Fall of the Obrenovich dynasty and May coup in film

Miloloža, Hrvoje. (2017). Fall of the Obrenovich dynasty and May coup in film. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of History. [mentor Jakovina, Tvrtko].

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Abstract

The May Coup of 1903. left a deep mark on Serbian history. The Obrenovich Dynasty was erased forever and the new Karadjordjevich dynasty came to power. The cruel manner in which the May Coup was orchestrated, especially the brutal murder of the royal couple, king Alexander and queen Draga, shocked the world public. Foreign press criticized the „bestial murder“ and Serbia's international reputation dramatically plummeted. The Serbian press, on the other hand, unanimously glorified the May Coup and the military officers behind it, celebrating Serbia's liberation from the tyranny of the „evil“ Obrenovich dynasty. New Serbian elites that emerged after the May Coup worked hard on the systematic alteration of the memory of the Obrenovich dynasty, creating a banalized, negative and distorted picture of the former royal family. That distorted perception took root in mainstream historiography of the time, and the trauma of the May Coup remained repressed. New Serbian historiography tackled the problem – works of Suzana Rajić and Vladimir Jovanović revealed many hidden truths. Aired in 1995 during the war in former Yugoslavia, the TV drama „Kraj dinastije Obrenović (End of Obrenovich dynasty)“ had the challenging task of reconciling with this turbulent past, as well as creating a new national historical narrative. In questioning the various stereotypes and so-called „truths“enveloping this period of Serbian history, the series attempts to condemn the assassination on one hand, blaming it on fate and circumstance, while on the other, the character of Draga Mašin remains defined by the same familiar pattern of stereotypes.

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