A REMARKABLE HISTORY

The history of the small mountainous region that later came to be known as Montenegro is a story of survival against the odds. Emerging as an independent principality from the ruins of the Medieval Kingdom of Serbia, it managed to maintain effective independence from the powerful Ottoman Empire because of its inhospitable terrain.
With a war-like spirit forged by almost constant resistance to foreign domination, a remarkable dynasty of prince-bishops dominated for the next five centuries, eventually becoming the secular rulers of the principality.
The last of these, Nicholas Petrovic, effectively ruled as an enlightened despot, granting the first constitution in 1905 and beginning parliamentary government.

Nicholas declared himself king in 1910 but was forced to flee when the country was overrun by the Austrians at the start of the First World War.
In the post-war peace settlement Montenegro was controversially included in a new kingdom that became known as Yugoslavia despite the wishes of many to retain their independence.
After the Axis invasion during the Second World War, Italy took control of Montenegro, but the mountains provided the perfect refuge for Tito’s partisan forces and when the communists took control in 1946, Montenegro was elevated to the status of one of the six constituent republics in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Following the collapse of the federation in 1989 and the secession of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and later Bosnia, Montenegro voted to remain in a new federal republic with Serbia.

But the Montenegrins continued to stress their own distinct identity during the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo.
The future of Montenegro’s relationship with Serbia is now in the balance and the present government has promised to hold a referendum on the matter early next year. The result is awaited eagerly by all sides.