Queen Draga
Encyclopedia
Draga Obrenović (11 September 1864 in Gornji Milanovac
– 11 June 1903 (New Style) in Belgrade
), also known as Queen Draga, was the queen and wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović of the Kingdom of Serbia
. She was formerly a lady-in-waiting
to Aleksandar's mother Queen Natalija.
) was the fourth daughter of Pantelije Milićević Lunjevica, a prefect
of the Aranđelovac area, and wife Anđelija Koljević. She was the granddaugther of a close fellow soldier of Aleksandar's great-granduncle
(Nikola Milićević Lunjevica). At the time of her second marriage, she was the widow of Svetozar Mašin (1851-1886), a Czech
civil engineer
, and was twelve years older than Aleksandar. She had two brothers, Nikola (Nicholas) and Nikodije (Nicodemus), who died with her, and three sisters Hristina (Christine), Đina, Ana (Anne) and Vojka. Draga was the sixth of seven siblings.
Her paternal grandmother was Đurđija Čarapić, a relative of Vojvoda Ilija Čarapić (d. 1844), husband of Karađorđe Petrović's daughter Stamenka Karađorđević.
Her mother was dipsomaniac
and her father died in a lunatic asylum
.
They married on 5 August 1900. When Aleksandar announced their engagement, public opinion turned against him. He was viewed as a besotted young fool in the power of a wicked seductress. Dowager Queen Natalija bitterly opposed the marriage, and was exiled by her son, in part because of it. His many arbitrary and unpopular acts were blamed on Draga's influence. There were rumours that Aleksandar would name Draga's brother as heir to the throne.
s invaded the royal palace
, led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević
, whose nickname was "Apis". They found Aleksandar and Draga hiding in a large built-in wardrobe
and savagely murdered them, throwing their mutilated bodies from a palace balcony onto piles of garden manure.
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
– 11 June 1903 (New Style) in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
), also known as Queen Draga, was the queen and wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović of the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
. She was formerly a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Aleksandar's mother Queen Natalija.
Queen of Serbia
Draga (meaning Dear in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) was the fourth daughter of Pantelije Milićević Lunjevica, a prefect
Prefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...
of the Aranđelovac area, and wife Anđelija Koljević. She was the granddaugther of a close fellow soldier of Aleksandar's great-granduncle
Miloš Obrenovic I, Prince of Serbia
Miloš Obrenović was Prince of Serbia from 1815 to 1839, and again from 1858 to 1860. He participated in the First Serbian Uprising, led Serbs in the Second Serbian Uprising, and founded the House of Obrenović...
(Nikola Milićević Lunjevica). At the time of her second marriage, she was the widow of Svetozar Mašin (1851-1886), a Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, and was twelve years older than Aleksandar. She had two brothers, Nikola (Nicholas) and Nikodije (Nicodemus), who died with her, and three sisters Hristina (Christine), Đina, Ana (Anne) and Vojka. Draga was the sixth of seven siblings.
Her paternal grandmother was Đurđija Čarapić, a relative of Vojvoda Ilija Čarapić (d. 1844), husband of Karađorđe Petrović's daughter Stamenka Karađorđević.
Her mother was dipsomaniac
Dipsomania
Dipsomania is a historical term describing a medical condition involving an uncontrollable craving for alcohol. It was used in the 19th century to describe a variety of alcohol-related problems, most of which are most commonly conceptualized today as alcoholism, but it is occasionally still used to...
and her father died in a lunatic asylum
History of psychiatric institutions
The story of the rise of the lunatic asylum and its gradual transformation into, and eventual replacement by, the modern psychiatric hospital, is also the story of the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry...
.
They married on 5 August 1900. When Aleksandar announced their engagement, public opinion turned against him. He was viewed as a besotted young fool in the power of a wicked seductress. Dowager Queen Natalija bitterly opposed the marriage, and was exiled by her son, in part because of it. His many arbitrary and unpopular acts were blamed on Draga's influence. There were rumours that Aleksandar would name Draga's brother as heir to the throne.
Assassination
This last rumour was what led to the royal couple's assassination. On 11 June 1903, a group of army officerSerbian Army
-Objectives:The Serbian Army is responsible for:* deterring armed threats* defending Serbia's territory* participation in peacekeeping operations* providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief-Personnel:...
s invaded the royal palace
May Overthrow
The May Overthrow was a 1903 coup d'état in which the Serbian King Alexander Obrenović and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated inside the Royal Palace in Belgrade on the night between 28 and 29 May 1903 by the Julian calendar...
, led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević
Dragutin Dimitrijevic
Dragutin Dimitrijević was a Serbian soldier and leader of the Black Hand group implicated with assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria in 1914...
, whose nickname was "Apis". They found Aleksandar and Draga hiding in a large built-in wardrobe
Wardrobe
A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...
and savagely murdered them, throwing their mutilated bodies from a palace balcony onto piles of garden manure.