The Montenegrin–Ottoman War ( sr-Cyrl, Црногорско-турски рат, Crnogorsko-turski rat, "Montenegrin-Turkish War"), also known in Montenegro as the Great War (, ''Velji rat''), was fought between 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
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
between 1876 and 1878. The war ended with Montenegrin victory and Ottoman defeat in the larger
Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. Six major and 27 smaller battles were fought, among which was the crucial
Battle of Vučji Do
The Battle of Vučji Do ( sr-cyr, Битка код Вучјег дола) was a major battle of the Montenegrin-Ottoman War of 1876-78 that took place on 18 July 1876 in Vučji Do, Montenegro, fought between the combined forces of Montenegr ...
.
A
rebellion in nearby Herzegovina sparked a series of rebellions and uprisings against the Ottomans in Europe. Montenegro and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
agreed to declare a war on the Ottomans on 18 June 1876. The Montenegrins allied themselves with Herzegovians. One battle that was crucial to Montenegro's victory in the war was the
Battle of Vučji Do
The Battle of Vučji Do ( sr-cyr, Битка код Вучјег дола) was a major battle of the Montenegrin-Ottoman War of 1876-78 that took place on 18 July 1876 in Vučji Do, Montenegro, fought between the combined forces of Montenegr ...
. In 1877, Montenegrins fought heavy battles along the borders of
Herzegovina
Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geogra ...
and
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
.
Prince Nicholas
Nicholas Teo () is a Malaysian Chinese singer under Good Tengz Entertainment Sdn Bhd. (Malaysia)
Career
Pre debut
Before returning to Malaysia, Nicholas was studying in Taiwan, where he won the Best Singer in a competition among all the Tai ...
took the initiative and counterattacked the Ottoman forces that were coming from the north, south and west. He conquered
Nikšić
Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
(24 September 1877),
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
(10 January 1878),
Ulcinj
Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast ...
(20 January 1878),
Grmožur
Grmožur ( cnr, Грможур) is a fortified islet in Lake Skadar, located near the village of Godinje, in the Montenegrin municipality of Bar. The island was nicknamed the Island of Snakes by the local population, and the Island of Birds by or ...
(26 January 1878) and
Vranjina
Vranjina ( cnr, Врањина) is a settlement, island, and a hill in Lake Skadar, in the Montenegrin municipality of Podgorica. Until the first half of the 18th century, Vranjina like other islands of Skadar lake, was one of the hills in the Ze ...
and Lesendro (30 January 1878).
The war ended when the Ottomans signed a truce with the Montenegrins at
Edirne
Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...
on 13 January 1878. The advancement of Russian forces toward the Ottomans forced the Ottomans to sign a
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring ...
on 3 March 1878, recognising the independence of Montenegro, as well as
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and Serbia, and also increased Montenegro's territory from 4,405 km² to 9,475 km². Montenegro also gained the towns of
Nikšić
Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
,
Kolašin
Kolašin (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Колашин, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census). Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality (population 9,949) and an unofficial centre of Morača region, named af ...
,
Spuž
Spuž ( cnr, Спуж) is a small town seated near Zeta river, within the municipality of Danilovgrad in the central Montenegrin region.
Overview
It is located halfway between Podgorica and Danilovgrad, in the Bjelopavlići valley. It was part o ...
,
Podgorica
Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
,
Žabljak
Žabljak (Serbian / Montenegrin: Жабљак, ) is a small town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 1,723.
Žabljak is the seat of Žabljak Municipality (2011 population: 3,569). The town is in the centre of the Durmitor mountain ...
,
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
, as well as access to the sea.
Background
In October 1874, an influential Ottoman statesman, Jusuf-beg Mučin Krnjić, was murdered in Podgorica, which at the time was an Ottoman town near the border with Montenegro. It is believed that he had been killed by a close relative of
vojvoda Marko Miljanov
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 ...
, a Montenegrin general who also, most likely, instigated the assassination. As a consequence, the Ottomans launched an action of retaliation against the local population and Montenegrin citizens present at the
farmers' market
A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
in Podgorica, modern-day capital of Montenegro. It is estimated that 17 unarmed Montenegrins had been killed. This event is known as the "Podgorica's slaughter" (''Podgorički pokolj''). It resulted in bad relations between Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire, which further deteriorated with the outbreak of the
uprising in Herzegovina (1875). Montenegro conducted the uprising, providing the rebels with military and financial aid and representing their interests to the
Porte
Porte may refer to:
*Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire
*Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy
*John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator
*Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...
. Montenegro requested that part of Herzegovina be handed over to the Montenegrins, but the Porte declined. Because of this, Montenegro declared war on 18 June 1876 (30 June), immediately followed by its foremost ally, the
Principality of Serbia
The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was ...
.
War
In the beginning of the war, when Miljanov arrived at Kuči, at the Ottoman frontier, the Kuči revolted and attacked the Ottomans.
The Pasha filled
Medun
Medun ( cnr, Медун) is a settlement located 13 km northeast of the capital Podgorica, Montenegro. The village houses the archaeological site of the ancient fortified city of ''Medeon''. It is situated in the tribal area of Upper Ku ...
and other small forts, Fundina,
Koći
Koći ( cyrl, Коћи; sq, Kojë) is a village in the municipality of Tuzi, Montenegro, near the border with Albania. The village is inhabited by ethnic Albanians of the Roman Catholic faith.
Geography
Koći lies east of the capital Podgorica, ...
,
Zatrijebač and Orahovo with soldiers.
The
Piperi and
Kuči tribes together attacked Koći, killing a small part, while they found Ottomans in
tower houses
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
whom they wanted to destroy with
wooden cannons.
An epic poem about the war tells how Abdi Pasha the Cherkessian with 20,000 soldiers of the
sanjak of Scutari
The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra ( sq, Sanxhaku i Shkodrës; sr, Скадарски санџак; tr, İskenderiye Sancağı or ''İşkodra Sancağı'') was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Otto ...
was sent by the sultan to attack the Kuči and Piperi.
The poem tells how part of the army advanced on Koći and then fought in Zatrijebač and Fundina.
In the Montenegrin-Ottoman war, the Montenegrin army managed to capture certain areas and settlements along the border, while encountering strong resistance from Albanians in
Ulcinj
Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast ...
, and a combined Albanian-Ottoman force in the Podgorica-Spuž and
Gusinje
Gusinje ( cyrl, Гусиње, ; sq, Gucia) is a small town in north-eastern Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality.
Name
Two alternative etymologies ...
-
Plav regions.
As such, Montenegro’s territorial gains were much smaller. Some Muslims and the Albanian population who lived near the then southern border were expelled from the towns of
Podgorica
Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
and
Spuž
Spuž ( cnr, Спуж) is a small town seated near Zeta river, within the municipality of Danilovgrad in the central Montenegrin region.
Overview
It is located halfway between Podgorica and Danilovgrad, in the Bjelopavlići valley. It was part o ...
.
[ "What one sees over the course of the first ten years after Berlin was a gradual process of Montenegrin (Slav) expansion into areas that were still exclusively populated by Albanian-speakers. In many ways, some of these affected communities represented extensions of those in the Malisorë as they traded with one another throughout the year and even inter-married. Cetinje, eager to sustain some sense of territorial and cultural continuity, began to monitor these territories more closely, impose customs officials in the villages, and garrison troops along the frontiers. This was possible because, by the late 1880s, Cetinje had received large numbers of migrant Slavs from Austrian-occupied Herzegovina, helping to shift the balance of local power in Cetinje's favor. As more migrants arrived, what had been a quiet boundary region for the first few years, became the center of colonization and forced expulsion." ; p.254. footnote 38. "It must be noted that, throughout the second half of 1878 and the first two months of 1879, the majority of Albanian-speaking residents of Shpuza and Podgoritza, also ceded to Montenegro by Berlin, were resisting en masse. The result of the transfer of Podgoritza (and Antivari on the coast) was a flood of refugees. See, for instance, AQSH E143.D.1054.f.1 for a letter (dated 12 May 1879) to Dervish Pasha, military commander in Işkodra, detailing the flight of Muslims and Catholics from Podgoritza."] These populations resettled in Shkodër city and its environs.
Notable battles
*
Battle of Vučji Do
The Battle of Vučji Do ( sr-cyr, Битка код Вучјег дола) was a major battle of the Montenegrin-Ottoman War of 1876-78 that took place on 18 July 1876 in Vučji Do, Montenegro, fought between the combined forces of Montenegr ...
(18 July 1876)
*
Battle of Fundina (2 August 1876)
See also
*
Battles for Plav and Gusinje (1879–1880)
*
Expulsion of the Albanians, 1877–1878
The Expulsion of Albanians 1877–1878 refers to events of forced migration of Albanian populations from areas that became incorporated into the Principality of Serbia and Principality of Montenegro in 1878. These wars, alongside the larger Ru ...
*
Herzegovina uprising (1875–1877)
The Herzegovina uprising ( sr, Херцеговачки устанак, Hercegovački ustanak) was an uprising led by Christian Serb population, against the Ottoman Empire, firstly and predominantly in Herzegovina (hence its name), from wher ...
*
Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–1853)
*
Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–1862)
The Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–1862) was a war between the Principality of Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire that took place between 1861 and 1862. The war ended and Montenegro had to acknowledge Ottoman suzerainty.
In 1861 Montenegro enc ...
*
Serbian–Ottoman Wars (1876–1878)
The Serbian–Ottoman Wars ( sr, Српско-османски ратови, Srpsko-osmanski ratovi), also known as the Serbian–Turkish Wars or Serbian Wars for Independence (), were two consequent wars (1876–1877 and 1877–1878), fought ...
*
Yugoslavism
Yugoslavism, Yugoslavdom, or Yugoslav nationalism is an ideology supporting the notion that the South Slavs, namely the Bosniaks, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs and Slovenes, but also Bulgarians, belong to a single Yugoslav nation ...
References
Sources
*
*Спиридон Гопчевић, „Црногорско-турски рат 1876. до 1878. године". Београд 1963
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montenegrin-Ottoman War (1876-78)
Conflicts in 1876
Conflicts in 1877
Conflicts in 1878
Wars involving the Ottoman Empire
Wars involving Montenegro
1870s in Montenegro
1870s in the Ottoman Empire
1876 in Europe
1877 in Europe
1878 in Europe
Great Eastern Crisis