Through the Land of the SerbDurham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
History
Through the Land of the Serb
Durham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
Montenegro -- Description and travel; Serbia -- Description and travel
Recent political events make it necessary to add a few words to the
account of Servia written in 1902. That the King was not popular I was
aware before I went to Servia, but I was unprepared to find things at
such an acute stage. Through all the land I did not hear one good word
spoken of him. That he was more fool than knave was the best said of
him. For him there was nothing but contempt. What was said of Draga by
an exasperated people it is impossible to repeat. The hatred of her was
deep and bitter. As to the truth of the accusations, I have no means of
judging. I can only say that they were believed not only in Servia, but
in Montenegro, and by the Serbs of Old Servia. And everywhere I heard of
Peter Karageorgevich, so that there was no possible doubt as to who
would be the successor. I was even asked by partisans of his to write up
their cause in England. The only English tourist, I was told, who had
lately written about Servia, had done great harm by writing up the
Obrenovich. People were very bitter indeed about this, and begged me to
tell England the true state of things. That the King must go, and that
at no distant date, seemed certain. That his fate would be so terrible,
I had no idea. Nor would it have been so, I believe, but for his
headstrong obstinacy.
His father, in spite of his many and glaring faults, never entirely lost
the affection of the army. He was of the handsome, dashing, jovial type
that wins popularity, but the unfortunate Alexander had none of his
fathers redeeming points. His short and luckless reign, which began
with an act of treachery, was a series of hopeless blunders; he had five
_coups d'état_ and twenty-four Ministries. His fatal entanglement with
Draga Maschin was the beginning of the end. Heedless of the entreaties
of both his parents and blind towards the duty he owed his country, he
paid no attention to the prayers of friends, relatives, or statesmen,
and married her in July 1900. He never saw either his father or his
mother again, and his country never forgave him. To save a revolution, I
was told it was prepared to do so even then, in the eleventh hour, if he
would divorce Draga. The people viewed with growing dismay the elevation
of her relatives, and the rumoured scheme to make her brother heir
provoked the final outburst. The truth about what took place in the
early hours of June 11 will probably never be exactly known. Those who
took part in the tragedy were too drunk with blood and passion to give a
coherent account, and there are at least half a dozen versions. Nor does
it greatly matter. The fact remains that the mass of the Serbs desired
the removal of the King and Queen; it was effected, and many of those
who shuddered at their awful end said, "Since it is done, it is well
done." More than this, very many hailed it as a holy and righteous act,
a cleansing of the temple, a purification, a casting out of
abominations; nor could I make any of those who were of this opinion see
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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