Alexander Karadordevic, Prince of Serbia
Encyclopedia
Aleksandar Karađorđević (Cyrillic
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script for the Serbian language, developed in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two standard modern alphabets used to write the Serbian language, the other being Latin...

: Александар Карађорђевић; 11 October 1806 – 3 May 1885) was the prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...

 of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 between 1842 and 1858. He was a member of the House of Karađorđević.

Early life

The youngest son of Karađorđe Petrović and Jelena Jovanović was born in Topola on 11 October 1806. He was educated in Khotin, Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....

 (Russia), under the patronage of the Russian Tsar.

In 1830 he married Persida Nenadović
Persida Nenadović
Persida Nenadović was the Princess consort of Serbia as the wife of Alexander Karađorđević, who ruled the Principality of Serbia from his election on 14 September 1842 until his abdication on 24 October 1858...

 (15 February 1813 - 29 March 1873), daughter of Vojvoda (Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

) Jevrem Nenadović (1793–1867) and Jovanka Milovanović (1792–1880). They had ten children:
  • Poleksija (1 February 1833-5 December 1914), married firstly in 1849 Konstantin Nikolajević, Serbian Minister of the Interior, by whom she had issue ; secondly Dr Alexander Preshern (1830- December 1914).
  • Kleopatra (26 November 1835-13 July 1855), married in 1855 Milan Avram Petronijevic, Serbian Ambassador to Russia.
  • Aleksij (23 March 1836-21 April 1841)
  • Svetozar (1841-17 March 1847)
  • Petar (29 June 1844-16 August 1921) ruled Serbia from 1903 until 1918, and subsequently as King of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes until his death ; married Princess Zorka of Montenegro, by whom he had issue.
  • Jelena (18 October 1846-26 July 1867); married Đorđe Simić
    Đorđe Simić
    Đorđe Simić , was a Serbian politician and diplomat. He was twice Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia.-Biography:...

     (28 February 1843- 11 October 1921), Prime Minister of Serbia.
  • Andrej (15 September 1848-12 July 1864)
  • Jelisaveta (born & died 1850)
  • Djordje (11 October 1856-5 Jan 1889)
  • Arsen (16 April 1859-1938), married in 1892, a Russian noblewoman, Aurora Demidov. They were the parents of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.


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.

Prince of Serbia

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
Vracar
Vračar is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade. With an area of only , it is the smallest of all Belgrade's municipalities, but also the most densely populated. Vračar is one of the three municipalities that constitute the central area of the...

, a municipality in modern Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, on 14 September 1842. Having had his title acknowledged by Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

 and Turkey
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

, 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
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...

 in Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...

, in 1848, Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević sent Serbian volunteers under the command of Stevan Knićanin
Stevan Knicanin
Stevan Petrović, KCMT , known simply as Stevan Knićanin was a Serbian voivode of the Serbian volunteer squads in Serbian Vojvodina during the 1848 revolution.-Life:...

 to help the Serbs’ struggle for autonomy. As a follow-up of the national-political movements of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...

, the pan-slavistic idea of a Yugoslav Monarchy
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...

 emerged. The "Načertanije" (the "Draft") document, written as a Serbian political program by Ilija Garašanin
Ilija Garašanin
Ilija Garašanin was a Serbian politician and statesman, serving as Interior Minister and Prime Minister ....

 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."

Abdication

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
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...

. His peaceful life was agitated by the accusation of providing the weapons and money for the conspiracy in Prince Mihailo Obrenović
Mihailo Obrenovic III, Prince of Serbia
Mihailo Obrenović was Prince of Serbia from 1839–1842 and again from 1860–1868. His first reign ended when he was deposed in 1842 and his second when he was assassinated in 1868.-Early life and first reign:...

’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
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...

 on 3 May 1885. He was buried in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, and his earthly remains were moved in 1912 to the Memorial Church of St. George built by his son Petar I Karađorđević, in Oplenac
Oplenac
St. George′s Church knows also as Oplenac Church and Oplenac Mausoleum, is the Mausoleum of the Serbian and Yugoslav Royal House of Karađorđević located on top of the Hill Oplenac in city Topola, Serbia...

, Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...

.
¨Category:19th-century Serbian monarchs
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