Alexander I (1888-1934) was a Serbian ruler who presided over the creation of Yugoslavia. During World War I (1914-1918), Alexander ruled Serbia as regent for his father, King Peter I. After the war, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was created with Peter as its king. Alexander ruled the new country as regent, and he became king when Peter died in 1921. The other peoples thought the Serbs had too much power, and it proved difficult to unite the country. In 1929, Alexander dissolved parliament, established a royal dictatorship, and renamed the country Yugoslavia. On Oct. 9, 1934, he was assassinated by a Macedonian revolutionary supported by a Croatian group. Alexander was born on Dec. 16, 1888, in Cetinje, Montenegro.
See also Peter II ; Yugoslavia (A new country) .
