Nikodije Lunjevica

Nikodije Lunjevica (; 1881 –) was a cavalry lieutenant of the Royal Serbian Army and a brother of Draga Mašin, the Queen consort of King Aleksandar Obrenović of the Kingdom of Serbia.

Biography

Family Nikodije was born in 1881 in Gornji Milanovac, then part of the Principality of Serbia. He was the second son of Panta Lunjevica, a prefect of the Aranđelovac area, and his wife Anđelija (née Koljević). Nikodije was one of seven siblings. He had a brother , and four sisters, Draga, Hristina, Đina and . Nikodije's mother was a dipsomaniac and his father died in a lunatic asylum. Nikodije was the grandson of Nikola Lunjevica, a relative of Princess Ljubica of Serbia and a close comrade of her husband Prince Miloš.

Military and political advancement After the marriage of his sister Draga to King Alexander Obrenović, Nikodije and his brother Nikola were quickly promoted through the officer ranks of the Serbian Army. Serving in the cavalry, both brothers were known for their arrogant behaviour towards other officers. As King Alexander and Queen Draga had no heirs, Nikodije was considered the potential heir to the Serbian throne, while it is also considered that Draga's sole thought was "in what way will she use the influence she had on the young King, to be able to hand over Serbia to the despotic rage of her brother". Nikodije was almost always with the royal couple, and was occasionally addressed by courtiers as "Your Highness", even in the presence of King Alexander.

Death During the night of the May Coup (10-11 June 1903), both Alexander and Draga were murdered in the royal palace in Belgrade by Serbian army officers. Almost immediately afterwards, both Lunjevica brothers were seized and shot by soldiers at the orders of Nikodije's former classmate Vojislav Tankosić. Because of all the previous humiliations of the army and the people, from the moment of the arrest until the execution, Tankosić addressed Nikodije and Nikola ironically with "Your Highness".

The coup and Alexander's assassination brought an end to the Obrenović dynasty.

Lunjevica, along with his family, is buried in the Vujan Monastery.

Portrayal Nikodije Lunjevica was played by Aleksandar Srećković in the 1995 Serbian mini-series The End of the Obrenović Dynasty.