"The Assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia: One" Silver Coin in Album

The Balkans were the powder keg of Europe before and after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914. In 1903, members of a radical secret society called the Black Hand killed the Serbian king and his mistress turned wife, in what was a prelude to the assassination of the Austrian royal 11 years later. Violence again fell upon the Balkan royal houses in 1934, when King Alexander I, the first King of Yugoslavia, was assassinated by a marksman named Vlado Chernozemski, a Bulgarian national and member of the fascist Ustase party, in league with Mussolini. The murder took place in the French port city of Marseille. As with the hit on the Archduke, the King was killed while riding in his car. Vlado the Chauffeur, as he was called, leapt up on the moving vehicle and shot Alexander at point blank range before being hacked by a policeman. Both king and killer died of their wounds a few hours later. Remarkably, the assassination was captured on film by a newsreel. In manner, method, and footage, the scene foreshadows the assassination of John K. Kennedy 30 years later. This silver 10 dinara coin featuring the portrait of Alexander I is one of the first issues of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

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