The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-06-20
A BLOOD-STAlNED THRONE.

The tragedy enacted at Belgrade last
week by which the King and Queen
of Servia and several of their house
hold lost their lives, serves to recall
the dark and bloody history Of that I'M
fortunate country. The Servian king
dom of the present day is a small Bal
kan state in area less than half the
size of the state of Minnesota. 1t is
situated on the Southern frontier Of
Austria and is bounded on the East
by Roumania and Bulgaria, on the
south by Turkey in Europe, and on the
west by Bosnia. Servia, together with
Roumania, Bulgaria, Montenegro and
Bosnia, until recent times constituted
part Of the Turkish Empire. AL
though prior to the foundation of the
Turkish dominion in Europe, Servia
had long existed as an Independent ma
ton. The Servians are Slavonic
people and adherents of the Greek
Catholic church. They are almost en-
tirely a peasant people. The chief
industry of the country is the rails
ing Of swine, great herds of which
roam the forests. During the middle
ages they We're almost constantly at
war with neighboring people. They
resisted the invasion of the Turks for
many years, and under their sover-
eign Stephen Duschan attempted to
take Constantinopla from the Greeks.
Finally in the year 1880, at the battle
of Kosovo, the Servians We're COM
pletely defeated by the Turks and
from that time on for upwards Of four
centuries they We're subject to Turkey.
In 1904 they rebelled against Turk
ish rule and under u peasant leader,
George Petrovitch George, the son of
Peter), better known as Kara (Black)
George, they gained their independ-
ence. This swine-herd was the found
er of one of the contending royal fam
lilies Of Servia. Peter Karageorgevitcf,
who has just been proclaimed king of
Servia, is his grandson. Black
George although ilhterate had great
natural ability and his integrity was
unquestioned. He wore the ordinary
peasant garb while king of Servia and
lived in the same simple way in which
he lived while watching his pigs in
the mountains. With the aid Of Rus
STA he drove the Turks out Of Servia
and established liberal monarchy.
He did much for the betterment of his
people, but he was surrounded by con-
spirators who finally forced him to alb
dictate, and in 1918 the Turks again
took possession of the country. He re-
turned to Servia in 1917 but was muir
dered at the instigation Of Milosh
Obren who meanwhile had succeeded
to the leadership Of the Servians. This
man was also peasant, house serv-
ant, and he it was who founded the
other royal family of Servia. King
Alexander, who was murdered last
week, was a great grandson Of Mil
osh Obren. All through the nineteenth
century the politics of Servia have re-
volved about these two families. Mil
osh succeeded in again driving out the
Turks and ruled with a strong hand
for twenty years when the people
forced him to abdicate and he was
succeeded by his son Milan, who lived
but a few weeks, aud was succeeded
by Michael. the second son Of Milosh
Michael was the best king Servia ever
had, but his advanced ideas were dis.
pleasing to the peasants, and he toe
was driven from power, and Alexander
Kara eorgevitch, son Of Black
George, elected in his place. He ruled
for several years, but the partisans OF
the Obrenovitch family gained contro.