Alexander Karageorgevitch, a Servian prince, born at Topola. Oct. 11, 1806. After the execution of his father, Czerny or Kara George, at Belgrade in 1817, his mother went with him to Wallachia. He was for some time in the Russian military service, until permission was granted for his return to Servia, when he became aide-de-camp of the reigning prince, Michael Obrenovitch. After the downfall of the Obrenovitch dynasty, Alexander was elected prince of Servia, Sept. 14, 1842. This choice was ratified by Turkey, but not by Russia. Both governments sent commissioners to Servia, and on June 15, 1843, he was reelected with the consent of the two powers. He promoted education and industry, and improved the civil and military service. He was soon accused, however, of leaning too much toward Turkey, especially during the Crimean war, when he prevented the national party from rising in rebellion against the Porte, The sultan rewarded his loyalty by confirming the privileges which he had granted to Servia, and by allowing the country to be placed, by the terms of the treaty of Paris of March 30, 1856, under the collective protection of the great powers, instead of, as previously, under the sole protection of the Porte. A conspiracy against him was discovered in 1857, and its two ringleaders, the presidents of the senate and the supreme court of Servia, Stefanovitch and Rayovitch, were sentenced to death, and their six accomplices to haul labor for life.

The popular feeling against this sentence ran so high that the authorities durst not execute it, while Alexander incurred still greater odium by invoking the assistance of the Turkish authorities for the detection and punishment of the conspirators. He was called upon to resign; and on his retiring to the fortress of Belgrade, under the protection of Turkish guns, his expulsion from the throne and the country was decreed by the Servian national assembly (December, 1858), and Prince Milosh Obrenovitch, then an octogenarian, was reinstated. Milosh, on his death, Sept. 26, 1860, was succeeded by his sen, Prince Michael Obrenovitch. Alexander, living in Hungary, constantly intrigued with Servian revolutionists and foreign schemers. A censpiracy instigated by them in 1864 was frustrated, but that of 1868 resulted in the assassination of Prince Michael (June 10), but not in the overthrow of the Obrenovitch dynasty. Milan (Olerenovitch IV.), Michael's cousin and adopted son (born in 1854), was proclaimed his successor under a regency.

The murderers were arrested, and 15 of them, including two brothers of Prince Alexander, were at once put to death, while the prince himself, convicted of having planned and given money for the execution of the murder, was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment by the court of Belgrade. His surrender being demanded, the Hungarian authorities ordered a new trial at Pesth, and the evidence was not deemed sufficiently strong for his conviction. He was not molested in Pesth for nearly 18 months, when another trial took place (1870), which again resulted in his favor. In January, 1871, this verdict was reversed by a court of appeal, and he was sentenced to eight years' close imprisonment and to payment of costs; but the sentence has not been executed.