Background
Peter was born on July 11, 1844 in Belgrade. His father was Prince Alexander Karageorgevic.
Peter was born on July 11, 1844 in Belgrade. His father was Prince Alexander Karageorgevic.
Peter I was educated at high school in Geneva.
After completing his studies in France, Peter entered the French officer corps in 1867. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. Returning to southern Europe, in 1875 he joined the Herzegovinian revolt against Turkey, which soon spread to the South Slav territories still under direct Turkish control. Austrian intervention in 1876, however, forced Peter to leave the area.
In 1903 King Alexander of Serbia was assassinated, and Peter returned to his homeland as constitutional monarch. Peter I was crowned in Belgrade on September 21, 1904. The aging Peter pursued liberal policies, but by the time Serbia was engulfed by World War I, he had already appointed his heir, Alexander, as regent.
Peter's vitality returned when war broke out. Although he was forced to retreat across Albania late in 1915, the King became the focus of national resistance. At the war's end Peter returned to his capital; there he was proclaimed king of a new South Slav state on December 1, 1918.
Unfortunately, the new state over which Peter I ruled was large enough to threaten Italian interests. The last years of his reign were marked by a contest with Italy over the town of Fiume. Negotiations between the two countries saw the Yugoslavs forced to grant Fiume status as a free port. When Peter died near Belgrade on Aug. 16, 1921, the issue was still feeding fuel to the fires of Italian nationalism.
In 1883 Peter married Princess Zorka of Montenegro.