The House of Karađorđević or Karađorđević dynasty (, ; ) is the former ruling Serbian and deposed Yugoslav royal family.

The family was founded by Karađorđe Petrović (1768–1817), the Veliki Vožd () of Serbia during the First Serbian uprising of 1804–1813. In the course of the 19th century the relatively short-lived dynasty was supported by the Russian Empire and was opposed to the Austrian-supported House of Obrenović. The two houses subsequently vied for the throne for several generations.

Following the assassination of the Obrenović King Alexander I of Serbia in 1903, the Serbian Parliament chose Karađorđe's grandson, Peter I Karađorđević, then living in exile, to occupy the throne of the Kingdom of Serbia. He was duly crowned as King Peter I, and shortly before the end of World War I in 1918, representatives of the three peoples proclaimed a Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes with Peter I as sovereign. In 1929, the kingdom was renamed Yugoslavia, under Alexander I, the son of Peter I. In November 1945 the family lost their throne when the League of Communists of Yugoslavia seized power during the reign of Peter II.

During its existence, the dynasty intermarried with royal houses of Petrović-Njegoš, Romanov, Hohenzollern, Oldenburg, Baden, Hesse, Leiningen, Savoy, Liechtenstein and Orléans.

Name

In English, the family name can be anglicized as Karageorgevitch (e.g., as with Prince Bojidar Karageorgevitch and Prince Philip Karageorgevitch) or romanised as Karadjordjevic. Its origin is as a patronym of the sobriquet Karađorđe, bestowed upon the family's founder, Đorđe Petrović, at the end of the 18th century.

In 1796, Osman Pazvantoğlu, the renegade governor of the Ottoman Sanjak of Vidin, who had rejected the authority of the Sublime Porte, launched an invasion of the Pashalik of Belgrade, governed by Hadji Mustafa Pasha since 1793. Overwhelmed, Mustafa Pasha formed a Serbian national militia to help stop the incursion. Đorđe Petrović joined the militia and became a boluk-bashi (), leading a company of 100 men. After the Serb militias joined the war on Mustafa Pasha's side, Pazvantoğlu suffered a string of defeats. He retreated to Vidin, which was subsequently besieged. The war against Pazvantoğlu marked the first time that Petrović had distinguished himself in the eyes of the Ottomans, who bestowed upon him the sobriquet "Black George" (; ), partly because of his dark hair and partly because of his sinister reputation.

Ancestry

According to some researchers, Karađorđe's paternal ancestors most likely migrated from the Highlands (in what is today Montenegro) to Šumadija during the Second Great Serb Migration in 1737–39 under the leadership of Patriarch Šakabenta, as a result of the Austro-Turkish War (in which Serbs took part). Serbian historiography accepted the theory that Karađorđe's ancestors came from Vasojevići. Grigorije Božović (1880–1945) claimed that the family were Srbljaci (natives) in Vasojevići territory. Contributing to Srbljak theory is the fact that the family celebrated St Clement as their Slava until 1890, while the patron saint of Vasojevići, i.e. Vaso's descendants, is Archangel Michael. King Peter I was allowed to change his Slava to St Andrew the First-called by Belgrade Metropolitan Mihailo in 1890, following the death of his wife, Princess Zorka, thus honoring the date on the Julian calendar when Serbian rebels liberated Belgrade during the First Serbian Uprising.

Furthermore, King Peter chose Voivode of Vasojevići Miljan Vukov Vešović to be his bridesman during his wedding to princess Zorka in 1883. Upon being asked by his future father-in-law prince Nicholas why he chose Miljan amongst various Voivodes of Montenegro, he replied that he chose him because of heroism and relation describing him as Vojvode of my own blood and kin. His son, Alexander, who was born in Cetinje was nicknamed Montenegrin. The Vasojevići tribe claim descent from Stefan Konstantin of the Nemanjić dynasty. Montenegrin politician and Vasojević Gavro Vuković, supported this theory. Accordingly, Alexander Karađorđević (1806–1885) was given the title "Voivode of Vasojevići" by Petar II in 1840. Other theories include: Montenegrin historian Miomir Dašić claimed that Karađorđe's family originated from the Gurešići from Podgorica in Montenegro.

The family claimed descent from the Vasojevići tribe (in Montenegro) and had emigrated in the late 1730s or early 1740s. The family lived in Mačitevo (in Suva Reka), from where grandfather Jovan moved to Viševac, while Jovan's brother Radak moved to Mramorac. At the palace, Alexander regularly receives religious leaders and strives, as opportunity permits, to demonstrate his commitment to human rights and to democracy. The family are also much engaged in humanitarian work. Crown Princess Katherine has a humanitarian foundation while Crown Prince Alexander heads the Foundation for Culture and Education, whose activities include student scholarships, and summer camps for children.

On 27 April 2022, Prince Peter Karageorgevitch renounced his title of Hereditary prince – for himself and his descendants – and his younger brother Prince Philip became their father's heir apparent. The ceremony took place at Casa de Pilatos in Seville, Spain. Present were Peter's and Philip's mother Princess Maria Da Gloria of Orléans-Braganza, Duchess of Segorbe and their stepfather Ignacio, 19th Duke of Segorbe; Philip's wife Princess Danica; their half-sister Sol, Countess of Ampurias; Ljubodrag Grujić, a member of the Crown Council and Chancellor of the Orders and Herald of the House of Karađorđević; and Nikola Stanković, Chief of Staff of the Crown Prince.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable"

|-

! style="width:8%;" | Picture

! style="width:12%;" | Name

! style="width:15%;" | Birth

! style="width:12%;" | Tenure

! style="width:13%;" | Marriage(s)<br/>Issue

! style="width:15%;" | Death

! style="width:15%;" | Claim

|-

|100px || Peter II || 6 September 1923<br>Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes || 29 November 1945<br><br>3 November 1970<br><hr>() || Alexandra of Greece and Denmark<br>20 March 1944<br>1 son || 3 November 1970<br>Denver, Colorado, U.S.<br>(aged 47) || Deposed king of Yugoslavia

|-

|100px || Crown Prince Alexander<br><small>(Alexander II)</small> || 17 July 1945<br>Claridge's, Mayfair, London<br>(age ) || 3 November 1970<br><br>present<br><hr>() || Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Bragança<br>1 July 1972 – 19 February 1985<br>3 sons<hr>Katherine Batis<br>20 September 1985<br>No children || || Son of Peter II and Alexandra of Greece and Denmark

|-

|}

;List of heirs

  • Crown Prince Alexander (29 November 1945 – 3 November 1970), Son of King Peter II
  • Prince Tomislav (3 November 1970 – 5 February 1980), 2nd son of King Alexander I
  • Prince Peter (5 February 1980 – 27 April 2022), 1st son of Crown Prince Alexander
  • Prince Philip (27 April 2022 – present), 2nd son of Crown Prince Alexander

Serbia and Yugoslavia

The Karađorđević family initially was a Serbian Royal House, then the Royal House of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and then the Royal House of Yugoslavia. When they last reigned they were called the Royal House of Yugoslavia.

Crown Prince Alexander was born in London but on property temporarily recognized by the United Kingdom's government as subject to the sovereignty of the Yugoslav crown, on which occasion it was publicly declared that the Crown Prince had been born on the native soil of the land he was expected to eventually rule.

Heraldry

<gallery class="center">

File:Coat of arms of Serbia.svg|Coat of arms of Serbia

File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg|Coat of arms of Yugoslavia

</gallery>

Male descendants of Karađorđe

The list below includes male members of the Karađorđević dynasty. Bold denotes the current head of the House. Number in parentheses indicates the order of line of Succession to the throne, as of April 2022. The order of line of Succession is not official.

  • 25px Grand Leader Karađorđe (1768–1817)
  • Alexis (1801–1830)
  • George (1827–1884)
  • Prince Alexis (1859–1920)
  • Prince Bojidar (1862–1908)
  • 25px Prince Alexander (1806–1885)
  • Alexis (1836–1841)
  • Hereditary Prince Svetozar (1841–1847)
  • 25px King Peter I (1844–1921)
  • Prince George (1887–1972)
  • 25px King Alexander I (1888–1934)
  • 25px King Peter II (1923–1970)
  • 25px Crown Prince Alexander (b. 1945)
  • Prince Peter (b. 1980)
  • (1) Hereditary Prince Philip (b. 1982)
  • (2) Prince Stephen (b. 2018)
  • (3) Prince Alexander (b. 1982)
  • Prince Tomislav (1928–2000)
  • (4) Prince Nicholas (b. 1958)
  • (5) Prince George (b. 1984)
  • (6) Prince Michael (b. 1985)
  • Prince Andrew (1929–1990)
  • Prince Christopher (1960–1994)
  • (7) Prince Vladimir (b. 1964)
  • Prince Kirill (2001–2001)
  • (8) Prince Dimitri (b. 1965)
  • Prince Andrew (1890–1890)
  • Prince Andrew (1848–1864)
  • Prince George (1856–1889)
  • Prince Arsen (1859–1938)
  • 25px Prince Regent Paul (1893–1976)
  • Prince Alexander (1924–2016)
  • Prince Dimitri (b. 1958)
  • Prince Michael (b. 1958)
  • Prince Sergius (b. 1963)
  • <small>(illegitimate)</small> Umberto (b. 2018)
  • Prince Dushan (b. 1977)
  • Prince Nicholas (1928–1954)

Armorial

{| class=wikitable

|-

! style="width:206px;"| Figure

! Name of Armiger and Blazon

|-

|-

|align=center | 100px

| Karađorđe, Grand Vozd of Serbia 1804–1814

Sable, the Cyrillic letters Ð and P conjoined Argent

Crest: an Arm vested Vert, bent at the elbow, holding a sabre proper, issuing from a Ducal coronet Or

|-

|align=center | 100px

| Aleksandar Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia 1842–1858, son of Ðorđe Petrović

Gules, a Cross Argent between four firesteels Argent

|-

|

|Petar I, King of Serbia 1903–1918, King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1918–1921, son of Aleksandar Karadjordjevic

Arms in exile as Prince up to 1903

Arms as King of Serbia 1903–1918

Arms as King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1918–1921

|-

|align=center |100px

| Aleksandar I, King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1921–1929, King of Yugoslavia 1929–1934, second son of Petar I

|-

|align=center | 100px

|Petar II, King of Yugoslavia 1934–1945, eldest son of Aleksandar I

|-

|align=center |100px100px

| Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, only son of Petar II

Arms used 1970–2004

Arms used 2004–present

|-

|align=center | 100px

|Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia, second son of Aleksandar I

|-

|align=center | 100px

|Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia, third son of Aleksandar I

|-

|align=center | 100px

|Prince Pavle of Yugoslavia, Prince Regent of Yugoslavia 1934–1941, nephew of Petar I

Arms borne 1934–1976

|-

|align=center | 100px

100px

|Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, eldest son of Pavle

Arms borne 1976–2004

Arms borne 2004–present

|-

|align=center |

100px

|Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, only daughter of Pavle

Arms borne 2004–present

|}

See also

  • List of heads of former ruling families

Notes

References

Sources and further reading

  • Crown Prince Alexander's Foundation for Culture and Education;
  • Princess Katherine's Humanitarian Foundation