Czechoslovakia, Republic. A Memorial Medal of Alexander I, 1934

In silver, the obverse bearing the raised profile of Alexander I, surrounded by the inscription In Memoriam Viteskom Kralju Aleksandru Ujedinitelj (“In Memoriam to the Knight King Alexander the Unifier”), original ribbon, 30 mm in diameter, light contact, extremely fine. Accompanied by medal bar clasp. Housed in a red hard shell case, white satin interior, blue velvet medal bed, extremely fine.

Footnote:  

Alexander I, also known as Alexander the Unifier, was king of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from August 16, 1921 to October 3, 1929 and King of Yugoslavia from October 3, 1929 until his assisination in 1934. 

The second son of Peter and Zorka Karadordevic, Alexander was born in Montenegro in December of 1888, while his family was in exile following their removal from the Serbian throne. As a young man, he moved to Russia and enrolled in the imperial Page Corps. When King Alexander I Obrenovic was killed in 1903, his father became the king of Serbia. 

During the Balkan Wars, Alexander was a commander, leading the Serbian army to victory over the Ottomans and Bulgarians. He became prince regent in 1914, and during the First War, held nominal command of the Royal Serbian Army. 

Following the first war, he oversaw the unification of multiple areas into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918. In 1921, he ascended to the throne. The 1931 Constitution formalized Alexander’s rule and confirmed Yugoslavia’s status as a unitary state. There were numerous political and economic tensions to contend with as the Great Depression devestated the country. 

In 1934, Alexander travelled to France to secure support for the Little Entente against Hungarian revanchism and Imperialist Italy. While in Marseille, Alexander was assassinated by Vlado Chernozemski, a member of the Pro-Bulgarian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. Alexander’s eleven year old son succeeded to the throne under the regency of his first cousin, Prince Paul.