Alexander I of Yugoslavia
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- The title Alexander of Yugoslavia also has other uses.
| King Alexander I | ||
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| King of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes King of Yugoslavia |
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| King Alexander I | ||
| Reign | August 16, 1921 - October 9, 1934 | |
| Born | 16 December 1888 | |
| Cetinje, Montenegro | ||
| Died | 9 October 1934 | |
| Marseille, France | ||
| Predecessor | Petar I | |
| Successor | Petar II | |
| Consort | Maria of Romania | |
| Issue | Petar II Tomislav Andrej |
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| Royal House | Karađorđević | |
| Royal anthem | Bože Pravde/God of Justice | |
| Father | Petar I of Serbia | |
| Mother | Ljubica "Zorka" of Montenegro | |
King Alexander I of Yugoslavia also called King Alexander Unificator (Serbian Краљ Александар I Карађорђевић, Latin: Kralj Aleksandar I Karađorđević) (Cetinje, Montenegro, 16 December 1888 – Marseille, France, 9 October 1934) of the Royal House of Karađorđević was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–34) and before that king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1921–29).
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[edit] Childhood
Alexander Karađorđević was born in Cetinje in Montenegro in December 1888. His father was King Peter I of Serbia and his mother the former Princess Zorka of Montenegro, a daughter of King Nicholas of Montenegro. On 8 June 1922 he married HRH Princess Maria of Romania, who was a daughter of the Queen Consort of Romania, Queen Maria. They had three sons: Crown Prince Peter, Princes Tomislav and Andrej.
He spent his childhood in Montenegro, and was educated in Geneva. In 1910 he nearly died from stomach typhus and left with stomach problems for rest of his life. He continued his schooling at the Military School in St. Petersburg, Russia, but had to quit due to his health problems, 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 to death in a fit of rage), Prince Đorđe was forced to renounce his claim to the throne.
[edit] Balkan Wars and World War I
In the First Balkan War in 1912, as commander of the First Army, Crown Prince Alexander fought victorious battles in Kumanovo and Bitola, and later in 1913, during the Second Balkan War, the battle of Bregalnica. 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 Dimitrijević or "Apis" and in wake of this Alexander's father, King Peter, agreed to hand over royal powers to his son. On 24 June 1914 Alexander became Regent of Serbia.
At the outbreak of World War I he was the supreme commander of the Serbian army, with superb commanding officers in the persons of Marshals Radomir Putnik, Živojin Mišić, Stepa Stepanović and Petar Bojović. The Serbian army distinguished itself in the battles at Cer and at the Drina (the Battle of Kolubara) in 1914, scoring victories against the invading Austro-Hungarian forces and evicting them from the country.
| Styles of King Alexander I |
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
In 1915 the Serbian army with the aged King Peter and Crown Prince Alexander suffered many losses and withdrew through Albania to Corfu, where it was reorganized. After the army was regrouped and reinforced, it achieved a decisive victory on the Macedonian Front, at Kajmakcalan. The Serbian army carried out a major part in the final Allied breakthrough in the autumn of 1918.
[edit] King of Yugoslavia
On the first of December 1918, in a prearranged set piece, Alexander, as Regent, received a delegation of the Peoples Council of the State 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.
On 6 January 1929, in response to the political crisis triggered by the murder of Stjepan Radić, 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 banovinas on 3 October.
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, half the upper house was to be directly appointed by the King and legislation could become law with the approval of one of the houses alone, if it was also approved by the King.
[edit] 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 Marseille to start a state visit to the Third French Republic, to strengthen the two countries' alliance in the Little Entente. While being driven in a car through the streets along with French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou, a gunman, Vlado Chernozemski, stepped from the street and shot the King and the chauffeur. The Minister was accidentally shot by a French policeman and died later.
It was one of the first assassinations 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 Chernozemski — driver of the leader of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Ivan Mihailov and experienced marksman — was cut down by the sword of a mounted French policeman, then beaten by the crowd. By the time he was removed from the scene, he was already dead.
The film record of Alexander I's assassination remains one of the most historic pieces of newsreel in existence, alongside the film of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia's coronation, the funerals of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
King Alexander I was buried in the Memorial Church of St. George, which had been built by his father. As his son Peter II was still a minor, Alexander's first cousin Prince Pavle Karadjordjevic took the regency of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In accordance with his last will he has been buried after more than 50 years in a mausoleum in Beograd; in an ethnic roaring period as symbol of Serbian nationalism.
[edit] Trivia
King Alexander was born in Cetinje, Montenegrin capital, and considered himself Montenegrin. His mother was the Montenegrin princess Zorka. An anecdote says that once the members of parliament from Montenegro approached him with a remark that there are very few ministers from Montenegro, to which Alexander replied: "Yes, but you have a king".
[edit] External links
- Documentary film The Assassination of the Yugoslavian king Alexander in 1934 (English)
- Documentary film The Assassination and the Funeral of the Yugoslavian king Alexander in 1934 (Bulgarian)
| Preceded by Petar I Karađorđević |
King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1921–1929 |
Proclaimed King of Yugoslavia |
| New Title | King of Yugoslavia 1929–1934 |
Succeeded by Petar II Karađorđević |
