| Alexander Karađorđević Александар Карађорђевић |
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|---|---|
| Prince of Serbia | |
| Reign | 14 September 1842 – 23 December 1858 |
| Born | 11 October 1806 |
| Birthplace | Topola |
| Died | 3 May 1885 |
| Place of death | Timișoara |
| Predecessor | Mihailo III (Obrenović) |
| Successor | Miloš I (Obrenović) |
| Consort | Persida Nenadovic |
| Offspring | Petar I Karađorđević |
| Royal House | House of Karađorđević |
| Father | Karađorđe Petrović |
| Mother | Jelena Jovanović |
Aleksandar Karađorđević (Cyrillic: Александар Карађорђевић; 11 October 1806 – 3 May 1885) was the prince of Serbia between 1842 and 1858. He was a member of the House of Karađorđević.
The youngest son of Karađorđe Petrović and Jelena Jovanović was born in Topola on 11 October 1806. He was educated in Khotin, Bessarabia (Russia), under the patronage of the Russian Tsar.
In 1830 he married Persida Nenadović (15 February 1813 - 29 March 1873), daughter of Vojvoda (Duke) Jevrem Nenadović (1793–1867) and Jovanka Milovanović (1792–1880). They had ten children:
After the Sultan’s decree acknowledging the title of Prince Mihailo Obrenovic at the end of 1839, the family returned to Serbia. Alexander joined the Headquarters of the Serbian Army, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and appointed as adjutant to Prince Mihailo.
After the political conflicts caused by disrespect of the so called "Turkish constitution," and Miloš Obrenović's and then Mihailo Obrenović's abdications, Aleksandar Karađorđević was elected the Prince of Serbia at the National Assembly in Vračar, a municipality in modern Belgrade, on 14 September 1842. Having had his title acknowledged by Russia and Turkey, Prince Aleksandar started the reforms and founded a number of new institutions in order to improve the progress of the Serbian state. He implemented the code of civil rights, introduced the regular Army, built a cannon foundry, improved the existing schools and founded new ones, as well as established National Library and National Museum.
During the Hungarian Revolution in Vojvodina, in 1848, Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević sent Serbian volunteers under the command of Stevan Knićanin to help the Serbs’ struggle for autonomy. As a follow-up of the national-political movements of 1848, the pan-slavistic idea of a Yugoslav Monarchy emerged. The "Načertanije" (the "Draft") document, written as a Serbian political program by Ilija Garašanin four years earlier, made the mission of replacing the Austrian and Turkish domination of all Southern Slavs with the Serbian rule under the banner of "Greater Serbia."
In internal policy Prince Aleksandar came into conflict with the members of the Council, which culminated in the convocation of the National Assembly on St. Andrew’s Day, in December 1858, which forced him to abdicate.
After his abdication, Prince Aleksandar withdrew to his property near Timişoara. His peaceful life was agitated by the accusation of providing the weapons and money for the conspiracy in Prince Mihailo Obrenović’s assassination. He was deeply hurt by the verdict for a deed he had never committed. Dynastic struggles became more severe and it was only then that Prince Aleksandar took part in them. He detested the thought of the hideous deed that was imputed to him by his opponents and fought with all his strength to bring another Karađorđević to the throne.
Prince Alexander died in Timişoara on 3 May 1885. He was buried in Vienna, and his earthly remains were moved in 1912 to the Memorial Church of St. George built by his son Petar I Karađorđević, in Oplenac, Central Serbia.
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Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia
Born: 11 October 1806 Died: 3 May 1885 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mihailo Obrenović III |
Prince of Serbia 1842—1858 |
Succeeded by Miloš Obrenović I |
| Preceded by Karađorđe |
House of Karađorđević 1842–1858 |
Succeeded by Peter I of Serbia |
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