Principality of Montenegro
Montenegro, 1852–1910. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Principality of Montenegro was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. The Principality was formed on 13 March 1852 when Vladika Danilo II decided to renounce ecclesiastical status, married, and secularized his realm. The first Montenegrin constitution was proclaimed in 1855, known as Danilo's Code. Under a peace treaty signed on 3 March 1878, Constantinople recognised the independence of Montenegro, as well as Romania and Serbia, and Montenegro's territory increased from 4,405 km2 to 9,475 km2.
Seat of power: Cetinje
Rulers
Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro
Head of state, 1851–1860
Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš was the monarch of Montenegro from 1851 to 1860, ruling as the last Prince-Bishop from 1851 to 1852 as Danilo II and as the first secular Prince from 1852 to 1860. He became involved in a war with the Ottoman Empire in 1852, the Porte claiming jurisdiction in Montenegro, and the boundaries between the two countries were not defined until 1858. Danilo, with the help of his elder brother, Voivode Mirko, defeated the Ottomans at Ostrog in 1853 and in the Battle of Grahovac in 1858.
Portrait of Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro: Johann Böss, Public domain, file
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Head of state, 1860–1910
Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš was the last monarch of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as prince from 1860 to 1910 and as the country's first and only king from 1910 to 1918. After the assassination of Danilo I on 13 August 1860, Nikola I, the nephew of Danilo, became the next ruler of Montenegro. Montenegro was recognized by the Ottoman Empire at the Treaty of Berlin (1878).
Portrait of Nicholas I of Montenegro: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- The capital was Cetinje and the Montenegrin perper was used as the state currency from 1906.
- Modernization of the state followed, culminating with the draft of a Constitution in 1905.
Picture
Cetinje was founded in 1482, when Ivan Crnojević moved his capital from Obod above the Crnojević River to deeper into the hills.
Image: photo by Darko Bulatovic, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
- Principality of Montenegro (Wikipedia)
- Principality of Montenegro (Wikidata)
- About the picture (Wikipedia)
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.