#1903

On June 11, 1903, King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife, Queen Draga Mašin, were assassinated during a violent military coup carried out by a group of army officers in Belgrade. The event took place inside the royal palace and marked the brutal end of the Obrenović dynasty.

The coup, led by disaffected officers of the Serbian army, was motivated by political instability, resentment toward the king’s rule, and opposition to Queen Draga’s influence at court. Both Alexander and Draga were killed in the early hours of the morning after conspirators stormed the palace.

The assassination shocked Europe and had major consequences for Serbian politics. It led to the rise of the rival Karađorđević dynasty and shifted Serbia’s foreign policy orientation, eventually influencing the broader tensions in the Balkans leading up to the 20th century conflicts.