King Alexander and Queen Draga of Serbia

[Marc]

[Marc]

After the abdication of his father Crown Prince Alexander became King Alexander I of Serbia(above)!He was killed in 1903 in his palace in Belgrade!He reigned from 1889-1903!His father made an arragment for him to marry Princess Alexandra Caroline von Schaumburg-Lippe,but he envolved himself in an affair with his mother's Lady in waiting Draga!As he wanted to marry her or nobody,he in the end did it-witch cost him life!They were both murdered in the same day on 11th of june 1903!

[Marc]

[Marc]

[Marc]

Queen Draga of Serbia(two portraits above) met her future husband as a Lady in waiting of Queen Nathalie while they were living in France!She was very cultured and educated(she was writing novel and also poems),but she wasn't liked by the people because she was 10 years older then the King Alexander,she was divorced and also because she tried to persuade the King and the people that she was pregnat(and she in fact was not)!When the people heard that she was not pregnant at all they thought that she wants to bring her brothers to be the heirs to the throne...Her brothers were very,very unpopular at the time because of their behaviour as the brothers in law of the King!All this hate towards them led to the hate towards the King and the Queen who tolerated them witch also lead the King and queen to lose their lives in May 1903...

[bluetoria]

Marc, thank you for all this brilliant information, fascinating postings & wonderful pictures!  
I had been looking for things about Queen Draga for a while but had never seen any pictures of her.
It is indeed an unfortunate & 'stormy' family!!
Thank you SO MUCH - this is so interesting  

[Marc]

No problem,I am very glad you like it!They were very interesting family,having also many illegitimate issue,many mistresses and so on...You know how much I like portraits,so...I had to post them!

[ALEXEI_P]

I tried the search function to no avail, so forgive me if this has been asked before.  Are there any books or materials that could be recommended about King Alexander and Queen Draga of Serbia who were assasinated in 1903?
I've readthat  there was an aborted film project in the early thirties set to star Pola Negri.  I'm trying to track down the screenplay, but would be interested in any materials.

Thanks in advance for any recomendations.
Alexei

[Nathalie]

I think it is slightly off-topic, but may I ask, does the name dRaga has any meaning in SErbian? Just out of interest, because in Hungarian it means "dear" or "expensive" and a nice nick.

[Robert_Hall]

Alex.P, In the Balkans thread there should be a subtopic on Alex. & Draga. I remember posting pictures there. The "search" function is not as useful as it should be, imo.So I understand your frustration.
Anyway, here are 3 books I happen to have on hand-
DANCE OF THE ASSASINS M.Fagyas 1973 [a novel]
ROYAL PURPLE  Bertita Harding 1935
A ROYAL TRAGEDY Chedomille Mijatovich 1906
 Hope this helps
Robert

[Marc]

Draga indeed means ''dear'' in Serbian...

[ALEXEI_P]

As always, when in doubt someone on this forum will usually have some information.

Thanks very much Robert for the book list.  I'll try to track them down.

Thank you Marc for the photo.  I can see why someone would want to cast Pola Negri as the Queen, they look very much like alike.

Nathalie, thanks for your question, I had no idea what Draga meant.  She was despised by the army and I think most of the people. Considering her story and relationship with the Alexander it was an appropriate name to have been given her.

Regards to you all,
Alexei

[Vecchiolarry]

Alexei,

Pola Negri did make a film in 1932 called "A Woman Commands" for RKO Pictures in Hollywood.  It was all about Alexander and Maria Draga.
It also starred Basil Rathbone and Roland Young.....

You might want to see if Amazon.com has it, although I don't know if it was ever put on video or DVD.  It wasn't a very successful movie even when it first came out.  She went back to Germany to make films after this picture failed to revive her American movie career..
However, Pola did have a very successful record of the song 'Paradise' from that movie though and it is out on record.

Larry

[kmerov]

Regarding Queen Draga faking her pregnancy, I have read that she tried to have a child of her brother smuggled in to the palace, but it all failed when a doctor from France discovered that she was not pregnant all. Is their any truth to this story? I would imagen that a lot of what has been writtten on her were based on rumors and gossip.
And I think she was quite beautiful.
 

[Marc]

Also,a doctor from Russia was also coming to see her and also discovered that she was not pregnant...That could be truthKmerov since it was said that she even used her laidies in waiting to help her in this plan...When the plan didn't work,she wanted her brothers to be proclaimbed as the heirs to the throne...She had much influence on the King,but when it broke out what she was planing,the people were very angry as they didn't like her brothers who were very unpopular at the time and their behavoiur diring her reign was very,very bad!