Peter I of Serbia
| Peter I | |
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| King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes; prev. King of Serbia |
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| Reign | 15 June 1903 – 1 December 1918 (as King of Serbia) 1 December 1918 - 16 August 1921 (as King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) |
| Coronation | 21 September 1904 |
| Predecessor | Alexander I (Obrenović) |
| Successor | Alexander I (Karađorđević) |
| Spouse | Princess Zorka of Montenegro |
| Issue | |
| Princess Helen George, Crown Prince of Serbia Alexander I |
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| House | House of Karageorgevich |
| Father | Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia |
| Mother | Persida Nenadović |
| Born | June 29, 1844 Belgrade |
| Died | August 16, 1921 (aged 77) Belgrade |
| Burial | Saint George's Church in Oplenac |
Peter I (Serbo-Croatian: Petar I Karađorđević, Cyrillic script: Петар I Карађорђевић) (29 June 1844 – 16 August 1921), was King of Serbia from 1903 to 1918, and subsequently the ruler of Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later 1929 Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He was member of the Royal House of Karađorđević. As the leader of victorious Serbian army in World War I, he also received the nickname "Liberator" (Oslobodilac) after the war.
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Early life and exile (1844-1903)
Peter was born in Belgrade to Prince Alexander of Serbia and his consort, Princess Persida Nenadovic. Prince Alexander abdicated in 1858 and took his son with him into exile in present-day Romania.
The young noble spent much of his exile in France, where he received an education and even participated in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 as a French Army officer. On one occasion during the war, after being separated from his unit, he narrowly avoided capture by swimming across the near-frozen Loire River. During the Serb uprising against Ottoman Empire in 1876 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Peter took on the name Mrkonjić, and joined the freedom fighters. He had to leave the region at the insistence of then-prince Milan Obrenović, the ruler of Serbia, who saw Peter as a rival and feared his popularity among the Serbian people. He married Princess Zorka of Montenegro, daughter of King Nicholas I, in 1883. They had five children: Helen in 1884, Milena in 1886, George in 1887, Alexander in 1888 and Andrew in 1890. Milena died at the age of one in 1887, and Andrew, the last child, died in childbirth along with his mother.
Peter returned to Serbia in 1903, when a military coup d'état removed King Alexander from the throne. Peter was crowned King of Serbia on 21 September 1904 and anointed on 9 October 1904, but reigned from the date of his election in Parliament on 15 June 1903. After 45 years the Karađorđević family regained the leadership of the Serbian state from the House of Obrenović.
Reign (1903-1921)
The Western-educated King attempted to liberalise Serbia with the goal of creating a Western-style constitutional monarchy, even translating John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty" into Serbian.
Peter chose to "retire" due to ill health following the Balkan Wars which, from a Serb perspective, were a great success. Executive power passed to his son Alexander.
The King was relatively inactive during the First World War, although he did occasionally visit trenches to check up on his troops. One memorable visit in 1915 involved Peter, by then 71, picking up a rifle and shooting at enemy soldiers. Following Serbia's military defeat to the forces of Austro-Hungary Peter led the army and civilian refugees through the mountains to the sea on a 'Calvary known to few peoples'. (R. Wolfson "Years of Change. European History 1890-1945") The King had on 24 June 1914 reassigned his royal prerogatives to the Heir apparent Crown Prince Alexander.
His last public appearance was on 1 December 1918, when he was proclaimed King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. King Peter I died in Belgrade in 1921 at the age of 77.
Succession
As his eldest son, Prince George was King Peter's presumed successor. This changed in 1909, when he kicked a servant to death in a fit of rage, after which the Crown Prince was forced to renounce his claim to the throne in favour of his brother Alexander. George was still considered a heir presumptive of the Throne.
Legacy
King Peter I is remembered for his modesty, attributed to his military background. He was immensely popular throughout his reign and remains one of the Western Balkans's most popular leaders. He is considered to be the founding father of Yugoslavia (this name, colloquial, but very widely used even in European maps during his day, became official in 1929).
His children were influential in European affairs as adults. His son, King Alexander, joined Yugoslavia with the West but forcibly pushed the nascent Yugoslav national identity on his subjects. His daughter, Princess Helen, married Prince Ioann Konstantinovich of Russia who was killed in the Revolution.
In Paris, an avenue off the Champs-Élysées is named after him, Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie (see centre of map).
See also
The Serbian Royal Family The Mausoleum of the Serbian Royal Family
- List of Serbian monarchs
- http://www.royalfamily.org/press/press-det/stogodisnjicaeng.pdf
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Peter I of Serbia
House of Karađorđević
Born: 29 June 1844 Died: 16 August 1921 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Aleksandar I of Serbia |
King of Serbia 11 June 1903 – 1 December 1918 with Prince Alexander of Serbs (1914-1918) |
Change of title proclaimed King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
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| New title | King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1 December 1918 – 16 August 1921 with Aleksandar I of Yugoslavia (1918-1921) |
Succeeded by Aleksandar I of Yugoslavia |
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