Kingdom of Montenegro - History

History

See also: History of Montenegro

The Kingdom of Montenegro was proclaimed by Nicholas I in Cetinje, on 28 August 1910. Nicholas I, who had ruled the country as Prince since 1860, initiated several modernizing reforms in the beginning of the 20th century such as introducing a constitution and a new currency, the Montenegrin perper. Montenegro enthustiastically joined the First Balkan War in 1912, hoping to get a share in the last Ottoman-controlled areas of Rumelia. At first, Montenegro did make further territorial gains by splitting Sandžak with Serbia on 30 May 1913. Later though, the newly-captured city of İşkodra (Skadar in Montenegrin, now Shkodër) had to be given up to the new state of Albania at the insistence of the Great Powers despite the Montenegrins having invested 10,000 lives into the capture of the town from the Ottoman-Albanian forces of Esad Pasha. When, in 1913 after the war, conflict broke out between Bulgaria and Serbia, it was natural for King Nicholas to side with Serbia and once again Montenegro was tossed into war, in which Montenegro indeed was granted substantial additional territory.

During World War I, Montenegro was allied with the Triple Entente, in line with King Nicholas' pro-Serbian policy. From 15 January 1916 to October 1918, the country was occupied by Austria-Hungary.

On 20 July 1917, the Corfu Declaration was signed; it declared the unification of Montenegro with Serbia. On 28 November 1918, Montenegrin unification with Serbia was proclaimed. Nicholas I was a staunch supporter of unification with Serbia to form a great Serbian state for all Serbs but was in conflict with the kings of Serbia concerning who would be the ruler of the new kingdom. Nicholas I was eventually dethroned and exiled.

Nominally, a later Kingdom of Montenegro existed during World War II. In reality, the area was under Italian and then German control, and there was no monarch, with all candidates having refused the crown. Italian-appointed governors ruled this puppet state from 1941 through 1943, and when Italy withdrew, the region came under direct control by German troops. Yugoslav Partisans under Josip Broz Tito took control in December 1944, terminating the ostensible second Kingdom of Montenegro.

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