Aleksandar Mašin

Aleksandar Mašin (, ; 24 May 1857 – 18 April 1910) was a Serbian military officer of Czech descent. As a colonel of the Royal Serbian Army, he was one of officers that staged the May Coup of 1903 against King Alexander I of Serbia.

Early life and career Mašin was the son of immigrants originally from Cerhenice in the Kingdom of Bohemia, who had settled in the Principality of Serbia in 1846, during the reign of Prince Alexander Karađorđević. His father, , was a skilled physician who worked at the Prince's court and always kept loyalty to the Karađorđević dynasty. He became aide-de-camp to the monarch.

The conspirators against the royal couple, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis, chose him as leader of the assault against the Royal Palace.

Participation in the May Coup On , according to plans finalized two days earlier by the conspirators, Mašin spent the afternoon at the Officers Club in Belgrade. The regiment surrounded the palace and waited for the arrival of a regiment led by another conspiracy officer. He participated in the second search of the palace that led to the discovery of the couple hidden in a secret chamber attached to the bedroom.

He ordered Lieutenant Vojislav Tankosić to assassinate Queen Draga's two younger brothers. Both were executed by firing squad at their division headquarters. During the interval between the first and the second search for the royal couple, he ordered the capture of members of the government, to prevent the aid to the couple and ensure the success of the coup.

Later career Immediately after the coup, Mašin was one of the conspirators who became part of the new provisional government, as Minister of Construction. He opposed the proclamation of a republic, which some conspirators argued for.

Between 1905 and 1906, he was acting Chief of the Serbian General Staff. He was one of the top 6 conspirators that the British demanded that they lose their public jobs to re-establish diplomatic relations.