Božo Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyrl, Божо Петровић-Његош; 1846−1929) was a Montenegrin '' vojvoda'' and politician. After taking command of the Southern Army in the Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1876–1878, he represented the

Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro () was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a Kingdom of Montenegro, kingdom by Nikola I of Montenegro, Nikola I, who then became King of M ...

at the

Congress of Berlin At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Rus ...

. He served as the head of government of Montenegro from 1879 to 1905.

Biography

Božo studied in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He returned to Montenegro following his studies. As cousin of Prince Nikola, Božo served as

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

from 1860 to 1871, when Nikola's first son

Danilo Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian. Notable people with the name Danilo include: Athletes Footballers * Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade * Danilo (footballer, born ...

was born. Božo was the commander of the Southern Army during the Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1876–1878. He had great success in the Battles of Medun and Trijebač. However, in his memoirs, '' vojvoda''

Ilija Plamenac Ilija Plamenac ( sr-cyrl, Илија Пламенац; 1821 – 6 March 1916) was a Montenegrin '' vojvoda'' and military commander during the Montenegrin–Ottoman Wars of 1862 and 1876–1878. After his victory in the key Battle of Fundina ...

claims he was the '' de facto'' leader of the Southern Army as Božo was too young and inexperienced. After the war, Božo was the Montenegrin representative at the

. He was a candidate for Prince of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

in 1879. After the Congress, Božo served as head of government for more than 25 years. First as President of the Senate, and after that as President of the Council of State from 1879 to 1905. Božo was also the first president of the Montenegrin Great Court, after it was instituted in 1879, and he served there until 1882. He retired from politics with the proclamation of the liberal 1905 Constitution of Montenegro. In 1915, he was made governor of

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...

and

Malësia Malësia e Madhe ("Great Highlands"), known simply as Malësia (, ), is a historical and ethnographic region in northern Albania and eastern central Montenegro corresponding to the highlands of the geographical subdivision of the Malësi e Madhe ...

following their occupation in World War I. Božo was jailed in December 1918 during the events that led to the

creation of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia was a State (polity), state concept among the South Slavs, South Slavic intelligentsia and later popular masses from the 19th to early 20th centuries that culminated in its realization after the 1918 collapse of Austria-Hungary at th ...

. He was arrested near

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

with his two younger brothers, general Đuro Petrović and former district councilor Marko Petrović. All three were interned in

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

. Božo and Marko were released after almost one year, and were later interned in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. General Đuro was kept in Podgorica where he suffered from

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens (anatomy), lens of the eye that leads to a visual impairment, decrease in vision of the eye. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry or ...

. He died in 1929 and is buried in the Church of St. Sava graveyard in Erakovići, near

Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...

References

External links

1846 births 1929 deaths Montenegrin generals Politicians from Cetinje Petrović-Njegoš dynasty Prime ministers of Montenegro People from the Principality of Montenegro Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches Military personnel from Cetinje {{Montenegro-politician-stub