Sunday, May 6, 2012

Yugoslavia 1928, Kraljevina 1 - Red & 50 Brown (King Alexander)

Yugoslavia Stamp 1928 
King Alexander  50 
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Yugoslavia Stamp 1928
King Alexander  1 D - Red
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Alexander I  (16 December 1888  – 9 October 1934) was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–34).

About his assassination:
On account of the deaths of three members of his family on a Tuesday, Alexander refused to undertake any public functions on that day. On Tuesday 9 October 1934, however, he had no choice, as he was arriving in Marseilles to start a state visit to the Third French Republic, to strengthen the two countries' alliance in the Little Entente. While Alexander was being driven in a car through the streets along with French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou, a gunman, Vlado Chernozemski, stepped from the street and shot the King and the chauffeur. Barthou was accidentally shot by a French policeman and died later.

It was one of the first assassinations captured on film; the shooting occurred straight in front of the cameraman, who was only feet away at the time. The cameraman captured not merely the assassination but the immediate aftermath; the body of the chauffeur (who had been killed instantly) became jammed against the brakes of the car, allowing the cameraman to continue filming from within inches of the King for a number of minutes afterwards.

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