Kingdom of Montenegro
Encyclopedia
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a relatively recent political designation for the states of the Balkans. Writers such as Maria Todorova and Vesna Goldsworthy have suggested the use of the term Southeastern Europe to replace the word Balkans for the region, to minimize potential...
during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, but absolutist
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
in practice. On November 26, 1918 Montenegro was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes following the country's annexation by the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
.
History
The Kingdom of Montenegro was proclaimed by Nicholas INicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
in Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
, on 28 August 1910. Nicholas I, which had ruled the country as Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
since 1860, initiated several modernizing reforms in the beginning of the 20th century such as introducing a constitution and a new currency, the Montenegrin perper
Montenegrin Perper
The perper was the currency of Montenegro between 1906 and 1918. The name was adopted in accordance to the earlier Serbian perper, the currency of the Serbian Empire, which the Princedom, later Kingdom of Montenegro, consider itself a successor...
.
Montenegro enthustiastically joined the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
in 1912, hoping to get a share in the last Ottoman-controlled areas of Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
. At first, Montenegro did make further territorial gains by splitting Sandžak
Sandžak
Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...
with Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
on 30 May 1913. Later though, the newly-captured city of Skadar had to be given up to the new state of Albania
Provisional Government of Albania
The Provisional Government of Albania is the first Government created by Assembly of Vlorë in 4 December 1912. It was a paternal government, led by Ismail Qemali, until his resignation in 22 January 1914 and by Fejzi Bej Alizoti, until the coronation of William, Prince of Albania.- Government...
at the insistence of the Great Powers despite the Montenegrins having invested 10,000 lives into the capture of the town from the Ottoman-Albanian forces of Esad Pasha.
When, in 1913 after the war, conflict broke out between Bulgaria and Serbia, it was natural for King Nicholas to side with Serbia and once again Montenegro was tossed into war, in which Montenegro indeed was granted substantial additional territory.
During the Great War, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
was allied with the Triple Entente
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
, in line with King Nicholas' pro-Serbian policy. From 15 January, 1916 to October 1918, the country was occupied by Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
.
On 20 July 1917, the Corfu Declaration
Corfu Declaration
The Corfu Declaration is the agreement that made the creation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia possible. In 1916, the Serbian Parliament in exile decided the creation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia at a meeting inside the Municipal Theatre of Corfu, Greece...
was signed; it declared the unification of Montenegro with Serbia. On 26 November 1918, Montenegrin unification with Serbia was proclaimed. Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
was a staunch supporter of unification with Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
to form a great Serbian state for all Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
but was in conflict with the the kings of Serbia concerning who would be the ruler of the new kingdom. Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
was eventually dethroned and exiled.
Nominally, a later Kingdom of Montenegro existed during World War II. In reality, the area was under Italian and then German control, and there was no monarch, with all candidates having refused the crown. Italian-appointed governors ruled this puppet state from 1941 through 1943, and when Italy withdrew, the region came under direct control by German troops. Yugoslav Partisans under Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
took control in December 1944, terminating the ostensible second Kingdom of Montenegro.
Pretenders (1918–Present)
- Nicholas I of MontenegroNicholas I of MontenegroNikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
(1918–1921) - Danilo, Crown Prince of MontenegroDanilo, Crown Prince of MontenegroDanilo Aleksandar Petrović-Njegoš was the Crown Prince of Montenegro. He was eldest of the son of King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro and Queen Milena Vukotić. During the Balkan Wars and World War I he led the Montenegrin Army with his father, King Nicholas I of Montenegro, Janko Vukotić,...
(Danilo III) (1921) - Michael, Prince of Montenegro (Michael I) (1921–1986)
- Prince Nicholas of Montenegro (Nicholas II) (1986–Present)
- Boris of Montenegro (Heir apparent) (born 1980)
Prime Ministers
- Lazar Tomanović (1910–1912)
- Mitar Martinović (1912–1913)
- Janko VukotićJanko VukoticJanko Vukotić, was a Serbian General, Serdar and Voivode from Montenegro in the Balkan Wars and World War I. He served as Montenegro's Minister of Defence in periods 1905-1907, 1911–1912 and 1913–1915 and as the Prime Minister of Montenegro 1913-1915...
(1913–1915) - Milo Matanović (1915–1916)
Prime Ministers-in-exile
- Lazar Mijušković (1916)
- Andrija RadovićAndrija RadovicAndrija Radović was a Montenegrin and Yugoslavian politician & statesmen, former Prime Minister and leader of the People's and then Democratic Party, fighter for parliamentary democracy and chief proponent of Montenegro's unification with Serbia.-Youth:Andrija Radović was born to father Jagoš in...
(1916–1917) - Milo Matanović (1917)
- Evgenije PopovićEvgenije PopovicEvgenije Popović was a Montenegrin statesmen, journalist, diplomat, politician, writer and editor....
(1917–1919) - Jovan PlamenacJovan PlamenacJovan Simonov Plamenac was a Montenegrin politician.Starting out as a prominent leader of the True People's Party in the Principality of Montenegro, state that would soon transform into a kingdom, Plamenac was a staunch supporter of the country's monarch Prince Nikola Petrović-Njegoš who changed...
(1919–1921) - Anto GvozdenovićAnto GvozdenovicAnto Gvozdenović was a Montenegrin, Russian, and French general, a member of the Imperial Russian Privy Council, and a diplomat and statesman...
(1921–1922) - Milutin VučinićMilutin VucinicMilutin Mijajlov Vučinić was a Montenegrin soldier and politician.-Biography:...
(1922) - Anto GvozdenovićAnto GvozdenovicAnto Gvozdenović was a Montenegrin, Russian, and French general, a member of the Imperial Russian Privy Council, and a diplomat and statesman...
(1922)
External links
- Kingdom of Montenegro in 1918
- Map
- Map
- Montenegro - World Statesmen
