Prince Mirko Dimitri Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro ( sr-Cyrl, Мирко Петровић-Његош; 17 April 1879 – 2 March 1918) was born in

Cetinje Cetinje (, ) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (''prijestonica'' / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro ...

, the second son of King

Nicholas I of Montenegro Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyr, Никола I Петровић-Његош; – 1 March 1921) was the last monarch of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as prince from 1860 to 1910 and as the country's first and only king from 1910 to 19 ...

and Milena Vukotić. Prince Mirko predeceased his father and his elder brother Crown Prince Danilo.

Marriage

On 25 July 1902, in

, Prince Mirko married

Natalija Konstantinović Natalija Konstantinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Наталија Константиновић; 10 October 1882 – 21 August 1950) was a Princess of Montenegro as the wife of Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš. The couple had five sons; however, two died ...

(10 October 1882 in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

– 21 August 1950 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

), daughter of Alexander Konstantinović and wife Milena Opuić, paternal granddaughter of Aleksandar Konstantinović and wife (1842)

Princess Anka Obrenović Princess Anka Obrenović (later Anka Konstantinović, sr-Cyrl, Анка Обреновић; 1 April 1821 – 10 June 1868 Old_Style.html"_;"title="9_May_Old_Style">o.s._was_a_member_of_the_Serbian_royal_House_of_Obrenovic.html" "title="Old_Sty ...

(1 April 1821 – murdered,

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, 10 June 1868), daughter of

Jevrem Obrenović Prince Jevrem Teodorović Obrenović (18 March 1790 - 20 September 1856) was a Serbian politician and revolutionary. He was the younger brother of Prince Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia, the founder of the Obrenović dynasty. Early life Jevrem' ...

(1790 – 20 September 1856), younger brother of

Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian f ...

, and wife (1816) Tomanija Bogicević (1796 – 13 June 1881). The couple had five sons before divorcing in October 1917: * Prince Šćepac (Stephan) (27 August 1903 in

– 15 March 1908 in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

) * Prince Stanislaw (30 January 1905 in

– 4 January 1908 in

Kotor Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative c ...

) * Prince Michael (14 September 1908 in

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 ...

– 24 March 1986 in

) * Prince Pavle (Paul) (16 May 1910 in

– June 1933) * Prince Emmanuel (10 June 1912 in

– 26 March 1928 in

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...

). Their eldest surviving son

Prince Michael of Montenegro Prince Michael Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro (; 14 September 1908 – 24 March 1986) was the third (but eldest surviving) son of Prince Mirko of Montenegro, Grand Voivode of Grahovo and Zeta (1879–1918), and Natalija Konstantinović, a ...

, succeeded Mirko in the Montenegrin royal succession and would become head of the

House of Petrović-Njegoš A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

and pretender to the Montenegrin throne.

Serbian throne

Charles Piguet and Prince Mirko of Montenegro shake hands

As Prince Mirko's wife was the granddaughter of Anka (Anna) Obrenovic, a member of the Serbian

House of Obrenović A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, it was agreed with the Serbian Government that Prince Mirko would be proclaimed Crown Prince of Serbia in the event that the marriage of King Alexander and

Draga Mašin Draginja "Draga" Obrenović ( sr-cyr, Драгиња "Драга" Обреновић; 11 September 1867 – ), formerly Mašin (Машин), was the Queen consort of Serbia as the wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović. She was formerly a lady-in-wai ...

was childless.BIOGRAPHY OF PRINCE MICHEL PETROVIC NJEGOS
Mirko lost his chance to succeed to the Serbian throne in 1903, due to the assassination of Alexander and Draga and the resulting conferral of the crown upon Peter Karađorđević, his brother-in-law. However, in 1911 he joined the

Black Hand Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to: Extortionists and underground groups * Black Hand (anarchism) (''La Mano Negra''), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain during the early 1880s * Black Hand (e ...

"Unity or Death" secret society which sought the unification of all

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

the Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, especially those under

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, and was determined to become the society's unified leader.

Death

Mirko divorced his wife in 1917 and moved from

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where he died in 1918. Following his death, his ten-year-old son

was raised in

by his mother and the residual members of the exiled Montenegrin Royal Family. In 1921 following the death of Mirko's father and shortly afterwards by the renouncement of the defunct throne by former Crown Prince Danilo, the thirteen-year-old

became the head of the Petrović-Njegoš house, albeit initially under a pretense regency.

References

External links

Family of King Nikola Petrovic Njegos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirko Of Montenegro 1879 births 1918 deaths People from Cetinje Princes of Montenegro Petrović-Njegoš dynasty Black Hand (Serbia) Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Sons of kings