Alexander I of Serbia

Alexander I of the Kingdom of Serbia

Alexander I (14 August 1876 – 11 June 1903) was the King of Serbia from 1889 to his death in 1903.

Life and death

Prince Alexander was born on 14 August 1876 to King Milan I and Natalie of Serbia. In 1889, King Milan abdicated and proclaimed Alexander as the King but under a regency until he was 18.

At the age of 16, Alexander dismissed the regents and their government and took authority into his own hands. In May 1894 King Alexander arbitrarily abolished his father's liberal constitution and restored the conservative one of 1869. He also made Milan the commander-in-chief of the military.

In the summer of 1900, King Alexander married Draga Mašin so that he could produce an heir. Soon after, a conspiracy began among a group of Army officials and politicians aiming to replace King Alexander with Prince Peter of the Karađorđević dynasty, the rivals of Alexander's family.

On 11 June, 1903 the conspirators invaded King Alexander's palace and killed him and the Queen.