Petar I Karadjordjevic

Petar I Karadjordjevic became King of Serbia following the May Coup that assassinated King Alexander Obrenovic. His accession restored the Karadjordjevic dynasty and was supported by the Serbian military and political establishment.

King Petar I led Serbia during the First and Second Balkan Wars. Serbia expanded its territory significantly, gaining Kosovo, Macedonia, and parts of Albania, establishing itself as a major regional power under his leadership.

King Petar I led Serbia through World War I after the Austro-Hungarian invasion. Despite the Serbian army's retreat through Albania in 1915, he remained with his troops and later returned to lead the country as part of the victorious Allies.

King Petar I became the first monarch of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) after World War I. This unification of South Slavic peoples fulfilled his vision of a larger state, though he delegated governance to his son Alexander due to ill health.