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

and the

Kingdom of Montenegro The Kingdom of Montenegro 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 War I. Officially it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolu ...

who hold titles such as ''Veliki Vojvoda'' (Grand Duke), ''Knez'' (Prince), ''Vojvoda'' (Duke), ''Serdar'' (Count), and '' Guvernadur'' (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 List of rulers of Montenegro, Prince-Bishop (''vladika'') of Montenegro, poet and philosopher whose ...

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

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović (; ; – ), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe (; ), was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 ...

, as ''Vojvoda'' (

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

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

Serdar Serdar may refer to * Serdar (given name) * Serdar (surname) Serdar is a surname of the following notable people: * Can Serdar (born 1996), German-Turkish football midfielder * Emerîkê Serdar (1935–2018), Kurdish-Yezidi writer from Armenia * I ...

, 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 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 "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 is an instrument issued by a lawful authority, such as an officer of arms or State Herald, which confers on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or a ...

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 an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

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, 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 (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Cyrillic: Цуце, ) is a historical Tribes of Montenegro, tribe (''pleme'') and region in Montenegro, located in the area of the Katunska nahija from Old Montenegro. History The toponym ''Cuce'' is first mentio ...

clan * Duke (Vojvode) Stanko Radonjić (1841-1889), Duke of the Njeguši clan * Duke (Vojvode) Božo Petrović-Njegoš (1846-1929), Duke of the Njeguši clan, member of the Royal House * Duke (Vojvode) Marko Miljanov Popović (1833-1901), Duke of the Kuči tribe * Duke (Vojvode) Miljan Vukov Vešović (1820-1886), Duke of the

Vasojevići The Vasojevići (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl, Васојевићи, ) is a historical Tribes of Montenegro#Brda, highland tribe (''pleme'') and region of Montenegro, in the area of the Brda (Montenegro), Brda. It is the largest ...

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 * Guvernadur Vukota Ozrinić,member of Ozrinic tribe * Prince(Knez) and Duke (Voivoda) Dragoje Raosaljic Ozrinic leader of the Ozrinic Principality * Prince (Knez) Pero Ozrinic * Prince (Knez) Kojica Nikolić from Ozrinić tribe * Prince (Ban) Nenoje Ozrinić * Duke Peko Pavlov Nikolić from Ozrinić tribe * Prince (Knez) Jovan Ozrinić * Prince (Knez) Tomaš Nikolić from Ozrinić tribe * Senator Jevto M. Nikolić * Knez Vasko Mušov Nikolić from Ozrinić tribe * Prince (Knez) Janko Ozrinic, son of Vujo, grandson of Prince Dragoje Ozrinic

References

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