HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Crown Princess Katherine paid their respect on the 207th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Royal Dynasty Karadjordjevic, Supreme Leader George Petrovic – Karadjorjde, by laying a wreath today in the Mausoleum of the Royal Family, Saint George’s Church in Oplenac.
The Holy Liturgy and memorial service were officiated by priests from Topola, followed by the ceremony of wreath laying on the tomb of the founder of modern Serbia. Together with the Royal Family, Mr. Strahinja Erac, State Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of Serbia, representatives of the Army of Serbia, members of the Kingdom of Serbia Association, which is under Crown Prince’s patronage, Mr. Dragan Reljic, Director of the Foundation of King Peter I in Oplenac, representatives of Municipality of Topola, and people who gathered to pay their respects to great Karadjordje.
“The liberating spirit is something that represents the very core of our national identity, and this spirit is something that is an important legacy of Supreme Leader Karadjordje. My ancestor was not the first who tried to bring freedom to Serbia during Ottoman rule, but he was the one who managed to unite the people to fight for the centuries-awaited freedom jointly. That way, small “sparks of liberty” created a fire that spread around our country and brought the fulfilment of a long-awaited dream. Without unity, this aspiration for freedom would remain to be only an ideal.
I am very happy that the legacy of great Karadjordje is still very much alive and that his deeds and tremendous contributions to our country are being respected today, 207 years after his death, as they were in the past. His death was a tragedy, but it should be a reminder, that we should never again allow the Serbian discords and quarrels between the members of our people to prevail”, stated HRH Crown Prince Alexander.
After the fall of the First Serbian Uprising, Karadjordje with his family and the most prominent Serbian chieftains left the country, initially for Austria and later for Bessarabia (Russia). After attempts to persuade the Russian Tsar to go to war against Turkey failed, Karadjordje made contacts with the Greek organization “Heteria”, whose aim was the allied uprising of the Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians and the establishment of a great Balkan state. With the intention to start the struggle anew, Karadjordje secretly came to Serbia. Under orders of the Turkish Vizier and rival Serbian chieftain Milos Obrenovic, Karadjordje was assassinated in Radovanjski Lug near the city of Smederevo, on the night of 24 July 1817. His body was later buried in the Mausoleum of St. George in Oplenac, built by King Peter I.
