Peter I. of Serbia - Royal Clemency Decree - 1908

An exceptional official document from the Kingdom of Serbia, documenting a pardon for several convicts approved by King Peter I and offering a rare glimpse into early 20th-century justice administration.

Peter I Karađorđević (1844–1921). King of Serbia 1903–1918, subsequently first King of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Royal pardon decree in the king’s name. Belgrade, 27 August 1908. Folded folio sheet (about 41 × 33 cm, folded about 33 × 20.5 cm). Printed header with the Serbian state coat of arms and the title “We, Peter I, by the grace of God and by the will of the people, King of Serbia,” below a handwritten text filled in Serbian (Cyrillic). Handwritten signature of the Minister of Justice Ljubomir Stojanović, plus the royal signum initialed. Back with reception notes and registry stamp of the Ministry of Justice.
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The document records the exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy. On the proposal of the Minister of Justice, numerous named convicts from various parts of Serbia are partially or fully pardoned from their prison sentences. The document was produced a few weeks before the internationally significant Bosnian Annexation Crisis and provides an authentic impression of the Serbian state administration under Peter I. The combination of a representative printed header, extensive handwritten annex, and the ministerial original signature makes the piece an attractive testament to the Serbian monarchy.

Transcription:
“On the proposal of our Minister of Justice and on the basis of Article 51 of our Constitution we have found it appropriate, in the spirit of mercy, to reduce the sentence of the convicts named below of the Belgrade penal institution to at most three years:
Svetozar Živković from Grocka
Paun Horgovanović from Žagubica
Milutin Milovanović from Kusadak
Božidar Živković from Požarevac
Dragoljub Bogdanović from Šapnik (uncertain)
Arsenije Janković from Veliko Crljeni
Gvozden Mirković from Brežane
Vujislav Danić from Vriješnica
Čedomir Kostićević from Bosut
Panta Milosavljević from Sirakovo
Milutin Milošević from Brezovo
Prodan Milovanović from Ćivela (uncertain)
Nikola Antonić from Zglaba (uncertain)
Dragutin Gavrilović from Nepomikuće (uncertain)

Further from the Požarevac penal institution:
Miloš Dimitrijević from Požarevac
Haki Ljubović from Bašinovac
Milica J. Čobović from Gaj
Bojko Đ. Antić from Šabac
Stanko Jerković from Belgrade
Staniša, Widow of Milosav Milosavljević from Štrpce

Our Minister of Justice has to execute this decree.
27 August 1908
In Belgrade”
(The signature of the Minister of Justice Ljubomir Stojanović and the printed name signature of King Peter I.)
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Overall well-preserved copy with the usual folding marks of an official document, slightly browned with minor edge wear and old paper backing on the reverse; overall an attractive and collectible original.