Aleksandar Obrenović

King Aleksandar of Serbia (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Обреновић) (August 14, 1876 - May 29, 1903), was king of Serbia from 1889 to 1903.

A Young King

In 1889 his father, King Milan, abdicated for no particular reason, and withdrew to a private life, proclaiming Aleksandar king of Serbia under a regency until he should attain his majority at eighteen years of age. His mother, Natalija Obrenovic became his regent.

In 1893, King Aleksandar, being then in his seventeenth year, made his notable first coup d'état, proclaimed himself of full age, dismissed the regents and their government, and took the royal authority into his own hands. His action was popular, and was rendered still more so by his appointment of a radical ministry.

In May 1894 King Aleksandar, by another coup d'état, abolished the liberal constitution of 1889 and restored the conservative one of 1869. His attitude during the Turco-Greek war of 1897 was one of strict neutrality. In 1898 he appointed his father commander-in-chief of the Serbian army, and from that time, or rather from his return to Serbia in 1894 until 1900, ex-king Milan was regarded as the de facto ruler of the country.

Unpopular Marriage

During the summer of 1900, Milan was away from Serbia on holiday in Carlsbad and making arrangements to secure the hand of a German princess for his son, and while the premier, Dr. Vladan Dyorević, was visiting the Paris Universal Exhibition, King Aleksandar suddenly announced to the people of Serbia his engagement to the widow Madame Draga Mašin, formerly a lady-in-waiting to his mother Queen Natalie.

The projected union initially aroused great opposition. Ex-King Milan resigned his post, as did the government; and King Aleksandar had great difficulty in forming a new cabinet. Due to his mothers strong opposition of the marriage, King Aleksander banished her from the kingdom.

Opposition to the union seemed to subside somewhat for a time upon the publication of Tsar Nicholas's congratulations to the king on his engagement and of his acceptance to act as the principal witness at the wedding. The marriage was duly celebrated in August 1900. Even so, the unpopularity of the union weakened the King's position in the eyes of the army and the country at large.

Attempt at Reconciliation

King Aleksandar tried to reconcile political parties by unveiling a liberal constitution of his own initiative, introducing for the first time in the constitutional history of Serbia the system of two chambers (skupshtina and senate). This reconciled the political parties but did not reconcile the army which, already dissatisfied with the king's marriage, became still more so at the rumors that one of the two unpopular brothers of Queen Draga, Lieutenant Nicodiye, was to be proclaimed heir-apparent to the throne.

Meanwhile, the independence of the senate and of the council of state caused increasing irritation to King Aleksandar. In yet another coup d'état, he suspended (March 1903) the constitution for half an hour, time enough to publish the decrees by which the old senators and councillors of state were dismissed and replaced by new ones. This arbitrary act naturally increased the dissatisfaction in the country.

Assassination & Coup

The general impression was that as much as the senate was packed with men devoted to the royal couple and the government obtained a large majority at the general elections, King Aleksandar would not hesitate any longer to proclaim Queen Draga's brother as the heir to the throne.

Apparently to prevent this, but in reality to replace Aleksandar Obrenović with Petar Karađorđević I, a military conspiracy by the Black Hand was organized. Their palace was invaded and the Royal couple hid in a cupboard in the Queen's bedroom.

The conspirators searched the palace and eventually discovered the royal couple and savagely murdered them in the early morning of June 11, 1903. King Aleksandar and Queen Draga were shot and their bodies mutilated and thrown from a window in the palace.

References

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A Young King

Unpopular Marriage

Attempt at Reconciliation

Assassination & Coup

References