Peter I of Yugoslavia
Encyclopedia
Peter I (29 June 1844 – 16 August 1921), was the King of Serbia
from 1903 to 1918, and subsequently the ruler of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (officially renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia
in 1929). He was a member of the Royal House of Karađorđević. As the leader of the victorious Serbian army in World War I
, he also received the nickname "Liberator" (Oslobodilac) after the war.
to Prince Alexander of Serbia and his consort, Princess Persida Nenadović
. 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 in St. Michael's Cathedral 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
.
-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 the invasion of Serbia by the joint forces of Germany, Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria, 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.
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.
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...
from 1903 to 1918, and subsequently the ruler of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (officially renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia
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...
in 1929). He was a member of the Royal House of Karađorđević. As the leader of the victorious Serbian army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he also received the nickname "Liberator" (Oslobodilac) after the war.
Early life and exile (1844-1903)
Peter was born in BelgradeBelgrade
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...
to Prince Alexander of Serbia and his consort, Princess 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...
. Prince Alexander abdicated in 1858 and took his son with him into exile in present-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
The young noble spent much of his exile in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he received an education and even participated in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
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
Herzegovinian rebellion
The Herzegovina Uprising of 1875-1878 was an uprising led by Christians, firstly in Herzegovina and then in Bosnia. It is the most significant of the rebellions against Ottoman rule in Herzegovina...
against Ottoman Empire
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...
in 1876 in Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
and Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
, 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
Milan Obrenovic IV
Milan Obrenović was a Serbian monarch reigning as Prince Milan IV of Serbia from 1868 to 1882 and King Milan I of Serbia from 1882 to 1889.-Early years:...
, the ruler 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...
, who saw Peter as a rival and feared his popularity among the Serbian people. He married Princess Zorka of Montenegro
Zorka of Montenegro
Princess Ljubica Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro , and later became Princess Zorka Karađorđević in Serbia. She was better known as Princess Zorka....
, daughter of King Nicholas I, in 1883. They had five children: Helen
Princess Helen of Serbia
Jelena Karađorđević or Princess Helen of Serbia was the daughter of King Peter I of Yugoslavia and his wife Princess Zorka of Montenegro. She was the elder sister of George, Crown Prince of Serbia and Alexander I of Yugoslavia...
in 1884, Milena in 1886, George in 1887, Alexander
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
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
May Overthrow
The May Overthrow was a 1903 coup d'état in which the Serbian King Alexander Obrenović and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated inside the Royal Palace in Belgrade on the night between 28 and 29 May 1903 by the Julian calendar...
removed King Alexander
Aleksandar Obrenovic
Not to be confused with Alexander I of Yugoslavia.Alexander I or Aleksandar Obrenović was king of Serbia from 1889 to 1903 when he and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated by a group of Army officers, led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević-Accession:In 1889 Alexander's father, King Milan,...
from the throne. Peter was crowned King of Serbia on 21 September 1904 in St. Michael's Cathedral 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
House of Obrenovic
The House of Obrenović was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor Miloš Obrenović in the Second Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which led to the formation of the Principality of...
.
Reign (1903-1921)
The WesternWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
-educated King attempted to liberalise Serbia with the goal of creating a Western-style constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, even translating John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
's "On Liberty
On Liberty
On Liberty is a philosophical work by British philosopher John Stuart Mill. It was a radical work to the Victorian readers of the time because it supported individuals' moral and economic freedom from the state....
" into Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
.
Peter chose to "retire" due to ill health following the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
which, from a Serb
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
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 the invasion of Serbia by the joint forces of Germany, Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria, 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
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
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 heir apparent. 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.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
Prince Ioann Konstantinovich of Russia
Prince John Constantinovich of Russia , sometimes also known as Prince Ioann, Prince Ivan or Prince Johan, was the eldest son of Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia by his wife Elisaveta Mavrikievna, née Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg...
who was killed in the Revolution.
In Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, an avenue off the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
is named after him, Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie.
See also
- List of Serbian monarchs
- House of Karađorđević