[November 3] Peter II, king of Yugoslavia

Local Name: Petar II Karađorđević (Петар II Карађорђевић)
Parents: Alexander I, king of Yugoslavia, and Maria of Romania
Born: 6 September 1923
House: Karadordevic
Spouse(s): Alexandra, daughter of Alexander I, king of Greece, and Aspasia Manos
Predecessor: Alexander I

Reign: 1934 – 1945
Brief: Peter was still in school in England when his father died in 1934, elevating the boy to the kingdom of Yugoslavia. His cousin, Paul, ruled in his name with a regency council until 1941. With few options available to them during World War II, Peter's government chose to join the Tripartite Axis in 1941. Two days later, though, Peter overthrew the pro-German government with the aide of the British and proclaimed himself of age to rule the country. Germany retaliated by attacking Yugoslavia and Greece in Operation Punishment. The government surrendered to the joint German, Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Italian invasion on April 17th. Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia were all broken off to form puppet governments for its conquerers. Peter fled to Greece and then Palestine, eventually joining the exiled government ministers of half of Europe in London. While in the UK, Peter completed his education at Cambridge and joined the Royal Air Force. Civil war broke out in Yugoslavia as pro-communist Partisans fought pro-monarchy royalists, with the latter often collaborating with the Axis powers. Winston Churchill finally convinced the Allies to support the Partisans in order to win the war. Josip Tito was appointed commander-in-chief and prime minister. In the months after the war ended, Yugoslavia deposed Peter II. The young man moved to the United States and died in 1970 from complications from a liver transplant. He remains the only European monarch buried in US soil.

Date of Death: 3 November 1970
Successor: Alexander (as pretender)

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Constantius II, emperor of Rome (361)
• John III, emperor of Constantinople (1254)

[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)