In the western part of the Balkan Peninsula there is an ancient state of Montenegro washed from the southwest by the waves of the Adriatic Sea. The history of the country, summarized in this article, is an endless series of struggles for national sovereignty, culminating in 2006 with the recognition of its independence.
Ancient State of Duklja
History of Montenegro, preceding the 1st century BC. e., little studied. It is only known that this region was inhabited by the Illyrians - representatives of a very large group of Indo-European peoples. In the 1st century BC e. the territory was conquered by Rome, who kept it under her control until it collapsed under the invasion of the barbarians in the 4th century.
Shortly after that, the process of settling the territory of present-day Montenegro by the Slavs begins. It was especially intense in the 7th century, and after 300 years in the Balkans and the territories adjacent to the shores of the Adriatic, an independent Slavic state was formed, which was called Dukla. The inhabitants of the country had to constantly win back their sovereignty in bloody and not always successful battles with foreigners.
Under Byzantium
Ohthe life of the Slavic tribes on the territory of modern Montenegro, information gleaned from the records of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (905-959) has been preserved. In them, he talks about the peoples who inhabited the area and founded the cities of Skadar, Budva, Ulcinj and Kotor. Christianity in ancient Dukla was established at the end of the 9th century, and came here, just like to Russia, from Byzantium.
In the 11th century, Duklja and the entire territory of Serbia adjacent to it were captured by Byzantium, which was then in its peak period and carried out a broad colonial policy. The history of Montenegro from ancient times was full of dramatic events, but these years brought her especially a lot of blood, as the center of confrontation with the invaders moved from the interior of Serbia to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, and the main battles unfolded here.
The role of Prince Stefan Vojislav in the creation of the state
During that period, the most prominent historical figure who played an important role in the history of the Principality of Duklja (future Montenegro) was its ruler Stefan Vojislav. In 1035, he led a popular uprising against the Byzantines, but was defeated, captured and sent to Constantinople. However, despite all the difficulties, Stefan managed to escape from captivity, then, having traveled a long way, returned to Dukla, and there again seized power.
Finally, in 1042, in the battle near the city of Bar, a decisive battle took place, in which the Dukljana army, created and led by Prince Stefan Vojislav,utterly defeated the Byzantines. This event put an end to foreign domination, and served as the beginning of the creation of an independent state of Dukla.
The rise of the state, followed by its decline
After the death of Stefan Vojislav, his son Mikhail inherited power, who managed to annex significant territories that previously belonged to Serbia to his state. He was the first of the Montenegrin rulers to be awarded the title of king, granted to him in 1077 by Pope Gregory VII.
From the annalistic records that have come down to us, it is known that the newly formed principality was divided into separate regions, each of which was headed by an elder, called a zhupan. During the period when the state was ruled by King Konstantin Bodyan (1081-1099), it reached its peak and covered almost the entire territory of Serbia, including Bosnia, Raska and Zachumje. However, later the country plunged into an endless series of internecine wars unleashed by local zhupans, and lost its former power.
The collapse of the once strong state
Starting from the 11th century, the new name of the Dukla state - Zeta - begins to come into use and gradually takes root. According to philologists, it comes from the ancient word "reaper" and reflects the main direction of economic activity of its inhabitants.
At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, the history of Montenegro again enters a period of political and economic decline, which lasts throughout the next century. By this time the once powerfulZeta weakened so much that it broke up into separate principalities (zhups), which were under the control of Raska, shortly before that it was only a Serbian region that was part of the former state.
Cities that have become history
The history of Kotor (Montenegro) is closely connected with these events - a city located on the Adriatic Sea, and which is today a major administrative and tourist center. In 1186, after a many-day siege, it was captured by the troops of the Serbian prince Stefan Neman and attached to Raska. To this day, chronicles have told the story of its heroic defenders who died, but did not want to lay down their arms in front of the superior enemy forces.
During the XIII-XIV centuries Kotor remained the largest city on the entire Adriatic coast, the economic well-being of which was based on trade with areas located in the central regions of Serbia. At the same time, the history of Budva (Montenegro) reached a new level - another large modern resort on the Adriatic, founded in the 9th century and mentioned in the records of Emperor Constantine the Bogryanorodny. Along with two other cities - Ulcinj and Bar - it became the leading center of shipbuilding and navigation of that era.
Having their own statutes - charters that determined the order of their life, these cities enjoyed the rights of self-government, and the decision of all issues was provided to assemblies - a kind of parliaments, which included representatives of different classes.
Invasion of the Conquerors
In 1371, the Serbo-Greek kingdom, once created by Prince Stefan Neman and holding Zeta under his control, suddenly collapsed, as a result of which the state that existed on the territory of present-day Montenegro received freedom for some time. However, in the late 80s, the cities located on the Adriatic coast were subjected to Turkish invasion, and after an unsuccessful battle in Kosovo in June 1389, most of the interior of Zeta fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
At the beginning of the next century, the history of Montenegro took on an even more dramatic character. The Turkish conquerors were joined by the Venetians, who seized part of its coastal territories, which had remained free until then. Over time, Venice pushed the Ottoman rulers out of the lands they had conquered, and in 1439 almost all of Zeta was declared its protectorate, ruled by feudal lords from the Chernoevich family. It was during this period that the state was renamed, and received its current name Montenegro.
Under Ottoman rule
However, the Ottoman Empire did not give up its aggressive intentions and soon made new offensive attempts. As a result, the history of Serbia and Montenegro for many years followed the path indicated by him from Istanbul. In 1499, the Turks conquered almost the entire Montenegrin territory, with the exception of a few cities located on the coast of the Bay of Kotor.
Caught under the rule of the Turkish Sultan, Montenegro was transformed intoindependent administrative unit called sanjak. Management in it was entrusted to the son of the former Prince Ivan Chernoevich, who converted to Islam and took the name Skender-beg.
All residents of the country were taxed by the new authorities - filuria, the payment of which was a heavy burden for Montenegrins who had become impoverished during the war years. However, historians point out that the history of the cities of Montenegro is mainly connected with Ottoman rule, since there were almost no Turks in remote rural and, especially, mountainous regions.
National liberation struggle of Montenegrins
The end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century were marked by the beginning of a broad liberation struggle against Turkish rule. One of its most striking episodes was the uprising that broke out in 1604 under the leadership of the voivode Grdan. In the battle near the city of Lushkopol, the rebels managed to defeat the troops of the Turkish governor. This victory gave impetus to the movement, which over the next years covered the whole of Montenegro.
The history of the country in the period of the XVII-XVIII centuries is a period of acute national liberation struggle, in which temporary victories were replaced by defeats that claimed the lives of thousands of Montenegrins. In their struggle, the inhabitants of the country largely relied on the support of Venice, which had its own possessions on the Adriatic coast and considered the Ottoman Empire as its potential enemy. When a war broke out between Turkey and Venice in 1645, the Montenegrins took advantage of this and, raising an uprising, tried to go underVenetian protectorate, but this plan was not realized.
Independence
At the end of the 18th century, the national liberation struggle of the Montenegrins was led by Petr Negosh. He managed to become the spokesman for the national idea and, having rallied scattered clans around him, liberated most of the country from Ottoman tyranny. His follower Danilo Negosh led a multi-thousand people's militia, which in 1858 won a victory over the Turks near the city of Grakhovets, which resulted in the legal consolidation of the country's sovereignty. The history of Montenegro from that moment began to develop on a completely different basis.
In the state, which was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire for several centuries, a people's assembly was established - the Assembly. After the expulsion of the Turks, the territory of Montenegro expanded significantly due to the inclusion of the previously most fertile regions taken away. She was given back access to the sea, and the crowning achievement was the adoption of the first Montenegrin Constitution. However, in terms of its status, it was still the hereditary principality of the Njegosh dynasty. The independence of Montenegro was finally declared at the Berlin Congress in 1878.
A brief history of Montenegro in the 20th century
The country began the new century with the proclamation of its kingdom, which followed in 1910. During the First World War, Montenegro took the side of the Entente and in 1916 was captured by the Austro-Hungarian army. Two years later, by decision of the Great National Assembly, she was overthrownmonarchical dynasty of Njegos, and Montenegro united with Serbia.
During the Second World War, the territory of the country was occupied by Italian troops. Since 1945, Montenegro had the status of a federal republic, and in 2006 became an independent state.
