Peter I of Serbia

Who was Peter I of Serbia?

Peter I, was the last King of Serbia, and a member of the European House of Karađorđević. Prince Peter was born in Belgrade to Prince Alexander of Serbia and his consort, Princess Persida Nenadović. Prince Alexander abdicated in 1858, and the 14 year old Prince Peter went into exile with the rest of his family, initially staying in Wallachia, present-day Romania.

Known to his friends as "Pierre Kara," as a young man Prince Peter spent much of his exile in Geneva and France, where he attended school, including the well-known military academy École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in Paris. In 1871-1872, Prince Peter actively participated as a volunteer in the final stages of the Franco-Prussian War. Under the name of Pierre Kara he was commissioned as a sous-lieutenant in the 5th battalion of the French Foreign Legion, forming part the Army of the Loire. On 11 October he was wounded in battle near Orleans and taken prisoner by the Prussians. He subsequently escaped by swimming across the Loire River.