Prince Arsen of Yugoslavia: Difference between revisions

 

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==Life in Paris==

==Life in Paris==

He took up residence in an elegant and refined apartment at 2 [[Parc Monceau|Square Monceau]], in the ninth arrondissement near [[Montmartre]], where he died twenty years later. There he led a quiet, largely comfortable, almost pensioner’s life—few friends, but very much on his own terms. He often spent time with [[Miroslav Spalajković]], who served as ambassador of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|newly formed kingdom]] to France from 1922 to 1935. Arsen received a regular monthly [[appanage|royal appanage]], along with additional income befitting a [[Army general|divisional]], later promoted to [[Army general|army general]], which included allowances for housing, heating, and household staff.

He took up residence in an elegant and refined apartment at 2 [[Parc Monceau|Square Monceau]], in the ninth arrondissement near [[Montmartre]], where he died twenty years later. There he led a quiet, largely comfortable, almost friends, but very much on his own terms. He often spent time with [[Miroslav Spalajković]], who served as ambassador of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|newly formed kingdom]] to France from 1922 to 1935. Arsen received a regular monthly [[appanage|royal appanage]], along with additional income befitting a [[Army general|divisional]], later promoted to [[Army general|army general]], which included allowances for housing, heating, and household staff.

He returned to Serbia only a few times: for the wedding of his nephew Alexander to [[Queen Maria of Yugoslavia|Princess Maria of Romania]] in 1921—where he served as the second witness despite Alexander having been one of the reasons for his earlier departure from Serbia. At the time of his return to Serbia, Arsen, an exceptional soldier, posed a natural threat to overshadow his nephews [[George, Crown Prince of Serbia|George]] and Alexander, who, already embroiled in their own rivalry over the succession, could not risk his prominence. As a result, he was offered no significant position in the [[Royal Serbian Army]], and, disappointed, he decided to return to serve in Russia.

He returned to Serbia only a few times: for the wedding of his nephew Alexander to [[Queen Maria of Yugoslavia|Princess Maria of Romania]] in 1921—where he served as the second witness despite Alexander having been one of the reasons for his earlier departure from Serbia. At the time of his return to Serbia, Arsen, an exceptional soldier, posed a natural threat to overshadow his nephews [[George, Crown Prince of Serbia|George]] and Alexander, who, already embroiled in their own rivalry over the succession, could not risk his prominence. As a result, he was offered no significant position in the [[Royal Serbian Army]], and, disappointed, he decided to return to serve in Russia.

Serbian military officer (1859–1938)

Prince Arsenije “Arsen” of Yugoslavia (Serbian: Арсеније Карађорђевић / Arsenije Karađorđević; 16/17 April 1859 – 19 October 1938) was a dynast of the House of Karađorđević and ancestor of the current cadet branch of the Royal Family which ruled Yugoslavia until 1945. He long served as an officer in the Russian Imperial Army.

He was born in Timișoara a year after his father Prince Alexander Karađorđević had been deposed from the Serbian throne (the predecessor regime to the Yugoslavian monarchy). His mother was Persida Nenadović, member of the powerful Serbian Nenadović family. Prince Arsen’s elder brother was Peter I, King of Serbia and, later, of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Prince Arsen was married in Saint Petersburg on 1 May 1892 to Aurora Pavlovna Demidova, Princess of San Doanto, the eldest daughter of Pavel Pavlovich Demidov, 2nd Prince of San Donato (whose uncle, Prince Anatoly Demidov, had been first married to Princess Mathilde Bonaparte) and of Prince Pavel’s second wife, Princess Elena Petrovna Trubetskaya.^[2]

Their only son was Prince Paul of Yugoslavia who was Regent of Yugoslavia from 9 October 1934 to 27 March 1941.^[2] The couple divorced on 26 December 1896 because of Aurora’s earlier liaison with the young Count Ernst Andreas von Manteuffel (1873–1953), which resulted in the birth of twin sons, Nikolai (1895–1933) and Sergei (1895–1912).^[3] Aurora Pavlovna was remarried to Count Palatine Nicola di Noghera in Genoa on 4 November 1897,^[2] with whom she had a daughter, Helena Aurora di Noghera (22 May 1898 – 12 October 1967). Aurora Pavlovna died in Turin on 28 June 1904 and was buried in the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Nice, France.^[2]

Although known as a womanizer, Prince Arsen never married again. One of his most famous love affairs was with Gita Genčić (1873–1940), renowned for her beauty, who had previously divorced her first husband, General Vojislav Cincar-Janković, because of her second husband, the politician Đorđe Genčić, Serbian Minister of National Economy, and later ended her marriage to Genčić following her affair with the Prince. To avoid a greater scandal, Arsen decided to leave Serbia in haste; and after that, he never technically returned to live there again.^[4]

After his elder brother Peter became the King of Serbia in 1903, he issued a family statute for the members of the royal house, namely on 30 August 1909. Based on this royal statute, Prince Arsen and his descendants were entitled to the style of Highness. In the years that followed, namely in 1921, and later confirmed in 1931, Arsen and his line were upgraded to the style Royal Highness by his nephew, the new ruler, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia.^[5]

Until 1904, Arsen and his son were subjects of the Russian Empire. Upon receiving Serbian citizenship on 26 April 1904, he was obliged to resign from regular service in the Imperial Russian Army. There had been expectations that, as the king’s brother, he would have prospects in the Serbian Royal Army and be assigned a position befitting his rank. However, this did not come to pass, largely due to the younger members of the Karađorđević family, who feared that their uncle, as an experienced soldier, might outshine them in the eyes of the public, and therefore did everything to prevent it. Nevertheless, after a short time spent in Serbia, he decided to return St. Petersburg, and, at the end of the year, he volunteered to fight on Russia’s side in the Russo-Japanese War.^[6]

For his bravery in the Battle of Mukden, on 26 February 1905, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II awarded the Serbian Prince a gold sword set with diamonds and inscribed ‘For Bravery.’ This was a rare honor, reflecting the high esteem in which Colonel Karađorđević was held at court, as only three other officers received such a jeweled sword crafted by the renowned jeweler Carl Blank: Nikolai Yudenich, Paul von Rennenkampf, and Nikolai Ottovich von Essen.^[7]

Prince Arsen, at the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, was forced to leave Russia forever in May 1918—the country in which he had lived for so many decades. His departure marked the end of the turbulent chapter of his life, the one recounted with varying degrees of truth in high society. Through the mediation of Serbian diplomacy, he first safely made his way to Sweden and then to France, where he settled permanently in Paris. He left behind his niece Helen, to whom he was deeply attached, who chose to remain in Russia so she could stay by the side of her husband, Prince John Konstantinovich of Russia.^[8]

He took up residence in an elegant and refined apartment at 2 Square Monceau, in the ninth arrondissement near Montmartre, where he died twenty years later. There he led a quiet, largely comfortable, almost retired life—with fewer friends, but very much on his own terms. He often spent time with Miroslav Spalajković, who served as ambassador of the newly formed kingdom to France from 1922 to 1935. Arsen received a regular monthly royal appanage, along with additional income befitting a divisional, later promoted to army general, which included allowances for housing, heating, and household staff.

He returned to Serbia only a few times: for the wedding of his nephew Alexander to Princess Maria of Romania in 1921—where he served as the second witness despite Alexander having been one of the reasons for his earlier departure from Serbia. At the time of his return to Serbia, Arsen, an exceptional soldier, posed a natural threat to overshadow his nephews George and Alexander, who, already embroiled in their own rivalry over the succession, could not risk his prominence. As a result, he was offered no significant position in the Royal Serbian Army, and, disappointed, he decided to return to serve in Russia.

He visited Serbia only a handful of times thereafter: for his son Paul’s wedding in 1922, for the transfer of Karađorđe’s relics to Oplenac in 1930, and for King Alexander I’s funeral in 1934. His rare visits were partly due to the fact that he hardly knew anyone there anymore; he had no real circle of acquaintances, and contact with other relatives had largely faded. Though different in temperament, the one person who never abandoned him was his son Paul, a devoted son despite having seen his father only rarely in earlier years.

During his life in Paris, Arsen enjoyed gambling—mostly with former officers—and he often fell into debt, which the royal court later settled. He was not selfish; he frequently gave to charitable causes. In 1924, for example, he donated a sum of money to the volunteer community in Donji Kovilj on the occasion of the “day of consecration of the regimental flag.”^[9]

Prince Arsen died at 13:30h in Paris on 19 October 1938. In Yugoslavia, the court of King Peter II observed mourning from 19 October 1938 to 10 January 1939, the first six weeks being a period of deep mourning. Numerous European monarchs and heads of state sent telegrams of condolence, the most publicly noted of which was that of Adolf Hitler, addressed to his son, the Prince Regent. In Paris, where he lived in comfort in a lavish apartment, the main hall was converted into a chapel adorned with black draperies. After the death of His Royal Highness, officers of the Yugoslav Royal Army from the military mission in Paris maintained an honor guard by the bier for three days. After three days, his body was transported by train to the Slovenian town of Rakek, at the Yugoslav border. From there, it was conveyed by the royal train to Belgrade. On the journey from Ljubljana to Belgrade, the remains were accompanied by Prince Regent Paul and his wife, Princess Olga, who had spent the last three weeks of her Arsen’s life at his bedside. Prince Arsen was buried on 24 October 1938 in the royal mausoleum at Oplenac, with the highest state honors—honors worthy of a king. The solemn and dignified funeral was arranged at the wish of his son, Prince Paul, revealing his deep attachment to his father despite the differences in their characters that had often led to disagreements between them. After the prince’s death, the 6th Cavalry Regiment of the Yugoslav Royal Army was named in his honor as the ‘Prince Arsen Regiment’.^[10]

Foreign Honours
	Order of Saint Vladimir, Fourth class,1905
	Order of Saint Stanislaus, Second Class,1905
	Gold Sword for Bravery, 1906
	Order of Carol I
	Medal -“In memory of Russian -Japanese War ”
	Order of St. George, Fourth Class, 1915
National Honours
	Order of Karađorđe’s Star, First and Fourth Class
	Order of the Yugoslav Crown, First Class, 1930