King Alexander of Yugoslavia

King Alexander of Yugoslavia was born on December 16, 1888, in Cetinje, Montenegro. His parents were Prince Peter of Montenegro and Princess Zorka of Montenegro. Alexander was educated in Paris, France, and later joined the Serbian army in 1909. In 1914, he became the commander of the Serbian army's Third Army, which played a critical role in defeating the Austro-Hungarian army at the Battle of Kolubara. After World War I, Alexander became the King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1921. In 1929, he changed the country's name to Yugoslavia and abolished the constitution, becoming an authoritarian ruler. He tried to strengthen the country's unity, but tensions between various ethnic groups persisted. In 1934, while Alexander was visiting France, he was assassinated by a Croatian terrorist organization called the Ustaše. His son, Peter II, succeeded him, but due to political instability, Peter was forced to flee the country during World War II, and Yugoslavia became a communist state. Alexander's body now rests in the St. George's Church in Oplenac, Serbia.