American Serb History 101

Magnificent painting of King Alexander who distinguished himself in so many ways in WWI on the battlefield.  Unfortunately for Yugoslavia and the rest of the world, King Alexander was shot while on a peace mssion to France, while driving in a car with the French Prime Minister, Louis Barthou.  

Hundreds of thousands of people cheered the two only minutes before as the car traveled from the port of Marseilles to the designated route.  All of the lamp posts were decorated with garlands of flowers everyone, in welcome to the respected Monarch.

Photo of King Aleksandar, Queen Marie, and young King Peter II, the Royal family.  Note the crest of the white double headed eagles, with the middle body representing the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

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Krajlca Maria and the tapestry:

Note the beautiful tapestery with the double-headed white eages, and the Yugoslav crest in the middle.

Another painting of Queen Marie, formerly of Romania.

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Aliquippa, PA, USA, mourns the death of King Alexander, 1934

Click on the photo to enlarge.  When King Alexander was assassinated on October 9, 1934, the whole world mourned his passing far and wide.  Serbian Orthodox churches in the United States all wanted to show solidarity with the grieving country of Yugoslavia, so they took photos outside of the churches with a portrait of King Alexander, and all of the churches flags and banners.  This particular photo was taken in 1934 at the old St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church in Aliquippa, PA, located about 25 miles down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

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Click on this YouTube video to see the incredible funeral of King Aleksandar.  His body was carried throughout Yugoslavia, and our own Kum Rudy Ignatovic walked over 100 miles on foot to see his body as it passed by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuNx2nMAQVA

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 Video from WWI with then Prince Aleksander with the troops:  MARS NA DRINU!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pBtkdZJ2m8

Karadjordje, better known as "Black George" for his dark hair and complexion, was born November 14, 1762.  He is most famous for being the leader of the successful uprising against the Turks in 1804,  after hundreds of years of the Serbs being vassal slaves. He died a most unfortunate death at the hand of his Kum, Milosh Obrenovich, June 26, 1817.

King Alexander was the great grandson of Karadjordge, the founder of the famed Karadjordjevich Dynasty.

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Beloved King Peter I, of Serbia,  father of King Alexander I, of Yugoslavia.

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Queen Zorka, married to King Peter, oldest daughter of Prince (King Nikola and Queen Milena of Montenegro)

Mim says she recently learned that supposedly, when Victor Flemming heard this story, he was so inspired, that the scene of Scarlett O'Hara falling down the stairs in "Gone With the Wind" was actually based on Zorka's misfortunes. 

She died a most unfortunate death.  Her husband, King Peter had been away on business for a few weeks and when she learned of his coming home after his party was spotted climbing up the mountains, she ran to meet him and fell down the steps and died. (Some erroneously report that she had a fight with her husband and fell down the stairs.) She died soon afterwards, in childbirth, and her newborn son, Andrew, soon followed his mother to the grave.

 It is said that when VICTOR FLEMMING heard this story, he was so inspired that the scene of  Scarlett O'Hara fallin g down the stairs in "Gone With the Wind"   was actually based on Zorka's misfortune.  She had five children. Jelena, Milena, George, Alexander (who later became King Alexander) and infant Andrew.

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King Alexander was born December 4, 1888 to King Peter I of Serbia, and Princess Zorka, oldest daughter of King Nikola and Queen Milena of Montenegro.

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King Alexander and Queen Marie had three sons: Peter, Andrej and Tomislav.  Where birth rank has its privileges!

King Peter was only 11 years old when his father was so cruelly assassinated in Marseilles, France in 1934.

 This is the age of young King Peter when he was the guest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Too, my mother, Laura Karlo, was first President of the King Peter II Club in Pittsburgh's South Side.

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King Nikola was Prince, then King of Montenegro. He wrote this marvelous national hymn about Kosovo called, "O'namo, 'namo."  Be sure to sing along with the words here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc1RaE8j7WI

 Turn your volume up! :-)

Here's another version!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74aKZNbtV68