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GENESIS OF SERBIAN ORDERS OF MERIT Serbian orders of merit of the modern era were incepted in mid-19th century and modelled upon the contemporary orders of the western Europe. At the time, the country was a hereditary (albeit vassal Ottoman) principality under the rule of the domestic dynasty of Obrenovich. Turkish suzerenity ceased in 1878 under the provisions of the Congress of Berlin, when Serbia gained independance nearly 500 years after succumbing to the Ottoman Empire. The inspiration for foundations of various orders of merit was sought for in anniversaries or commemorating personalities from the national history. In 1865, the solemn celebration of the 50th anniversary of the major anti-Ottoman "Takovo" Uprising was commemorated with the cross and the silver medal struck for the occassion. The cross, which later became to be known as the Order of the Cross of Takovo has undergone several reorganizations, finally to be established in multiple classes, following the pattern of the contemporary European orders of merit. The Order of White Eagle and Order of St. Sava were established in 1883 to mark the proclamation of Kingdom the previous year.
King Milan I of Serbia A unique, single-class collar named Order of St. Prince Lazar beloging only by the Sovereign and the Heir Apparent was founded in 1889, in the scope of the 600th aniversary commemorations of the Battle of Kosovo, the major Serbian defeat by the Ottomans in 1389 which ultimately led to the downfall of the medieval Serbian state and centuries long establishment of the Ottoman Empire on the European soil. The short lived Order of Milosh the Great was founded in 1898 to commomorate the 40th anniversary of the Obrenovich dynasty founder, Prince Milosh's, second reign. In 1903, the Obrenovich dynasty was dethroned in a court coup. With King Alexander I being assasinated without issue it became extinct in the legitimate line and the pretender from the rival house of Karageorgevich was elected King Peter I of Serbia. King Peter supressed the Order of the Cross of Takovo and Order of Milosh the Great because of their explicit dynastic connotations, but retained other orders of merit, apparently considering them transdynastic. The new royal house, however, needed a new, exclusive and genuine order of merit and thus the Order of the Star of Karageorge was instituted in 1904 drawing inspiration in commemoration 100th anniversary of yet another anti-Otoman campaign, led by his grandfather Karageorge Petrovich . Although the original concept of a generic order "of the Crown" was developed as early as 1911, it materialized only in 1930 as Order of Yugoslav Crown, the last monarchical order affiliated with the former Kingdom of Serbia (incorporated in unified Yugoslav monarchy in 1918). The monarchy was abolished in 1945. The extant royal orders of merit have been retained by the head of the Royal House of Karageorgevich in exile, firstly King Peter II and after his death to his son and heir, Crown Prince Alexander Karageorgevich. ___________________ |
