Peter II of Yugoslavia: Difference between revisions
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| succession = [[King of Yugoslavia]] |
| succession = [[King of Yugoslavia]] |
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| reign = 9 October 1934 - 29 November 1945 ({{age in years and days|1934|10|9|1945|11|29}}) |
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| regent = [[Prince Paul of Yugoslavia|Paul, Prince Regent]] (1934–1941) |
| regent = [[Prince Paul of Yugoslavia|Paul, Prince Regent]] (1934–1941) |
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| predecessor = [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander I]] |
| predecessor = [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander I]] |
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| succession1=[[House of Karađorđević|Head of 'House of Karađorđević'']] |
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| reign1=9 October 1934 - 3 November 1970 ({{age in years and days|1934|10|9|1970|11|3}}) |
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| predecessor1=[[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander I]] |
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| successor1=[[Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia|Crown Prince Alexander]] |
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| spouse = [[Alexandra of Greece and Denmark]] |
| spouse = [[Alexandra of Greece and Denmark]] |
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| issue = [[Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia]] |
| issue = [[Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia]] |
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Revision as of 09:49, 7 June 2010
| Peter II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| King of Yugoslavia | |
| Reign | 9 October 1934 - 29 November 1945 (11 years, 51 days) |
| Predecessor | Alexander I |
| Regent | Paul, Prince Regent (1934–1941) |
| Head of 'House of Karađorđević | |
| Reign | 9 October 1934 - 3 November 1970 (36 years, 25 days) |
| Predecessor | Alexander I |
| Successor | Crown Prince Alexander |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Alexandra of Greece and Denmark |
| Issue | Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia |
| House | House of Karageorgevich |
| Father | Alexander I of Yugoslavia |
| Mother | Maria of Romania |
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević ( Serbo-Croatian: Petar II Karađorđević, Cyrillic script: Петар II Карађорђевић) (6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970), was the third and last King of Yugoslavia. He was the eldest son of King Alexander I and Princess Maria of Romania; two of his godparents were King George VI of the United Kingdom and his Queen, Elizabeth.
Early life
His education commenced at the Royal Palace. He then attended Sandroyd School in Wiltshire, England. Then 11 years old, Peter, of the House of Karađorđević, 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 Pavle Karađorđević.
World War II
Although King Peter and his advisers were opposed to Nazi Germany, Regent Prince Paul declared that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia would join the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941. On 27 March, King Peter, then 17, was proclaimed of age, and participated in a British-supported coup d'état opposing the Tripartite Pact.
Postponing Operation Barbarossa, Germany simultaneously attacked Yugoslavia and Greece. From 6 April 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; initially the King went with his government to Greece, and Jerusalem, then to the British Mandate of Palestine and Cairo. He went to England in June 1941, where he joined numerous other governments in exile from Nazi-occupied Europe. The King completed his education at Cambridge University and joined the Royal Air Force.
Despite the collapse of the Yugoslav Army, two rival resistance groups to the occupying forces formed. 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 Chetniks, a predominantly Serbian movement led by royalist General Draža Mihailović, soon proclaimed the Minister of Defence in the government-in-exile. Starting in November 1941, Mihailović began attacking the Partisan strongholds, the "liberated territories". The royalist Chetniks soon ceased operations against the occupation altogether, and focused on defeating the Partisans. In this they found a common cause with the enemy and widespread collaboration between the royalists and the Axis troops began, aiming to stamp out the resistance.[1][2]
Learning of the shift of allegiance from ULTRA intercepts, the Allies switched their support to the Partisans in 1943, as their sources came to indicate an increasing relationship between the Germans and Mihailović. 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
Peter married Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, in London on 20 March 1944. They had one son: Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
Deposed and exiled
Peter was deposed by Yugoslavia's Constituent Assembly on 29 November 1945. After the War, he settled in the United States. After many years of suffering from cirrhosis, he died in Denver, Colorado on 3 November 1970 after a failed liver transplant.
He is interred at the St. Sava Monastery Church at Libertyville, Illinois, the only European monarch buried on American soil. His son, Crown Prince Alexander, is the legitimate[dubious – discuss] heir to the Yugoslavian throne.
On 4 March 2007 Crown Prince Alexander announced plans to return the body of his father to Serbia.[3] The plan has upset some Serbian-Americans. Peter II chose St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery as his interim resting place because of the extenuating circumstance that has afflicted his homeland.[4]
Ancestry
Sources
- Marlene Eilers, Descendants of Queen Victoria
References
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (September 2009) |
- ^ Tomasevich, Jozo; War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: The Chetniks, Volume 1; Stanford University Press, 1975 ISBN 978-0-8047-0857-9 [1]
- ^ Cohen, Philip J., Riesman, David; Serbia's secret war: propaganda and the deceit of history; Texas A&M University Press, 1996 ISBN 0-89096-760-1 [2]
- ^ The Mausoleum of the Serbian Royal Family
- ^ King's body in U.S. may head to homeland
External links
Bibliography
- Petar. A King's Heritage; The Memoirs of King Peter II of Yugoslavia. London: Cassell, 1955.
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,_1920s_to_1937.svg)
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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