ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OBRENOVICH) (1876-1903), king of Serbia, was born on Aug. 14, 1876. On March 6, 1889, his father, King Milan, abdicated and proclaimed him king of Serbia under a regency until he should attain his majority at 18 years of age. King Alexander, on April 13, 1893, being then in his I 7th year, proclaimed himself of full age, and took the royal authority into his own hands. His action was popular, and was rendered still more so by his appointment of a radical ministry. • In May 1894 King Alexander abolished the liberal constitution of 1889 and restored the conservative one of 1869. His attitude during the Turco-Greek war of 1897 was one of strict neutrality. In 1898 he appointed his father commander-in-chief of the Serb ian Army, and from that time, or rather from his return to Serbia in 1894 until 'goo, ex-King Milan was regarded as the de facto ruler of the country. But while, during the summer of 'goo, Milan was at Carlsbad making arrangements to secure the hand of a German princess for his son, King Alexander suddenly announced his engagement to Mme. Draga Mashin, a widow, formerly a lady-in-waiting to Queen Natalie. Ex-King Milan gave up his post, the government resigned, and King Alexander had great diffi culty in forming a new cabinet. But the Tsar Nicholas congratulated the king on his engagement and agreed to act as principal witness at the wedding. The marriage was celebrated on Aug. 5, I goo.
Alexander tried to reconcile political parties by granting on his own initiative a liberal constitution (April 6, 1901), introducing for the first time in the constitutional history of Serbia the system of two chambers (skupshtina and senate). This did not reconcile the army, which was alarmed by the rumour that one of the two unpopular brothers of Queen Draga, Lieut. Nicodiye, was to be proclaimed heir-apparent. Meanwhile Alexander suspended (March 1 903) the constitution for half an hour, time enough to publish the decrees by which the old senators and councillors of state were dismissed and replaced by new ones. This arbitrary act naturally increased the general discontent. It was thought that with a packed senate and a large government majority in the skupshtina King Alexander would not hesitate any longer to pro claim Queen Draga's brother as the heir to the throne. Ostensibly to prevent this, but in reality to replace Alexander Obrenovich by Peter Karagjorgjvic, a military conspiracy was organized. The conspirators penetrated into the palace and savagely mur dered King Alexander and Queen Draga in the early morning of June I 1, 1 903. (See SERBIA : History.)