Peter II of Yugoslavia
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (January 2013) |
| Peter II | |
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| Peter II of Yugoslavia, January 1944 | |
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| Reign | 9 October 1934 – 29 November 1945 |
| Predecessor | Alexander I |
| Successor | Monarchy abolished |
| Regent | Paul Karađorđević (1934–1941) |
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| Tenure | 9 October 1934 – 3 November 1970 |
| Predecessor | Alexander I |
| Successor | Alexander Karađorđević |
| Spouse | Alexandra of Greece |
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| Alexander Karađorđević | |
| House | House of Karađorđević |
| Father | Alexander I |
| Mother | Maria of Romania |
| Born | 6 September 1923 Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
| Died | 3 November 1970 (aged 47) Denver, Colorado, US |
| Burial | Libertyville, Illinois, US (on 22 January 2013 moved to Belgrade, Serbia, before burial in Oplenac, Serbia on 26 May 2013) |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
| Monarchical styles of Peter II of Yugoslavia |
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević (Serbo-Croatian: Petar II Karađorđević, Serbian Cyrillic: Петар II Карађорђевић; 6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970), was the third and last King of Yugoslavia and the last reigning member of the Karađorđević dynasty, founded early in the 19th century. Peter II was the eldest son of King Alexander I and Queen Maria (born Princess of Romania); his godfather was George VI of the United Kingdom.
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Early life [edit]
His education commenced at the Royal Palace. He then attended Sandroyd School in Wiltshire, England. When he was 11 years old, Peter succeeded to the Yugoslav throne in 1934 upon the assassination of his father King Alexander I in Marseille during a state visit to France. Because of the King's young age, a regency was established, headed by his father's cousin Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.
World War II [edit]
Although Peter II and his advisers opposed Nazi Germany, Regent Prince Paul declared that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia would join the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941. Two days later, King Peter, at age 17, was proclaimed of age, and participated in a British-supported coup d'état opposing the Tripartite Pact.[1]
Postponing Operation Barbarossa, Germany simultaneously attacked Yugoslavia and Greece. From 6 April the Luftwaffe pounded Belgrade for three days and three nights in Operation Punishment. Within a week, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Italy invaded Yugoslavia and the government was forced to surrender on 17 April. Yugoslavia was divided to satisfy Italian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and German demands and puppet Croat, Montenegrin and Serb states proclaimed.
Peter was forced to leave the country with the Yugoslav government following the Axis invasion[2]; initially the King went with his government to Greece, and Jerusalem, then to the British Mandate of Palestine and Cairo. He went to the United Kingdom in June 1941, where he joined numerous other governments in exile from Nazi-occupied Europe.[3] The King completed his education at Cambridge University and joined the Royal Air Force.
When the Yugoslav Army collapsed, two rival resistance groups formed to fight the occupying forces. The first were the Partisans, a Communist-led left-wing movement encompassing republican elements in Yugoslav politics, led by Josip Broz Tito. The other were the "Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland", commonly known as Chetniks, a predominantly Serbian movement led by royalist General Draža Mihailović, who was proclaimed the Minister of Defence by the government-in-exile. Starting in November 1941, Mihailović attacked the Partisan strongholds, the liberated territories. A Chetnik splinter group, under the leadership of Kosta Pećanac soon ceased operations against the occupation altogether, and focused on defeating the Partisans. In this they found a common cause with the enemy and occasional and opportunistic collaboration between them and the Axis troops began, aiming to stamp out the Partisans.[4][5]
There was no shift of allegiance from Ultra intercepts to be learned in any which way,[citation needed] however, the Allies, with Churchill's insistence, decided to switch their support to the Partisans by November 1943, as their sources came to indicate that by supporting Joseph Stalin and the Comintern the war could end earlier than expected.[citation needed] Through this support of Stalin, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were allowed to pass into the Eastern sphere of communist influence. The Partisans soon gained recognition in Tehran as the Allied Yugoslav forces on the ground. In 1944, the Partisan commander, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, was recognized as the Commander-in-Chief of all Yugoslav forces, and was appointed Prime Minister of a joint government.
Marriage [edit]
Peter married Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, in London on 20 March 1944. They had one son, Alexander, born on 17 July 1945.
Deposition and exile [edit]
Peter was deposed by Yugoslavia's Communist Constituent Assembly on 29 November 1945. After the war, he settled in the United States. After many years of suffering from cirrhosis of the liver,[6] he died in Denver, Colorado, on 3 November 1970, after a failed liver transplant.
Peter was interred at the Saint Sava Monastery Church at Libertyville, Illinois, the only European monarch buried on American soil.
Return of remains [edit]
On 4 March 2007, Crown Prince Alexander announced plans to have his father's remains repatriated to Serbia. The plan upset some Serbian-Americans. Peter II had chosen St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery as his interim resting place because of the extenuating circumstances that afflicted his homeland.[7] After talks with the Serbian government, the move was confirmed in January 2013 with the burial place being the Royal Family Mausoleum in Oplenac.[1]
On 22 January 2013, Peter's remains were returned to Belgrade, Serbia.[8] He will lie in state in the Royal Chapel in Dedinje before being buried in the Royal Family Mausoleum at Oplenac on 26 May 2013. Serbian Royal Regalia were placed over Peter's coffin. Present in the return ceremony were the Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, Peter's son Alexander with his family, and Patriarch Irinej of Serbia.[3][9] The latter openly advocated for the restoration of the Serbian monarchy.[10]
Gallery [edit]
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Ancestry [edit]
| Ancestors of Peter II of Yugoslavia |
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Bibliography [edit]
- Petar. A King's Heritage; The Memoirs of King Peter II of Yugoslavia. London: Cassell, 1955.
References [edit]
- ^ a b "HM King Peter II Returns Home after 72 Years". Balkans.com Business News (Balkans.com). 20 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
- ^ Yugoslavia's exiled Queen returns home at long last
- ^ a b "Remains of last Yugoslav king Peter II Karadjordjevic returned from US to Serbia". The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com). Associated Press. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
- ^ Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). The Chetniks. Stanford University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-8047-0857-9.
- ^ Cohen, Philip J; Riesman, David (1996). Serbia's secret war: propaganda and the deceit of history. Texas A&M University Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-89096-760-7.
- ^ Overy, Richard (2010). The Second World War: The Complete Illustrated History. Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84732-451-1.
- ^ Tarm, Michael (4 March 2007). "King's body in U.S. may head to homeland". The Boston Globe (boston.com). Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
- ^ "King Peter II Now in Royal Palace Chapel". Royal Family of Serbia.
- ^ "The remains of King Peter II in Belgrade (Посмртни остаци краља Петра II у Београду)". Radio Television of Serbia (in Serbian) (rtv.rs). Tanjug. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
- ^ Serbian Patriarch Irinej states that Serbia needs emperor or king, or some form of parliamentary monarchy. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Peter II of Yugoslavia |
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Peter II of Yugoslavia
Born: 6 September 1923 Died: 3 November 1970 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Aleksandar I |
King of Yugoslavia 9 October 1934 – 29 November 1945 |
Vacant |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Loss of title |
— TITULAR — King of Yugoslavia 29 November 1945 – 3 November 1970 |
Succeeded by Crown Prince Alexander |
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- 1923 births
- 1970 deaths
- People from Belgrade
- House of Karađorđević
- World War II political leaders
- Eastern Orthodox Christians from Serbia
- Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John
- Orthodox monarchs
- Kings of Yugoslavia
- Modern child rulers
- Royal Air Force officers
- Governments in exile during World War II
- Alumni of the University of Cambridge
- Pretenders to the Serbian throne
