Alexander Karađorđević ( sr-cyr, Александар Карађорђевић, Aleksandar Karađorđević; 11 October 1806 – 3 May 1885) was the
prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
between 1842 and 1858 and a member of the
House of Karađorđević.
Early life
The youngest son of
Karageorge Petrović and Jelena Jovanović was born in Topola on 11 October 1806. He was educated in
Khotin
Khotyn ( uk, Хотин, ; ro, Hotin, ; see other names) is a city in Dnistrovskyi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine and is located south-west of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It hosts the administration of Khotyn urban hromada, one of th ...
,
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...
(Russia), under the patronage of the Russian Tsar.
After the Sultan’s decree acknowledging the title of Prince
Mihailo Obrenović 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
Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to:
Given name
Sportsmen
* Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower
* Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer
* Miloš Budaković, Serbian ...
'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
Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...
, on 14 September 1842. Having had his title acknowledged by
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
, 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 the National Library and National Museum.
It was Councillor
Lazar Arsenijević Batalaka who, in 1845 introduced
Ilija Garašanin to Prince Aleksandar.
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 "Serbia."
Throughout his reign, Prince Alexander was troubled with Obrenović plots. By his refusal to take part in the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
as an ally of the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
British and
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
s against the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. The result was his overthrow and departure into exile in 1858 by the winners of the Powers in the war and bringing the rival
Obrenović dynasty to the throne of the Principality of Serbia.
He was awarded the Ottoman
Order of Glory and
Order of Distinction.
Abdication
In internal policy Prince Aleksandar came into conflict with the members of the Council, which culminated in the convocation of the
Saint Andrew's Day Assembly, in December 1858, which forced him to abdicate.
Prince Alexander died in
Timișoara on 3 May 1885. He was buried in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, and his earthly remains were moved in 1912 to the Memorial Church of St. George built by his son
Petar I Karađorđević, in
Oplenac, Serbia.
Marriage and issue
On 1 June 1830 in
Hotin,
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...
, he married
Persida Nenadović
Persida Nenadović ( sr-cyr, Персида Ненадовић; 15 February 1813 – 29 March 1873) was the Princess consort of Serbia as the wife of Alexander Karađorđević, who ruled the Principality of Serbia from his election on 14 Sept ...
(15 February 1813 – 29 March 1873), daughter of
Voivode
Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
Jevrem Nenadović (1793–1867) and Jovanka Milovanović (1792–1880). They had ten children:
*Poleksija (1 February 1833 – 5 December 1914), married firstly in 1849 (1821 – murdered 13 October 1877), Serbian Minister of the Interior, by whom she had issue; secondly Dr Alexander Preshern (1830 – 2 December 1914).
* (26 November 1835 – 13 July 1855), married in 1855
Milan Avram Petronijević, 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
Princess Zorka of Montenegro (Serbian Cyrillic: Кнегиња црногорска Зорка; 23 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._11_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...
, by whom he had issue.
*Jelena (18 October 1846 – 26 July 1867); married
Đorđe Simić (28 February 1843 – 11 October 1921), Prime Minister of Serbia.
*Andrej (15 September 1848 – 12 July 1864)
*Jelisaveta (born & died 1850)
*Đorđe (11 October 1856 – 5 Jan 1889)
*
Arsenije (16 April 1859 – 1938), married in 1892, a Russian noblewoman, Princess and Countess
Aurora Pavlovna Demidova
Princess Aurora Pavlovna Demidova di San Donato (2/3 November 1873 in Kiev – 28 June (OS: 16 June) 1904 in Turin) was a Russian noblewoman and by birth a member of the House of Demidov.
Early life
Aurora was born as the eldest daughter of Pa ...
. They were the parents of
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karageorgevich, Alexander, Serbia, Prince Of
19th-century Serbian monarchs
19th-century Serbian nobility
1806 births
1885 deaths
Eastern Orthodox monarchs
People from Topola
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Serbia
Alexander
Burials at the Mausoleum of the Royal House of Karađorđević, Oplenac