Prince Mirko of Montenegro
Encyclopedia
Prince Mirko Dimitri Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, Grand Voivode of Grahovo and Zetà (17 April 1879 – 2 March 1918) was born at Cetinje
, the second son of King Nicholas I of Montenegro
and Milena Vukotic
. Prince Mirko predeceased his father and his elder brother Crown Prince Danilo
.
, Prince Mirko married Natalija Konstantinović
(Trieste
, 10 October 1882 - Paris
, 21 August 1950), daughter of Alexander Konstantinović and wife Milena Opuić, paternal granddaughter of Aleksandar Konstantinović and (m. 1842) Princess Anka Obrenović
(1 April 1821 - murdered, Belgrade
, 10 June 1868), daughter of Jevrem Obrenović (1790 - 20 September 1856), younger brother of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia
, and wife (m. 1816) Thomanija Bogicević (1796 - 13 June 1881).
The couple had five sons before divorcing in 1917:
Their eldest surviving son Prince Michael of Montenegro, succeeded Mirko in the Montenegrin royal succession
and would become head of the House of Petrović-Njegoš
and pretender to the Montenegrin throne.
, it was agreed with the Serbian Government that Prince Mirko would be proclaimed Crown Prince of Serbia in the event that the marriage of King Aleksandar Obrenović
and Queen Draga
was childless.
Mirko lost his chance to succeed to the Serbian throne in 1903, due to the assassination of Alexander and Draga
and the resulting conferral of the crown upon Peter Karađorđević
,his brother-in-law. However in 1911 he joined the Black Hand
"Unity or Death" secret society which sought the unification of all Serbs
in the Balkans, especially those under Austria-Hungary
, and was determined to become the society's unified leader.
to Vienna
where he died in 1918. Following his death, his ten year old son Prince Michael of Montenegro
was raised in Paris
by his mother and the residual members of the exiled Montenegrin Royal Family. In 1921 following the death of King Nikola I of Montenegro
and shortly afterwards by the abdication
of Crown Prince Danilo
, the thirteen year old Prince Michael of Montenegro
became the head of the Petrović-Njegoš house, albeit initially under a regency.
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...
, the second son of King Nicholas I of Montenegro
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...
and Milena Vukotic
Milena Vukotic
Milena Vukotic is a former ballerina and a stage, television, and film actress.Vukotic was born in Rome, to a Serbian Montenegrian comediographer father and an Italian pianist/composer mother....
. Prince Mirko predeceased his father and his elder brother Crown Prince Danilo
Danilo, Crown Prince of Montenegro
Danilo 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,...
.
Marriage
On 25 July 1902, in CetinjeCetinje
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...
, Prince Mirko married Natalija Konstantinović
Natalija Konstantinović
Natalija Konstantinović was a Princess of Montenegro as the wife of Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš. The couple had five sons; however, two died in early childhood. They divorced in 1917, a year after the royal family was forced to flee the kingdom...
(Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, 10 October 1882 - Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 21 August 1950), daughter of Alexander Konstantinović and wife Milena Opuić, paternal granddaughter of Aleksandar Konstantinović and (m. 1842) Princess Anka Obrenović
Princess Anka Obrenović
Princess Anka Obrenović was a member of the Serbian royal Obrenović dynasty as the niece of the dynasty's founder Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia. She was also a society leader and writer whose translations in 1836 were the first literary works compiled by a woman to be published in Serbia...
(1 April 1821 - murdered, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, 10 June 1868), daughter of Jevrem Obrenović (1790 - 20 September 1856), younger brother of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia
Miloš Obrenovic I, Prince of Serbia
Miloš Obrenović was Prince of Serbia from 1815 to 1839, and again from 1858 to 1860. He participated in the First Serbian Uprising, led Serbs in the Second Serbian Uprising, and founded the House of Obrenović...
, and wife (m. 1816) Thomanija Bogicević (1796 - 13 June 1881).
The couple had five sons before divorcing in 1917:
- Prince Šćepac (Stephan) (27 August 1903, CetinjeCetinjeCetinje , 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...
- 15 March 1908, CannesCannesCannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
) - Prince Stanislaw (30 January 1905, CetinjeCetinjeCetinje , 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...
- 4 January 1908, KotorKotorKotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
) - Prince MichaelPrince Michael of MontenegroPrince Michael Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro was the third son of Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, Grand Voivode of Grahovo and Zeta , and Natalija Konstantinovic, a cousin of Aleksandar Obrenović of Serbia...
(1908–1986) - Prince Pavle (Paul) (16 May 1910, PodgoricaPodgoricaPodgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
- June 1933) - Prince Emmanuel (10 June 1912, CetinjeCetinjeCetinje , 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...
- 26 March 1928, BiarritzBiarritzBiarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
).
Their eldest surviving son Prince Michael of Montenegro, succeeded Mirko in the Montenegrin royal succession
Line of succession to the Montenegrin Throne
The monarchy in Montenegro came to an end in 1918 when the illegal Podgorica Assembly voted to unite Montenegro with the Kingdom of Serbia under the Serbian dynasty. The current pretender and head of the Royal house is Prince Nicholas of Montenegro, who is the great grandson of the last King,...
and would become head of the House of Petrović-Njegoš
House of Petrovic-Njegoš
The House of Petrović-Njegoš was the Royal House of Montenegro from 1696 to 1918. Montenegro had enjoyed de facto independence from the Ottoman Empire from 1711 but only received formal international recognition as an independent principality in 1878.Montenegro was ruled from inception by...
and pretender to the Montenegrin throne.
Serbian throne
As Prince Mirko's wife was the granddaughter of Alexander Constantinović, who had married in 1842 Anka (Anna) Obrenovic, a member of the Serbian House of ObrenovićHouse of Obrenovic
The House of Obrenović was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor Miloš Obrenović in the Second Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which led to the formation of the Principality of...
, it was agreed with the Serbian Government that Prince Mirko would be proclaimed Crown Prince of Serbia in the event that the marriage of King Aleksandar Obrenović
Aleksandar Obrenovic
Not to be confused with Alexander I of Yugoslavia.Alexander I or Aleksandar Obrenović was king of Serbia from 1889 to 1903 when he and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated by a group of Army officers, led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević-Accession:In 1889 Alexander's father, King Milan,...
and Queen Draga
Queen Draga
Draga Obrenović , also known as Queen Draga, was the queen and wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović of the Kingdom of Serbia...
was childless.
Mirko lost his chance to succeed to the Serbian throne in 1903, due to the assassination of Alexander and Draga
May Overthrow
The May Overthrow was a 1903 coup d'état in which the Serbian King Alexander Obrenović and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated inside the Royal Palace in Belgrade on the night between 28 and 29 May 1903 by the Julian calendar...
and the resulting conferral of the crown upon Peter Karađorđević
Peter I of Yugoslavia
Peter I , was the King of Serbia from 1903 to 1918, and subsequently the ruler of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes . He was a member of the Royal House of Karađorđević...
,his brother-in-law. However in 1911 he joined the Black Hand
Black Hand
Unification or Death , unofficially known as the Black Hand , was a secret military society formed by members of the Serbian army in the Kingdom of Serbia, which was founded on September 6, 1901. It was intent on uniting all of the territories containing significant Serb populations annexed by...
"Unity or Death" secret society which sought the unification of 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...
in the Balkans, especially those under 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...
, and was determined to become the society's unified leader.
Death
Mirko divorced his wife in 1917 and moved from ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
where he died in 1918. Following his death, his ten year old son Prince Michael of Montenegro
Prince Michael of Montenegro
Prince Michael Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro was the third son of Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, Grand Voivode of Grahovo and Zeta , and Natalija Konstantinovic, a cousin of Aleksandar Obrenović of Serbia...
was raised in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by his mother and the residual members of the exiled Montenegrin Royal Family. In 1921 following the death of King Nikola I of Montenegro
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...
and shortly afterwards by the abdication
Abdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
of Crown Prince Danilo
Danilo, Crown Prince of Montenegro
Danilo 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,...
, the thirteen year old Prince Michael of Montenegro
Prince Michael of Montenegro
Prince Michael Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro was the third son of Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, Grand Voivode of Grahovo and Zeta , and Natalija Konstantinovic, a cousin of Aleksandar Obrenović of Serbia...
became the head of the Petrović-Njegoš house, albeit initially under a regency.