The Montenegrin nobility (1852–1918) are notable people of the

Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro ( sr, Књажевина Црна Горa, Knjaževina Crna Gora) was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then ...

and the

Kingdom of Montenegro The Kingdom of Montenegro ( sr, Краљевина Црна Горa, Kraljevina Crna Gora) was a monarchy in southeastern Europe, present-day Montenegro, during the tumultuous period of time on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World ...

who hold titles such as ''Veliki Vojvoda'' (Grand Duke), ''Knez'' (Prince), ''Vojvoda'' (Duke), ''Serdar'' (Count), and ''

Guvernadur The title of guvernadur ("governor", Ital. ''governatore'') was used by the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro, initially as the diplomatic office between Montenegro and the Republic of Venice, and later evolved into the counterpart to the Metropoli ...

'' (Governor). The titles are hereditary or personal. Focusing on the Montenegrin nobility of the late 19th century surrounding the then recent secularization of the Principality under Danilo II and his court, excluding the older traditional clan nobility.

History

Historically the hereditary Metropolitans or Prince-Bishops of Montenegro ( theocratic rulers) had created a governing class that was somewhat similar to nobility in other countries.

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš Petar II Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyrl, Петар II Петровић-Његош, ; – ), commonly referred to simply as Njegoš (), was a Prince-Bishop (''vladika'') of Montenegro, poet and philosopher whose works are widely considered ...

issued a decree creating Prince Alexander Karađorđević (later Alexander I, Prince of Serbia between 1842-1858), the younger son of

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

, as ''Vojvoda'' (

Voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

). During this reign there were fourteen families with the rank of

Serdar Serdar may refer to * Serdar (given name) * Serdar (surname) * SERDAR, a stabilized remote-controlled Ukrainian weapon station * Serdar (city) in Turkmenistan, the capital of Serdar District * Serdar (Ottoman rank), a military and noble rank of t ...

, namely, Petrović-Njegoš, Vukotić, Đurašković, Martinović, Perović, Plamenatz, Drekalović, Mijušković, Bošković, Božović, Đulović, Medenica, Vlahović and Laketić. In the diploma creating Nikola Mihailov Vasojević a hereditary '' Knez'', Petar II signed the document in Cetinje as "Prince Petar Petrović-Njegoš, Vladika (Prince-Bishop) and Gospodar (Lord) of Montenegro and Brda". The diploma establishes a noble lineage for the new Prince Nikola Mihailov as a direct descendant of Prince Radonja of Holmia (Brda) (himself raised to the rank of Prince by Stephen Dušan "the Mighty", Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks, in 1346. The diploma is also a

grant of arms A grant of arms or a governmental issuance of arms are actions, by a lawful authority such as an officer of arms or State Herald, conferring on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or armorial bearings. ...

describing a

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

for the Princes of Holmia and their heirs. Rade Gvozdenović (1672-1750) was elevated to the rank of hereditary Knez (Prince) following his heroism at the Battle of Tsarev Laz (1712) by Prince-Bishop Danilo I (in which he was himself was wounded). King Nikola I Petrovic-Njegos, formerly Prince (reigning 1860-1921) deprived disloyal subjects from inheriting the titles of their ancestors;

Marko Miljanov Popović Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer. He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Monteneg ...

, having previously unified his own Kuči clan with Montenegro in 1874, following a fierce disagreement with Prince Nikola in 1882, had to resign the State Council and was deprived of his title of ''Vojvoda'' by Prince Nikola.

Legacy

The granting of titles has continued to the present day, under the ongoing ''fons honorum''. In 2001, Prince Nicholas II granted the title ''Veliki Vojvoda'' (Grand Voivode) of Grahovo and Zeta to his son, Prince Boris Petrović-Njegoš. Other members of the Royal family and persons close to the dynasty have also received titles of nobility.

Notable people

* Prince (Knez) Mirko Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, Grand Duke (Veliki Vojvoda) of Grahovo and Zeta (1879–1918) * Prince (Knez) Peter Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, Grand Duke (Veliki Vojvoda) of Zahumlije (1889–1932) * Prince (Knez) Boris Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, Grand Duke (Veliki Vojvoda) of Grahovo and Zeta (b. 1980) * Prince (Knez) Anto Gvozdenović (1853–1935), Prince of the Ćeklići clan * Prince (Knez) Pavle Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, Prince (Knez) of Raška (1910-1933) * Duke (Vojvode) Novica Cerović (1805-1895), Duke of the Drobnjak clan * Duke (Vojvode) Miloš Krivokapić (1819-1907), Duke of the

Cuce Cuce (Cyrillic: Цуце, ) is a historical tribe (''pleme'') and region in Montenegro, located in the area of the Katunska nahija from Old Montenegro. History The toponym ''Cuce'' is first mentioned in 1431 in documents from Kotor, then again ...

clan * Duke (Vojvode) Stanko Radonjić (1841-1889), Duke of the

Njeguši Njeguši ( cnr, Његуши) is a village in the Cetinje Municipality of southern Montenegro, located on the slopes of Mount Lovćen, within the Lovćen national park. It is part of the territory of Njeguši tribe. Demographics According to th ...

clan * Duke (Vojvode) Božo Petrović-Njegoš (1846-1929), Duke of the

clan, member of the Royal House * Duke (Vojvode) Miljan Vukov Vešović (1820-1886), Duke of the

Vasojevići The Vasojevići ( sh, Васојевићи, ) is a historical highland tribe (''pleme'') and region of Montenegro, in the area of the Brda. It is the largest of the historical tribes, occupying the area between Lijeva Rijeka in the South up to ...

tribe * Duke (Vojvode) Gavrilo Vuković (1852-1928), Duke of the

tribe, son of Duke Miljan * Count (Serdar) Janko Vukotić (1866–1927) * Count (Serdar) Milo Martinović

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montenegrin nobility (1852-1918) Principality of Montenegro Kingdom of Montenegro