In the western part of the Balkan Peninsula there is the ancient state of Montenegro, washed from the southwest by the waves of the Adriatic Sea. The country's history, summarized in this article, is an endless series of struggles for national sovereignty, which ended in 2006 with recognition of its independence.
The ancient state of Dukla
The history of Montenegro, preceding the 1st century BC. e., little studied. It is only known that the Illyrians, representatives of a very large group of Indo-European peoples, inhabited this region. In the 1st century BC e. the territory was conquered by Rome, which controlled it, until in the 4th century it collapsed under the invasion of barbarians.
Shortly after this, the process of settling the territory of present-day Montenegro by the Slavs begins. It was especially intense in the 7th century, and after 300 years in the Balkans and territories adjacent to the shores of the Adriatic, an independent Slavic state was formed, which was called Duklja. The inhabitants of the country had to constantly win their sovereignty in bloody and not always successful battles with foreigners.
Under the rule of Byzantium
On the life of Slavic tribes on the territory of modern Montenegro, information gathered from the records of the Byzantine emperor Konstantin Bagryanorodny (905-959) has been preserved. In them he talks about the peoples who inhabited the area and founded the cities of Skadar, Budva, Ulcinj and Kotor. Christianity in ancient Dukla established itself at the end of the 9th century, and came here from Byzantium just like in Russia.
In the XI century, Duklja and the entire territory of Serbia adjacent to it were captured by Byzantium, which was then in its highest prosperity, and carried out a broad colonial policy. The history of Montenegro from ancient times was full of dramatic events, but these years brought it a lot of blood, as the center of confrontation with the invaders moved from the interior of Serbia to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, and the main battles unfolded here.
The role of Prince Stefan Vojislav in the creation of the state
At that time, the most striking historical figure, who played an important role in the history of the principality of Dukl (future Montenegro), was its ruler Stefan Vojislav. In 1035, he led a popular uprising against the Byzantines, but having been defeated, he was captured and sent to Constantinople. However, despite all the difficulties, Stefan managed to escape from captivity, then, after a long journey, returned to Dukla and there again seized power in his hands.
Finally, in 1042, a decisive battle took place in the battle near the city of Bar, in which the Duklian army, created and led by Prince Stefan Vojislav, routed the Byzantines. This event put an end to foreign dominion, and served as the beginning of the creation of an independent Duklian state.
The heyday of the state, replaced by its decline
After the death of Stefan Vojislav, his son Mikhail inherited power, having managed to annex to his state significant territories that previously belonged to Serbia. He was the first of the Montenegrin rulers to be awarded the title of king, granted to him in 1077 by Pope Gregory VII.
From the chronicle records that have come down to us, it is known that the newly formed principality was divided into separate regions, at the head of each of which there was an elder called zupan. During the period when the government was ruled by King Konstantin Bodyan (1081-1099), it reached its highest peak and covered almost the entire territory of Serbia, including Bosnia, Raska and Zahumye. However, later the country plunged into an endless series of civil wars unleashed by local zhupans, and lost its former power.
The collapse of the once strong state
Starting from the XI century, the new name of the Duklian state, Zeta, begins to enter and gradually takes root. According to philologists, it came from the ancient word "reaper" and reflects the main direction of economic activity of its inhabitants.
At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, the history of Montenegro is once again entering a period of political and economic decline, which lasts throughout the next century. By this time, the once-powerful Zeta had weakened so much that it broke up into separate principalities (zhups), which fell under the control of Raska, shortly before that it was only a Serbian region that was part of the former state.
Cities that became history
Closely connected with these events is the history of Kotor (Montenegro) - a city located on the Adriatic Sea, and today it is a large administrative and tourist center. In 1186, after a siege of many days, he was captured by the troops of the Serbian prince Stefan Neman and annexed to Raska. To our days, the annals were told of his heroic defenders who died, but did not want to lay down their arms before the superior enemy forces.
In the XIII - XIV century, Kotor remained the largest city on the entire Adriatic coast, whose economic prosperity was built on trade with areas located in the central regions of Serbia. Then, the history of Budva (Montenegro), another large modern resort on the Adriatic, founded in the 9th century and mentioned in the records of Emperor Konstantin Bogryanorodny, reached a new level. Along with two other cities - Ulcinj and Bara - it became the leading center of shipbuilding and navigation of that era.
Having their own statutes - charters that determined the order of their lives, these cities enjoyed the rights of self-government, and they provided all the issues to the assembly - the parliaments, which included representatives of different classes.
Invasion of the Conquerors
In 1371, the Serbo-Greek kingdom, once created by Prince Stefan Neman and holding Zeta under his control, suddenly broke up, as a result of which the state that existed on the territory of present-day Montenegro received freedom for some time. However, in the late 1980s, cities on the Adriatic coast were invaded by the Turks, and after an unsuccessful battle in Kosovo in June 1389, most of the Zeta’s inland areas were ruled by the Ottoman Empire.
At the beginning of the next century, the history of Montenegro assumed an even more dramatic character. The Venetians joined the Turkish conquerors, capturing part of its coastal territories, which until then remained free. Over time, Venice ousted the Ottoman rulers from the lands they conquered, and in 1439 almost the entire Zeta was declared its protectorate, ruled by feudal lords from the Chernoyevich clan. It was during this period that the state was renamed, and got its current name Montenegro.
Ruled by the Ottoman Empire
However, the Ottoman Empire did not abandon its predatory intentions and soon made new attempts to attack. As a result of this, the history of Serbia and Montenegro for many years followed the path indicated by them from Istanbul. In 1499, the Turks conquered almost the entire Montenegrin territory, with the exception of several cities located on the coast of the Bay of Kotor.
Under the rule of the Turkish Sultan, Montenegro was transformed into an independent administrative unit called the Sanjak. Management in it was entrusted to the son of the former prince Ivan Chernoyevich, who converted to Islam and adopted the name Skender-run.
The new authorities imposed a tax on all residents of the country - filuria, the payment of which was a heavy burden for the Montenegrins impoverished during the war years. However, historians point out that the history of Montenegro is mainly connected with Ottoman rule, since there were almost no Turks in remote rural and, especially, mountainous areas.
Montenegrin national liberation struggle
The end of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII century marked the beginning of a broad liberation struggle against Turkish rule. One of its most striking episodes was the uprising that broke out in 1604 under the leadership of the governor of Grdan. In a battle near the city of Lushkopol, the rebels managed to defeat the troops of the Turkish governor. This victory gave an impetus to the movement, which over the next years covered the whole of Montenegro.
The history of the country during the XVII-XVIII centuries is a period of acute national liberation struggle, in which temporary victories were replaced by defeats that claimed the lives of thousands of Montenegrins. In their struggle, the inhabitants of the country relied heavily on the support of Venice, which had its possessions on the Adriatic coast and considered the Ottoman Empire as its potential adversary. When a war broke out between Turkey and Venice in 1645, the Montenegrins took advantage of this and, raising a revolt, tried to go under the Venetian protectorate, but this plan was not realized.
Independence
At the end of the 18th century, the national liberation struggle of the Montenegrins was led by Peter Negosh. He managed to become a spokesman for the national idea and, having rallied scattered clans around himself, freed most of the country from Ottoman tyranny. His follower Danilo Negosh led the thousands of militias, who won in 1858 near the city of Grahovets victory over the Turks, which resulted in the legal consolidation of the sovereignty of the country. The history of Montenegro from this moment began to develop on a completely different basis.
In the state, which for several centuries was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, a popular assembly was established - the Assembly. After the expulsion of the Turks, the territory of Montenegro expanded significantly due to the inclusion of the most fertile regions taken away earlier. The access to the sea was returned to her, and the adoption of the first Montenegrin Constitution became the crown of everything. However, by its status, it was still the hereditary principality of the Negoshi dynasty. Finally, Montenegro’s independence was declared at the 1878 Berlin Congress.
A Brief History of Montenegro in the 20th Century
The country began the new century with the proclamation of its kingdom, which followed in 1910. During the First World War, Montenegro took the side of the Entente and in 1916 was captured by the Austro-Hungarian army. Two years later, by the decision of the Great People’s Assembly, the monarchical dynasty of Negos was overthrown, and Montenegro united with Serbia.
During World War II, the territory of the country was occupied by Italian troops. Since 1945, Montenegro had the status of a federal republic, and in 2006 became an independent state.