Alexander I of Yugoslavia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
The title Aleksandar of Yugoslavia also has other uses.
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
King Alexander I Karageorgevich
King of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
King of Yugoslavia
Image:AleksandarI-Karadjordjevic.jpg
King Aleksandar I
Reign August 16, 1921 - October 9, 1934
Coronation HM Aleksandar I of Yugoslavia (1929-1945)
HM The King of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (1921-1929)
HRH Prince Aleksandar I of Serbia (1903-1921)
Born 16 December 1888(1888-12-16)
Image:Old Flag of Montenegro.png Cetinje, Montenegro
Died 9 October 1934 (aged 45)
Image:Flag of France.svg Marseille, France
Buried Saint George's Church in Oplenac
Predecessor Petar I
Successor Petar II
Consort Maria of Romania
Issue Petar II
Tomislav
Andrej
Royal House Karadjordjevic
Royal anthem Bože Pravde/God of Justice
Father Petar I of Serbia
Mother Ljubica "Zorka" of Montenegro

Alexander I of Yugoslavia also called King Alexander Unificator (Serbian Краљ Александар I Карађорђевић) (Cetinje, Principality of 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).

Contents

[edit] Childhood

Alexander Karadjordjevic was born in Cetinje in Principality of 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 Queen Maria, the Queen Consort of Romania. Her legal father was King Ferdinand I of Romania, but her mother alleged that her biological father was actually Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia. 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

Main articles: Balkan Wars and Serbian Campaign (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 the 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
Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative styleSir

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, 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.

[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.

Image:King Alexander assasination corected aspect contract and sharpness.gif
Assassination of Alexander I

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 an 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 (film footage), 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.

[edit] Trivia

King Alexander was born in Cetinje, the Montenegrin capital. He had always considered himself a Montenegrin and remained using his native Montenegrin dialect of the Serbian language for his entire life. 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".[citation needed]

[edit] Ancestors

Alexander's ancestors in three generations
Alexander I of Yugoslavia Father:
Peter I of Yugoslavia 		Paternal Grandfather:
Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia 		Paternal Great-grandfather:
Karađorđe Petrović
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Jelena Jovanovic
Paternal Grandmother:
Persida Nenadović 		Paternal Great-grandfather:
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Mother:
Zorka of Montenegro 		Maternal Grandfather:
Nicholas I of Montenegro 		Maternal Great-grandfather:
Mirko Petrović Njegoš
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Anastasija Martinović
Maternal Grandmother:
Milena Vukotić 		Maternal Great-grandfather:
Petar Vukotić
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Jelena Voivodić

[edit] External links

Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Born: 16 December 1888 Died: 9 October 1934
Regnal titles
Preceded by
None 		Regent
Prince Alexander of Serbs
1914-16 August, 1921
with
King Peter I of Serbia 		Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
Peter I
as King of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes 		King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
16 August, 1921-6 January, 1929 		Succeeded by
Proclaimed King of Yugoslavia
New title King of Yugoslavia
6 January, 1929-October 9, 1934 		Succeeded by
Peter II
bs:Aleksandar I Karađorđević

bg:Александър I (Югославия) cs:Alexandr I. Karadjordjević de:Alexander I. (Jugoslawien) et:Aleksandar I Karađorđević es:Alejandro I de Yugoslavia fr:Alexandre Ier de Yougoslavie hr:Aleksandar I. Karađorđević it:Alessandro I di Jugoslavia he:אלכסנדר הראשון מלך יוגוסלביה nl:Alexander I van Joegoslavië ja:アレクサンダル1世 (ユーゴスラビア王) no:Aleksandar I av Jugoslavia pl:Aleksander I Karadziordziewić pt:Alexandre da Iugoslávia ru:Александр I Карагеоргиевич sl:Aleksander I. Karađorđević sr:Александар I Карађорђевић fi:Aleksanteri I (Jugoslavia) sv:Alexander I av Jugoslavien uk:Александр I Карагеоргієвич zh:亞歷山大一世 (南斯拉夫)

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/Alexander_I_of_Yugoslavia"
Views
Personal tools

Toolbox