a secret ballot was dropped and pressure on public employees to vote for the governing party was to be a feature of all elections held under Alexander's constitution. Furthermore, the King would appoint half the upper house directly, and legislation could become law with the approval of one of the houses alone if it were also approved by the King.
Assassination
On account of the deaths of three members of his family on a Tuesday, Alexander refused to undertake any public functions on that day. On Tuesday 9 October 1934, however, he had no choice, as he was arriving in
MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
to start a
state visitA state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
to the
Third French RepublicFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, to strengthen the two countries' alliance in the
Little EntenteThe Little Entente was an alliance formed in 1920 and 1921 by Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia with the purpose of common defense against Hungarian irredentism and the prevention of a Habsburg restoration. France supported the alliance by signing treaties with each member country.The Little...
. While being driven in a car through the streets along with French
Foreign MinisterA minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation. The ministry for foreign affairs is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government ; it is often granted to...
Louis BarthouJean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law...
, a gunman,
Vlado ChernozemskiVlado Chernozemski , born Velichko Dimitrov Kerin , was a Bulgarian revolutionary. He was born in the village of Kamenitsa . He joined the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization in 1922...
, stepped from the street and shot the King and the chauffeur. Barthou was
accidentally shot by a French policeman and died later.
It was one of the first
assassinationAn Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure.Assassinations may be prompted by ideological, political, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, personal public recognition, or mental illness....
s captured on film; the shooting occurred straight in front of the cameraman, who was only feet away at the time. The cameraman captured not merely the assassination but the immediate aftermath; the body of the chauffeur (who had been killed instantly) became jammed against the brakes of the car, allowing the cameraman to continue filming from within inches of the King for a number of minutes afterwards.
The assassin,
Vlado ChernozemskiVlado Chernozemski , born Velichko Dimitrov Kerin , was a Bulgarian revolutionary. He was born in the village of Kamenitsa . He joined the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization in 1922...
, was a Bulgarian nationalist, member of the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary OrganizationThe Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization , was the name of from a revolutionary, Bulgarian national liberation movement in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
(IMRO) and an experienced marksman. Immediately after assassinating King Alexander, he was cut down by the sword of a mounted French policeman, and then beaten by the crowd. By the time he was removed from the scene, he was already dead. The IMRO was political organization that fought for secession of
Vardar MacedoniaVardar Macedonia is an area in the north of the Macedonia . The borders of the area are those of the Republic of Macedonia.. It covers an area of .-See also:*Macedonia...
from Yugoslavia. According to the UKTV History program
Infamous Assassinations-King Alexander, IMRO worked in alliance with the
CroatianCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 5 million Croats living in the southern Central Europe region, along the east bank of the Adriatic Sea and an estimated 9 million throughout the world...
UstašeThe Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement , members known collectively as Ustaše, but sometimes anglicised as Ustashe, Ustashas or Ustashi) was a Croatian anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was blend of fascism, nazism, Croatian ultranationalism, and Roman Catholic...
group led by
Ante PavelićAnte Pavelić was a Yugoslav fascist politician and WWII collaborator. An ethnic Croatian ultra-nationalist who, bearing the title of "Poglavnik"
["Poglavnik" was a term coined by the Ustaše, and it was originally used as the title for the leader of the movement...]
, under the secret sponsorship of Italian dictator
Benito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini,
KSMOM GCTE was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism. He became the Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 and began using the title Il Duce by...
.
The film record of Alexander I's assassination remains one of the most notable pieces of newsreel in existence, alongside the film of Tsar
Nicholas II of RussiaNicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and claimed the title of King of Poland...
's
coronationA coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch or their consort with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head, and the presentation of other items of regalia...
, the funerals of Queen
Victoria of the United KingdomVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
and Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, and the assassination of
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
King Alexander I was buried in the Memorial Church of St. George, which had been built by his father. As his son
Peter IIPeter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia, previously known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes before 1929.He was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Princess...
was still a minor, Alexander's first cousin Prince Pavle Karadjordjevic took the regency of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
This assassination has been fictionalized at the beginning of The Second Assassin, by Christopher Hyde, as being a Nazi-backed Ustasa plot. In the book, it was a Croatian assassin, plus the titular second gunman.
Ancestors
Alexander's ancestors in three generations
| Alexander I of Yugoslavia |
Father:
Peter I of YugoslaviaPeter I of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes also known as Peter I Karađorđević , also known as King Peter the Liberator, was King of Serbia from 1903 to 1918 after which he became the first King of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which from the very beginning was colloquially called...
|
Paternal Grandfather:
Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia |
Paternal Great-grandfather:
Karađorđe Petrović |
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Jelena Jovanovic |
Paternal Grandmother:
Persida Nenadović |
Paternal Great-grandfather:
Jevrem Nenadović |
Paternal Great-grandmother:
|
Mother:
Zorka of MontenegroPrincess Ljubica Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro , and later became Princess Zorka Karageorgevich in Serbia. She was better known as Princess Zorka....
|
Maternal Grandfather:
Nicholas I of MontenegroNikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning Onamo, 'namo, a popular song from Montenegro.-Life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the reigning...
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
Mirko Petrović NjegošMirko Petrović-Njegoš also Vojvoda Mirko , Grand Duke of Grahovo was a Montenegrin soldier, diplomat and poet of the House of Petrović-Njegoš. He was the older brother of Prince Danilo I and father of King Nikola, son of Stiepo/Sava Petrović-Njegoš and wife Angelika Radamovich...
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Anastasija Martinović |
Maternal Grandmother:
Milena VukotićMilena Vukotic is a former ballerina and a stage, television, and film actress.-Life:Vukotic was born in Rome, to a Montenegrin comediographer father and an Italian pianist/composer mother.-Career:...
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
Petar Vukotić |
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Jelena Voivodić |
In popular culture
The song "Don Juan" by British synth duo the
Pet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
(the B-side to their 1988 single "
Domino Dancing"Domino Dancing" is a song recorded by the British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys which reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released as the lead single from their 1988 album, Introspective.- Song :...
") contains the phrase "
King ZogZog I, Skanderbeg III of the Albanians , was King of the Albanians from 1928 to 1939...
's back from holiday,
Marie LupescuElena Lupescu , better known as Magda Lupescu, was the mistress of King Carol II of Romania and later , his wife.-Parents and siblings:...
's grey and
King Alexander is dead in Marseilles".
External links