Petrović-Njegoš Dynasty

The House of Petrović-Njegoš (Serbian Cyrillic: , / ) is an old Serbian noble family that ruled Montenegro from 1697 to 1918.

History

Origin

"Bogut" or "Boguta" is believed to be the oldest known ancestor of the Petrović-Njegoš family. Bogut was alive at the time of the Battle of Velbazhd (1330) and the building of Visoki Dečani, and perhaps into the 1340s.Etnografski muzej Cetinje 1963, p. 75 According to tradition, and recorded by some historians, the ancestors of the Petrović family settled in Muževice at the end of the 14th century, from the Bosnia region, from the area of Zenica or Travnik. It is possible that Bogut at that time had moved to Drobnjaci with his son, Đurađ Bogutović.Srpsko istorijsko-kulturno društvo "Njegoš" u Americi 1983, p. 73 Đurađ or some of his sons were in the entourage of Marko Drago, an affluent Serbian nobleman who had served Serbian lord Vuk Branković (1345-1397), and as such they are believed to have also served the Branković family. Đurađ and his five sons "from Drobnjaci" are mentioned in a document dating March 1, 1399, in which they gave several items to the depository of Dapko Vasilijev, an affluent Kotoran nobleman.

Rule of Montenegro

Montenegro was ruled from its inception by ''vladikas'' (prince-bishops) since 1516, who had a dual temporal and spiritual role, subordinate to the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć until its dissolution in 1766. In 1697, the office was made hereditary in the Petrović-Njegoš family. However, since Orthodox bishops are required to be celibate, the crown passed from uncle to nephew. In 1852, Prince-Bishop Danilo II opted to marry and to secularize Montenegro, becoming Prince Danilo I. His successor, Nikola I, raised Montenegro to a kingdom in 1910.

In 1916, King Nikola I was ousted by the invasion and occupation of his country by Austria-Hungary. He was formally deposed by the Podgorica Assembly in 1918 and the country merged with Kingdom of Serbia and shortly thereafter merged again with the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

After Yugoslavia

A period of eighty years of control from Belgrade followed, during which time Nikola I died in exile in France in 1921, followed shortly afterwards by the surprise abdication of his son and heir, Danilo III, the same year. The latter's nephew, Michael Petrović-Njegoš, inherited the titles of his predecessors whilst in exile in France. After a titular 11-year "reign" under the regency of one of his grandfather's generals, Anto Gvozdenović, Michael gave up his claim to the throne and swore allegiance to Yugoslavia. He survived arrest and internment by order of Adolf Hitler for refusing to head up a puppet Montenegrin state aligned to the Axis Powers. Later, he served the SFR Yugoslavia as Head of Protocol. He was succeeded by his son Nicholas Petrović-Njegoš in 1986. In 2006, Montenegro went on to achieve full sovereignty in the 2006 independence referendum.

In 2011, Montenegro recognized an official role for the Royal House of Petrović-Njegoš in Montenegro: to promote Montenegrin identity, culture and traditions through cultural, humanitarian and other non-political activities, which has been interpreted as a "creeping restoration" of the monarchy.Zakon o statusu potomaka dinastije Petrović Njegoš
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The present head of the house is Nicholas, Crown Prince of Montenegro.

Modern role

In July 2011, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on the Status of the Descendants of the Petrović Njegoš Dynasty. The law allows descendants of the dynasty to use heraldic royal symbols and grants them land that belonged to the King. It grants them property and buildings in Njegusi and Cetinje, the former capital city, as well as an apartment in Podgorica. It established the Petrovic-Njegos Foundation, which would receive financing from Montenegro’s state budget amounting to some €4 million.

List of monarchs

Heads of the House since 1918

Male descendants of Nicholas I

The list below includes male members of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty. Bold denotes the current head of the House.

* '' King Nicholas I'' (1841–1921)
** '' Crown Prince Danilo'' (1872–1939)
**'' Prince Mirko, Grand Duke of Grahovo and Zeta'' (1879–1918)
***''Prince Stephan'' (1903–1908)
***''Prince Stanislaw'' (1905–1908)
*** '' Prince Michael'' (1908–1986)
**** Prince Nicholas (born 1944)
***** Prince Boris (born 1980)
***''Prince Paul'' (1910–1933)
***''Prince Emmanuel'' (1912–1928)
**'' Prince Peter, Grand Duke of Zahumlie'' (1889–1932)

See also

* List of heads of former ruling families
* The Petrović-Njegoš family tree

References

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*''Nikola and Milena, King and Queen of the Black Mountain, The Rise and Fall of Montenegro's Royal Family'' by Marco Houston
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External links

The Njegoskij Fund Public Project
Private family archives-based digital documentary fund, focused on history and culture of Royal Montenegro

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrovic-Njegos, House Of

Montenegrin nobility
Principality of Montenegro
Kingdom of Montenegro
Montenegrin royalty