Miroslav Spalajković

Miroslav Spalajković(18 April 1869 – 4 February 1951) was aSerbiandiplomat, best known for his actions as theenvoyto theRussian EmpireinSaint Petersburgduring theJuly Crisisof the summer of 1914. An outspoken opponent ofAustria-Hungary,Spalajković's public statements to Russian media denied any Serbian culpability in theassassinationofArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austriaand his reports back to the Serbian government guaranteed Russian military support. While TsarNicholas IIand much of the Russian leadership was committed to Serbian autonomy,no Russian leader actually guaranteed Spalajković or Serbia of Russian military support during the July Crisis.Spalajković's optimistic telegrams, largely based on public demonstrations and uncorroborated discussion, reassured the Serbian government that they could risk an Austro-Hungarian military attack.Without Spalajković's guarantee of Russian support, some historians argue that Serbian Prime MinisterNikola Pašićwould have ultimately yielded to Austrian demands,thereby avoiding the sequence of events that led to theFirst World War.

His Excellency Miroslav Spalajković
Envoy of the Kingdom of Serbia to the Russian Empire
In office 1913–1919
Envoy of the Kingdom of Serbia to the Kingdom of Bulgaria
In office 1911–1913
Personal details
Born	18 April 1869 Kragujevac,Principality of Serbia
Died	4 February 1951(1951-02-04)(aged 81) Sèvres,France
Relatives	Son-in-law of Bosnian-Serb political leaderGligorije Jeftanović,brother-in-law of future Yugoslavian Prime MinisterMilan Srškić(1932-1934)
Alma mater	University of Paris
Occupation	Diplomat

In 1922, he was appointed ambassador of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to France and remained stationed in Paris until 1935.

References

• Bajin, Zoran (2016)."Miroslav Spalajković, the Serbian Minister in Russia in the July Crisis of 1914".Balcanica.47:217–248.doi:10.2298/BALC1647217B.