1889, Serbia, Alexander I. Bronze "Accession to the Throne" Medal. PCGS SP-63!

Description: CoinWorldTV 1889, Serbia, Alexander I. Bronze "Accession to the Throne" Medal. PCGS SP-63! Mint Year: 1889 Reference: Wurzbach 165, Romanow 108, Eimer 591. Condition: Certified and graded by PCGS as SP-63! - Population 1/0! Denomination: Medal - Accession to the Throne of Alexander I of Serbia. Weight: 19.35gm Material: Bronze Diameter: 36mm Obverse: Uniformed bust of the young King Alexander I of Serbia 3/4 right. Legend: * АЛЕКСАНДЕР ПРВИ, КРАЛЪ СРБИJЕ, МИРОПОМАЗАН. ЖИЧИ 20. J НА 1889. Reverse: Landscape view of the St. Mark's Church in Belgrade. Crowned oval medallion of King Stefan Nemanjić (Stefan the First-Crowned) in upper left field. Legend: * СЕДМОВРАТНИ МАНАСТИР ЖИЧА, ЗАДЪЖБИНА КРЛЪА СТЕВАНА ПРОВЕНЧАНОГ, САЗИДАН 1222. Authenticity unconditionally guaranteed. Bid with confidence! Alexander I (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Обреновић, romanized: Aleksandar Obrenović; 14 August 1876 – 11 June 1903) reigned as the king of Serbia from 1889 to 1903 when he and his wife, Draga Mašin, were assassinated by a group of Royal Serbian Army officers, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević. Alexander was born on 14 August 1876 to King Milan and Queen Natalie of Serbia. He belonged to the Obrenović dynasty. In 1889, King Milan unexpectedly abdicated and withdrew to private life, proclaiming Alexander king of Serbia under a regency until he should attain his majority at eighteen years of age. His mother became his regent. His parents were second cousins. In 1893, King Alexander, aged sixteen, arbitrarily proclaimed himself of full age, dismissed the regents and their government, and took the royal authority into his own hands. His action won popular support, as did his appointment of a radical ministry. In May 1894 King Alexander arbitrarily abolished King Milan's liberal constitution of 1888 and restored the conservative one of 1869. His attitude during the Greco-Turkish War (1897) was one of strict neutrality. In 1894, the young King brought his father, Milan, back to Serbia and, in 1898, appointed him commander-in-chief of the Serbian army. During that time, Milan was regarded as the de facto ruler of the country. In the summer of 1900, King Alexander suddenly announced his engagement to Draga Mašin, a disreputable widow of an obscure engineer. Alexander had met Draga in 1897 when she was serving as a maid of honor to his mother. Draga was twelve years older than the king, unpopular with Belgrade society, well known for her allegedly numerous sexual liaisons, and widely believed to be infertile. Since Alexander was an only child, it was imperative to secure the succession by producing an heir. So intense was the opposition to Mašin among the political classes that the king found it impossible for a time to recruit suitable candidates for senior posts. Before making the announcement, Alexander did not consult with his father, who had been on vacation in Karlovy Vary and making arrangements to secure the hand of German Princess Alexandra Karoline zu Schaumburg-Lippe, sister of Queen Charlotte of Württemberg, for his son, or his Prime Minister Dr. Vladan Đorđević, who was visiting the Universal Exhibition in Paris at the time of the announcement. Both immediately resigned, and Alexander had difficulty in forming a new cabinet. Alexander's mother also opposed the marriage and was subsequently banished from the kingdom. Opposition to the union seemed to subside somewhat for a time upon the publication of congratulations of Nicholas II of Russia to the king on his engagement and of his agreement to act as the principal witness at the wedding. The marriage duly took place in August 1900. Even so, the unpopularity of the union weakened the king's position in the eyes of the army and the country at large King Alexander tried to reconcile political parties by unveiling a liberal constitution of his own initiative in 1901, introducing for the first time in the constitutional history of Serbia the system of two chambers (skupština and senate). This reconciled the political parties, but did not placate the army which, already dissatisfied with the king's marriage, became still more so at the rumors that one of the two unpopular brothers of Queen Draga, Lieutenant Nikodije, was to be proclaimed heir presumptive to the throne. Alexander's good relations and the country's growing dependence on Austria-Hungary were detested by the Serbian public. Two million Serbs lived in Austria-Hungary, with another million in the Ottoman Empire, although many migrated to Serbia. Meanwhile, the independence of the senate and of the council of state caused increasing irritation to King Alexander. In March 1903, the king suspended the constitution for half an hour, time enough to publish decrees dismissing and replacing the old senators and councillors of state. This arbitrary act increased dissatisfaction in the country. No reserve. Only 1$ for each additional item purchased!

Price: 338.43 USD

Location: Wien

End Time: 2023-11-30T10:17:30.000Z

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