The Modern Serbian State (1804–1918)
The long nineteenth century of Serbian state-building — from the First Serbian Uprising under Karađorđe through the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia to the founding of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918.
The First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813) and Second Serbian Uprising (1815) led to the gradual establishment of an autonomous, and eventually independent, Serbian state. The competing dynasties of Karađorđević and Obrenović alternated on the throne through the nineteenth century, shaping the institutions, constitution, and external alliances of the country.
Independence and the kingdom
Full independence came at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. Serbia was elevated to a kingdom in 1882. The early twentieth century saw the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), heavy involvement in the First World War, and the proclamation in 1918 of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes — later renamed Yugoslavia.