Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dealing with the Great Powers
Napoleon appeared in 1797 claiming Venice's Adriatic territories, thus removing
Montenegro's main rival for power in the Adriatic. The years to come saw Napoleon
tangling with the Montenegrins, British and Austrians in the Adriatic. The Montenegrins
operated with military support from the Russians and briefly captured Herceg Novi, a
long-hoped-for Adriatic coastal town, but in the aftermath they were forced to abandon it
due to diplomatic horse-trading.
In 1830 Petar II Petrović Njegoš became
vladika
upon the death of his uncle. Two
meters tall, Njegoš fulfilled the requirement that the
vladika
be striking, handsome and
dashing. Njegoš made further unsuccessful attempts to gain access to the sea, but in other
aspects of nation-building he was more successful. He increased the role of government
and developed a system of taxation for Montenegro. He also canonised his predecessor
Petar I, thus bringing a saintly aspect to the role of
vladika,
in emulation of the saintly
kings of medieval Serbia.
Njegoš made the now traditional trip to St Petersburg in search of military and monetary
support from the Russian tsars and set about modernising his nation, which was primitive
and undeveloped. Succeeding Petrović rulers continued the process of modernisation, al-
beit gradually. Danilo came to power in 1851 and promptly declared himself prince, thus
bringing an end to the ecclesiastical position of
vladika
as leader of the Montenegrins. In
1855 he won a great victory over the Ottomans at Grahovo and he skilfully steered a
course between the interests of the Great Powers - Austria-Hungary, Russia, France and
Britain - all of whom had designs on Montenegro and the broader Balkan region.
Nikola, who became prince after Danilo, pressed on with a road-building program and
introduced the telegraph to Montenegro. He was also responsible for founding a school for
girls in Cetinje, the first-ever such institution in Montenegro. During the 1860s Nikola es-
tablished contact with Mihailo Obrenović, ruler of the Serbian principality (by then de
facto independent from the Ottoman rule). The two leaders signed an agreement to liberate
their peoples and create a single state. Most significantly, Nikola reorganised the
Montenegrin army into a modern fighting force.
Elizabeth Roberts' lively and detailed history of Montenegro,
Realm of the Black Mountain,
is a must for any-
one interested in the goings-on of this fascinating country.
