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![]() Illustration of the May Coup published in 1903 in the French newspaper Le Petit Parisien | |
Native name | Мајски преврат, Majski prevrat |
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Date | 10–11 June [O.S. 28–29 May] 1903 |
Location | Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia |
Also known as | May Overthrow |
Type | Military coup |
Motive | Regime change |
Target | Stari Dvor, Belgrade |
Organised by | Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis and other officers |
Participants | Officer faction within the Royal Serbian Army |
Outcome | Success
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Burial | St. Mark's Church (Royal couple) |
The May Coup (Serbian: Мајски преврат, romanized: Majski prevrat) was a coup d'état in the Kingdom of Serbia which resulted in the assassination of King Alexander I and his consort, Queen Draga, inside the Stari Dvor in Belgrade on the night of 10–11 June [O.S. 28–29 May] 1903. This act resulted in the extinction of the Obrenović dynasty that had ruled Serbia since the middle of the 19th century. A group of Royal Serbian Army officers led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević (Apis) organized the assassination. After the May Coup, the throne passed to King Peter I of the Karađorđević dynasty.[1]
Along with the royal couple, the conspirators killed prime minister Dimitrije Cincar-Marković, minister of the army Milovan Pavlović , and general-adjutant Lazar Petrović.[2] The coup had a significant influence on Serbia's relations with other European powers; the Obrenović dynasty had mostly allied with Austria-Hungary, while the Karađorđević dynasty had close ties both with Russia[3] and with France. Each dynasty received ongoing financial support from their powerful foreign sponsors.[4]