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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

[October 9] Alexander I, king of Yugoslavia

Local Name: Aleksandar (Александар Ујединитељ)
Surnamed: "The Unifier" (Ujedinitelj)
Parents: Peter I, king of Serbia, and Zorka of Montenegro
Date of Birth: 16 Dcember 1888
House: Karadordevic
Spouse(s): Maria, daughter of Ferdinand, king of Romania, and Marie of Edinburgh
Predecessor: Peter I
Reign: 1929 – 1934
Brief: The second son of King Peter I of Serbia, Alexander became the crown prince when his brother was forced to renounce the throne due to mental instability. Alexander came into his own during the First and Second Balkan Wars where he served as the commander of the First Army. In 1914, Alexander was declared regent for his father. As World War I wore on, Alexander and his army were pushed back into Montenegro, Albania, and finally the Greek island of Corfu, but they were able to regroup and push the Central Powers out of the Balkans by the time peace was declared in 1918. In December 1918, Alexander accepted the title of King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes for his father. Three years later, Alexander was that king. A coup in January 1929 allowed Alexander to take direct control over his government and he renamed the country the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a name the kingdom had been popularly called since 1918. On 9 October 1934, Alexander was on a state visit to France when a gunman shot the king, his chauffeur, and the French foreign minister. All three died by the end of the day. The assassin was immediately cut down with a sword by a mounted French policeman before the crowd beat him to death. Alexander's assassination was one of the first recorded on film.
Date of Death: 9 October 1934
Successor: Peter II

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

  • Clement II, pope of Rome (1047)
  • John I, king of Castile (1390)
  • Ashikaga Yoshiaki, shogun of Japan (1597)
  • Ernst Ludwig, grand duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1937)
  • Pius XII, pope of Rome (1958)

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