Ivan Crnojević ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Црнојевић, italics=no, lit=Ivan the Black) was the lord of Zeta and Montenegrin-Serbian leader from 1465 to 1490. Having formed an alliance with the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, he led the resistance against the expanding

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

He was successful at first but lost his realm in 1479. He resumed power in 1481 in

Žabljak Žabljak (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Жабљак, ) is a small town in Montenegro in the Northern Montenegro, northern region. It has a population of 1,723. Žabljak is the seat of Žabljak Municipality (2011 population: 3,569). The town is in ...

and soon founded

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 ...

as the new capital of his state.

Early life

Ivan Crnojević was a member of the

Crnojević noble family The House of Crnojević (Serbian Cyrillic: Црнојевић, Crnojevići / Црнојевићи) was a medieval Serbian noble familySlijepčević 1974, p. 43: "Према Карлу Хопфу и Балшићи и Црнојевићи »пр ...

whose ancestry dates back from Serbian nobleman

Đuraš Ilijić Đuraš Ilijić ( sr-Cyrl, Ђураш Илијић, 1326–62) was a Serbian commander and nobleman who served the Serbian monarchs Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–1331), Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–1355) and Uroš V (r. 1355–1371), from 1326 until h ...

. He was born to father Stefan Crnojević and mother Mara Kastrioti an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

noblewoman of the

Kastrioti family The Kastrioti were an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, noble family, active in the 14th and 15th centuries as the rulers of the Principality of Kastrioti. At the beginning of the 15th century, the family controlled a territory in the Mat Di ...

. Ivan had two brothers, Andrija and Božidar. Ivan first married Goisava Arianiti, the daughter of

lord Gjergj Arianiti, and he also became related with titular Serbian Despot Stefan Branković through his wife Angelina, from the same family. Ivan's second wife was Mara, a daughter of Stefan Vukčić Kosača. Ivan had four children, three sons and one daughter. Two of his sons were notable:

Đurađ Crnojević Đurađ Crnojević ( sr-cyr, Ђурађ Црноjeвић, ; d. 1514) was the last Serbian medieval Zeta under the Crnojevići, Lord of ZetaSlijepčević 1974, p. 43: "Према Карлу Хопфу и Балшићи и Црнојевићи »п ...

and Staniša "Stanko" (Skenderbeg). When Ivan died in 1490 his son Đurađ succeeded him as the lord of Zeta until the Ottomans forced him to leave Zeta in 1496. In his youth Ivan took part in the raids against the domains of Stefan Vukčić Kosača, the duke of Saint Sava in Hum, and on one occasion (between 1442 and 1444) he was captured. While he was Herzog's hostage (not imprisoned, but in Herzog's service, to guarantee his father's loyalty) his father was unable to be completely independent from Kosača or to fully ally with

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. Venice saw Stefan Crnojević as an important potential ally in their war against

Serbian Despotate The Serbian Despotate () was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is mistakenly considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravi ...

, so they tried to bring him closer by accepting his request to maintain a pressure on Kosača to release Ivan. Stefan was ready to do anything to have Ivan released from Kosača's captivity, so he complied with Venetian condition to allow them to suppress the rebellion in Grbalj. After Venetians brutally suppressed the rebellion in Grbalj they forced Kosača to reluctantly release Ivan to them and spent 120 ducats to buy him new clothes before handling him to his father.

Reign

Lord of Zeta

In the beginning of his reign Ivan was at very bad relations with the

, whom he saw as occupiers of his cities. In return, the Venetians put a price on his head in 1465. But thanks to moves of the Stefan Vukčić and

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

, in 1466 he became a duke under payment from the Venetian Republic with the capital in

Lake Skadar Lake Skadar or Lake Scutari (, ; cnr-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, )also called Lake Shkodra (and ''Lake Shkodër'')lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern Europe. It is n ...

. His payment was quite fair, 1,200

ducat The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...

s annually. In 1469 Ivan remarried, to Mara, the daughter of Stefan Vukčić. Ivan Crnojević fought for the Venetians in their wars against the

. The ''Venetian Captain of Upper Zeta and Duke'' was accepted thus in 1473 into the ranks of Venetian nobility. In 1474 he further honored his obligations and defended Skadar from an Ottoman attack. Ivan Crnojević had important role in the defense of the Skadar because he provided the connection with Kotor and supplied the city through

Skadar Lake Lake Skadar or Lake Scutari (, ; cnr-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, )also called Lake Shkodra (and ''Lake Shkodër'')lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern Europe. It is n ...

, fighting simultaneously against strong Ottoman forces. He transported men and woods from

Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...

over the hills into Žabljak where he built fustas which surprised Ottomans at Skadar lake. During whole summer of 1474 Ivan Crnojević participated in military actions. He controlled the Skadar lake with three fustas and 15 smaller ships, which was very important because Venetian fleet (composed of 34 larger ships and about 100 smaller) was unable to sail further than St. Srđ. The

Venetian Senate The Senate (), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, ), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice. Establishment The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or less likely shortly before that date. ...

awarded Ivan with many presents and one

war flag A war ensign, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few co ...

as sign of appreciation for his help during the siege. After this success, Ivan planned to liberate

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...

from Ottoman occupation for his brother-in-law Duke Vladislav Hercegović. Conflicts came out over discussions regarding the future border between the realms of

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...

and Herzegovina, which allowed

Sultan Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

to take initiative and invade Zeta, and with Duke Stephen's help the Turks seized Ivan's throne of Žabljak in 1478. In 1477 Ottomans captured most of the territory of Zeta together with

and defeated main army of Ivan Crnojević late in 1477 or early 1478. Ivan moved to Obod (fortified by him in 1475) which was soon renamed to

Rijeka Crnojevića Rijeka Crnojevića ( cnr-Cyrl, Ријека Црнојевића, lit=River of Crnojević noble family, Crnojević) is a town in Montenegro on the eponymous Rijeka Crnojevića (river), Rijeka Crnojevića River, near the shore of Lake Skadar lake, ...

and became a new capitol of his state. Ottomans then concentrated their forces at Venetian held Skadar. They besieged it in May 1478. Ivan's forces, with Ragusan support, sailed over the lake and attacked Ottoman tents at night. Venice ended sixteen-year war with Ottomans by signing the

peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...

with Ottomans. That way Venice sacrificed its ally Ivan Crnojević who was not included into the peace treaty and had to leave his

and find a haven in Italy.

Return to Zeta

After Sultan

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

's death in May 1481, Ivan Crnojević disembarked near

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

in June 1481. Using the civil war that erupted between Mehmed's sons,

Bayezid II Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...

and

Cem Cem Sultan (1459–1495) was a prince of the Ottoman Empire. Cem or CEM may also refer to: Colleges * College of Eastern Medicine, a branch of Southern California University of Health Sciences, in Los Angeles, California, US * College of Eme ...

, he restored control over Zeta and

with the help of the people that welcomed him gladly as a liberator and supported by forces under Skanderbeg's son Gjon Kastrioti II. The new Ottoman sultan Bayezid accepted Ivan as his vassal. In order to guarantee his loyalty to the Sultan, Ivan sent his youngest son

Staniša Staniša ( sr-cyr, Станиша) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from Slavic root ''stan'' and suffix ''-iša''. It was traditionally given as an Apotropaic magic, apotropaic (protective) name, when children often died, or when many chi ...

and several of his friends to the sultan's court in 1482. The center of his renewed realm was at Obod above the Crnojević River. Wishing to preserve the realm of Zeta and its independence from the Ottomans because he didn't feel safe at the edge and the border, Ivan moved its capital deeper into the hills to a more easily defended location in the field of

at the foot of Mount Lovćen. He had his court built in 1482 and the monastery of the Mother of Christ in Cetinje as a personal endowment to the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1484, thus founding Cetinje as a town. His court and the monastery are the first recorded renessaince buildings in Montenegro. He also moved the seat of the Metropolitanate of Zeta to the

Old Cetinje Monastery The Cetinje Monastery () is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. It is located in Cetinje and is the seat of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro. A center of historical and cultural importance, it was founded c. 1484 by Prince I ...

, where he was buried upon his death in 1490.

Legacy

Ivan brought a range of legislative acts that were later of great importance for the legal and cultural history of a future

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. He was succeeded by his son

, who established one of the first Cyrillic printing houses in the Balkans. His youngest son Stanko converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and received the name ''Skender'', hence he is also known as Skenderbeg Crnojević, and became the Ottoman

sanjakbey ''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak'', in Arabic '' liwa’' ...

of the

Sanjak of Montenegro The Sanjak of Montenegro ( Montenegrin and sr-cyr, Санџак Црне Горе, Sandžak Crne Gore; , literally Sanjak of the Black Mountain) was a province (sanjak) of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula roughly corresponding to moder ...

when it was established in 1514. Ivan's last capital Cetinje, a town founded by him, became the capital of

Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro The Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro () was a Serbian Orthodox ecclesiastical principality that existed from 1516 until 1852. The principality was located around modern-day Montenegro. It emerged from the Eparchy of Cetinje, later known as the M ...

at the end of the 17th century. The modern-day

Cetinje Monastery The Cetinje Monastery () is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. It is located in Cetinje and is the seat of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro. A center of historical and cultural importance, it was founded c. 1484 by Prince ...

was built between 1701 and 1704 on the site of the former Ivan's court. On the site of the monastery of the Mother of Christ built by Ivan, prince

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

built a new church in the 19th century, so called Court Church. In the 20th century the church went through several major reconstructions. During one of them Ivan's grave was found and his bones were moved to the bank safe. In 2010 Montenegrin government buried the bones of Ivan Crnojević in the Court Church, in a ceremony which was closed to the public.

Family tree

Notes

References

Sources

*
"Ivan Crnojević - najznačajnija ličnost crnogorske istorije" (text in Montenegrin language)
* * *

Regnal titles

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crnojevic, Ivan I 15th-century births 1490 deaths Medieval history of Serbia Princes of Zeta Montenegrin people Republic of Venice nobility Republic of Venice military personnel

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the B ...

Venetian period in the history of Montenegro Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479) Serbian people of Albanian descent