Petar II Petrović-Njegoš

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Image:Njegos.jpg
Born :


 November 13 (November 1 Old Style) 1813
Njeguši, Montenegro
Died :

 31 October (October 19 Old Style) 1851
Cetinje, Montenegro

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар II Петровић-Његош) (November 13 (November 1 Old Style), 1813 - October 31 (October 19 Old Style), 1851) was the ruler of Montenegro and the Cetinje Bishop of the Serb Orthodox Church (Serbian: Владика / Vladika). He made Montenegro a secular state and is considered by many to be among the greatest poets of the Serbian language.

Contents

[edit] Life

[edit] Birth and early age

Radivoje Tomov Petrović, nicknamed Rade was born on 13 November (1 November Old Style), 1813 in the village of Njeguši, the capital of the Katun province of Montenegro as the son of Tomo Markov Petrović and Ivana Proroković Petrović. He had two brothers (Pero and Jovan) as well as two sisters. His family was the House of Petar-Njegoš - a dynasty that served as the Prince-Episcopes of Montenegro for over a century. In the time of his birth, Montenegro did not exist as a secular state. Territorial borders were undefined and Montenegro was not recognized as an independent part from the Ottoman Empire, Montenegro's de jure ruler was a Venetian-imposed Governor, while the Montenegrin clans were disunited - some recognized Austrian, some Venetian or Ottoman and some recognized the Cetinje Metropolitan's (Prince-Episcope's) supreme rule.

[edit] Education and nomination

He spent his early ages on the village - up to 1825, when his uncle Prince-Episcope Peter I dispatched him to the Monastery of Cetinje as his successor. There, he was tutored by a monk, Misail Cvetković and the Prince-Episcope's secretary, Jakoov Cek. Rade wrote his first poems there which he used to entertain the local Chiefs and Monks. The most famous of them used satire. In the middle of the year, Radivoje was dispatched to the Monastery of Topla near Herceg-Novi, where he learned Italian, Maths, Ecclesiastical Singing, the Psalter and another subject at the monastery's Jeromonk, Josip Tropović. Rade often attended the Ecclesiastical services in the nearby Monastery of Sava. He remained in Tople until the end of 1826, when he returned to Montenegro's capital, Cetinje.

On 20 January 1827, Prince-Episcope Petar I nominated Radivoje as his successor instead of Đorđije Savov, who went to the Russian Czardom and became a Cavalry officer. Petar wanted to dispatch him to Russia, but he lacked the much-needed finances, so he decided to educate Rade himself. He taught him Italian, Russian and German, as well as the basics of English and French. Petar also gave Rade access to his rich Library. The Prince-Episcope assigned one of the greatest Bosnian Serbian writers, Sima Milutinović of Sarajevo to be Radivoje's new teacher. Sima tought him Classics, Art, History, Philosophy and Litteracy, confounding Rade's future writing style.

In 1829, Rade gave Sima numerous national poems that he assembled. The most famous was the song of the National Spirit about the war between the Russian Czarina Catherine II and the Ottoman Sultan. In Serbian:

Е тако ме не заклали вуци
у џамију, ђе клањају Турци,
ако дигнух моје јањичаре,
сву ћу твоју земљу поробити,
поробити, ватром попржити,
а тебе ћу живу уфатити,
да ме двориш као робињица.

[edit] Ruler of Montenegro

Rade became the Episcope of Cetinje and Viceroy Metropolitan of Montenegro on 19 October 1830 at the age of 17 upon his uncle's death. His uncle Petar I wrote in his will (in Serbian):

А ја на моје мјесто насљедником управитељем и чуватељем од свега мојега и Церковнога чиним и остављам синовца мојега Рада Томова Петровића, у којега се надам да ће бити чојек од посла и од разума, коликоје преблагиј Отац Небесних благоволио подарити, и којега Богу и Цару нашему и свему Народу Церногорскоме и Бергскоме за вијека препоручавам свијем сердцем и свом душом.

The next day, on 20 October, Radivoje buried his uncle. The same day, Rade became a monk under the Archimandrite of the Monastery of Vranjina and took the cloak of his deceased uncle. Two days later, Rade himself became an Archimandrite, becoming the unofficial supreme ecclesiastical ruler of Montenegro. On 30 October the same year, he sent a letter to Jeremija Gagić declaring his assertion to power (in Serbian):

Чини ми се сит сам се већ наплака. Зато једино што виђу да ми од плача није никакве користи осим сама штета и погибељ очна, али јошт ми не да моје прежалосно срце уставит се мојијема сузама за мојијем оцем и благодјејом. Прво, што сам се лишио милости благодјетељске, друго, што је народ изгубио својега пастира и обранитеља, који бјеше непоколебими столп вјере и слободе христијанске и превјерни син и обранитељ отечества и неотлучими привјазаник к росијскому престолу и до својијех посљедњијех ријечих које ми је говорио на умрли час. Упитам га: "Господару, виђу да ћете умријет, него што ћу ја сад?" А он се усправи и сједне на постељу, па ми почне говорит: "Ја ти сад не могу помоћ ништа, но ти ове најпосљедње ријечи од мене: моли се Богу и држ се Русије."

Prince-Episcope Radivoje took over the leadership over 7 Montenegrin clans: Katun (clan), Lješ, Rijeka, Crmnica, Pješivci, Bjelopavlovići and Piperi as well as 2 Hill tribes: Rovci and Morača. He was only the ecclesiastical ruler over Boka and the Skadar. He was still young, so his father Tomo and his uncle Captain Lazar Proroković assisted him as well as some major Chiefs.

At the end of 1830 and beginning of 1831, Venetian-imposed Governor Vukolaj Radonjić moved against Radivoje wishing to end the House of Njegoš's dominance over Montenegro. On 22 November 1830, Prince-Episcope Rade wrote a letter to Jeremija Gagić regarding the Governor's rebellion (in Serbian):

Јошт ме је једна велика главобоља постигла. Наш господин губернатор Вуколај Радонић пошао је у околину которску, на Пуч, нотњо без знања ничијега него својевољно, тер се ту саставао с некаквијем генералом цесарскијем и с другијема људима цесарскијема, имајући намјереније предати им Черну Гору и на исту метнути покровитељство њино, мислећи он без никаква расутка, кад је владика умро да већ није остало синовах отечества у Черну Гору и привјазаниках к славимој Росији.

The National Assembly held on 17 November 1831, Vukolaj Radonjić is deposed from his office as the Governor of Montenegro and implaced Sima Milutinović, Radivoje's old teacher instead of him. On 6 January 1831, Petar II wrote another letter to Jeremija Gagić regarding this political change (in Serbian):

А наш Милутиновић узео је нечесову слободу отка се преставио митрополит, која би му сломила врат да се не гледа на његово иностранство, пак и на Ваше писмо с којијем сте га пропратили к мојему поч. донду. Него ја истинито знам да Ви јесте мислили да је он чојак, јербо ја знам истинитога мојега у Вас пријатеља, како што сте били и мојему претку. А он био је поша пред свјатаго Николаја на Стањевиће и ја сам шиља за њега момке у два пута. Он није ктио доћ кад сам ја за њега шиља, него кад је њему драго било, па по свему тому ја сам га примио ка да није ништа преступио, зашто Ви знате ја нијесам имао чесова ученија, нити сам нимало свијета видио, па мисљах да ће ми што помоћи у ову нашу жестоку муку, а он не стаде него два дана и пође без питања некуђ пут Боке Которске. Сада ја не знам што ће бити. Ви знате како је он преступио законе царске када је утекао из Котора, и они га уфатише, хоће га кастигат по закону. Ема нека ломи врат куђ му драго.

On 31 January 1831 on the island of Kom in the Monastery of Vranjina, the Archepiscope of Rascia-Prizren declared him as the official Archimandrite. Radivoj received the name Petar II in his predecessor's honor. Prince-Episcope Petar II invited two Serbian envoys in the Russian Empire to come and assist him in his reign: Mateja Vučićević, Montenegro's viceroy in Russia and his uncle, Ivan Vukotić, a subofficer in the Russian Army. On 22 October 1830, Petar II wrote to Mateja (in Serbian):

Бержајте ако Бога знате, ако Христа љубите, док се није откуђ са стране иновјерне и туђеродне раздор и вражда посијала и распалила, пак би се нејмало се већ на што доходити.

The two arrived to Montenegro in September the same year and on 27 September brought the decesion on assembling the governmental infrastructure in Montenegro. A Senate was formed, headed by the Prince-Episcope and composed out of 16 Senators - the most prominent Montenegrin Chiefs. The Senate's duty was to act as a Government and the Supreme Court. A Guard was formed that acted as the Executive branch of the government that had 164 members that served as the Police and travelling judges in minor conflicts. On 6 December 1831, Peter II wrote to Jeremija Gagić regarding this (in Serbian):

...имам чест Вама објавити како се Црногорци находе у согласију међу собом исти како су били овога прошлога времена од како је блаженопочившег митрополита завјешчаније проглашено, али сада је сувише стављено управленије народње, које управленије состовља 180 људих, из којијех су 16 совјетници (senatori), а 164 исполнитељи (polizia), које слуша народ добро и како је дужност народња своје старије слушати и собом одабранима повиноват се. Мене се радује срдце и душа када ја виђу моје отечество тако сложно и када виђу толико њихово почитаније к нашему царју и благодјетељу и к њиховијема старјешинама и главарима, али каква ће ми јошт и ово радост бити када виђу моје отечество ђе напредује у наукама и процвјетава просвјешченијем и када га виђу да почне излезати своје просвјешчене и вјерне синове, који ће га умјети бранити не само оружјем него и пером умним.

Ivan Vukotić became the first President of the Senate, while Mateja Vučevićević became the first Vice-president. The Senate's seat was in Cetinje, while the Guard's Headquarters were in Rijeka Crnojevića. Petar II was present on every assembly of the Senate except judgments of capital sentences, in which he was forbidden to participate by canon law. Prince-Episcope Petar II later formed Captains to monitor the Serbian tribe in his domain as well as the Grenadiers - the Prince-Episcope's personal elite guard. He also formed a special Border Militia (Serbian: Пандурима) to oversee the borders of Montenegro.

Up to 1832, Petar fully cancelled governership, therefore affirming full power over Montenegro. Petar II renamed the Praviteljstvo suda into Praviteljstvujušći sovjet, expanding its powers from just courtial to also management. He also founded Captain for every Montenegrin and neighbouring Serbian tribes - his own representatives in the Clans.

Prince-Episcope Petar II wanted to raise Montenegro's international prestige. For this, he visited the Russian Czardom in 1833, after a brief stop in Vienna, where he was accepted into Ecclesiastical service as Prince-Episcope of Montenegro in Saint Petersburg, the Empire's capital. In 1833, just before his journey to Serbia, Serbian Orthodox Christian Episcope of Užice gifted him Danica of Vuk Karadžić from 1826. In a thanking reply letter, Radivoje wrote a poem instead of a signature (in Serbian):

Име ми је вјерољуб,
презиме ми родољуб.
Црну Гору, родну груду
камен паше одасвуда.
Српски пишем и зборим,
сваком громко говорим:
народност ми србинска,
ум и душа славјанска.

Peter II has contributed greatly to education by founding the Elementary School in Cetinje, Montenegro's capital in 1834. The same year, 1834 - he opened a Printing Press in Cetinje specifically for printing his works - the same year printing the Hermit of Cetinje. In 1835, the Montenegrin forces captured a cannon in Žabljak and Peter II ordered a little poem to be engraved in it (in Serbian):

Црногорци кад оно витешки
Жабљак тврди турски похараше,
онда мене старца заробише,
на Цетиње српско донесоше.

In 1836, he payed another visit to the Russian Empire, again making a short stop in Vienna. The same year, 1836, he published The ABC of the Serbian language. In 1838 he also published The Serbian Grammar. He also re-printed the school textbooks originally printed by his father Petar I Njegoš The Serbian elementary reading book.

The conflicts with the neighbouring Muslims of the Ottoman Empire were insignificant - except the epic struggle with Smail-aga Čengić in 1840 on Mljetičko. Peter could not achieve the high statehood of his predecessor - the Serbian Orthodox Christian monasteries of Maina and Stanjevići were bought by the Empire of Austria, while Vranjina and Lesandra were seized by the Pasha of Skadar. Although Peter II always supported rebels against the Ottoman authority and gladly went to openly fight the Ottomans, Russia's peaceful policy towards the Ottoman Empire meant that no larger martial success could be undertaken.

In 1842, Brince-Episcope Peter II constructed another elementary school - in Dobrsko Selo. On the 11 June 1842, the Prince of Serbia Mihailo Obrenović and the Serbian Literature Society elected him as an "Honorable Member" as a reward for his merits in literature and education of the Serbian people. Later, in 1845, he was declared the Metropolitan of Cetinje. The same year, 1845, Peter II published the Light of Microcosm, an impressive, masterfully written philosophical work. In 1846, Peter wrote a collection of Montenegrin national poems - the Serbian mirror in honor of one of the greatest Russian writers - Pushkin.

In 1846 and 1847, Peter II was in Vienna, the Austrian Imperial capital. There, he published in 1847 The Mountain Wreath - his most famous work. It described the will of the Serbian people to fight for freedom in 2,819 verses. The same year, 1847, Njegoš wrote the Of false Tsar Stephen the Little, where he described the life of the first uniter and ruler of modern Montenegro - Czar Stephen the Little from the 18th century.

In 1848, the government of the Principality of Serbia sent him the proposal of unification of Serbs, Croats and Bulgarians. Petar agreed but said:

Serbdom has to unite first. I will, then, to my Patriarchate of Peć and Serbian Prince to Prizren. Spiritual authority to me and secular to him, over the nation free and united.

In late 1848 and early 1849, Prince-Episcope Peter II assisted the Revolutionary fights of Croatian Ban Josip Jelačić and maintained close ties with the Principality of Serbia. Although Peter II's outer policy completely relied on Russia, Russia maintained good relations with the Ottoman Empire - so nothing more than a reconciliation with the Ottomans could be achieved.

In 1851, Prince-Episcope Petar II minted a Montenegrin currency: Perun. Petar named it by the supreme Slavic mythic god.

In 1851, Peter II caught tuberculosis. he paid a visit to the Italy the same year, 1851, attempting to find a cure. The same year, 1851, he managed to publish his last major work - Of false Tsar Stephen the Little. Peter II Njegoš died in Cetinje of tuberculosis on 31 October (October 19 Old Style) 1851 - exactly 21 year after his accession to the throne; he was buried in a small chapel on top of Mount Lovćen where his mausoleum was built. During the period of Communist rule in Yugoslavia it was demolished for ideological reasons by the authorities to make way for a secular monument.

[edit] Works

  • Hermit of Cetinje (written in Cetinje in 1833; printed in 1834 in Cetinje; Serbian: Пустиняк Цетински)
  • Cure for Turkish Fury (1834, Cetinje; Serbian: Ліек Ярости Турске)
  • The voice of the stone-cutter (1834, Cetinje; Serbian: Глас каменштака)
  • A Serb thanks the Serbs for honour (1834, Cetinje; Serbian: Србин Србима на части захваљује)
  • Ode to the Assertion to the Throne of Ferdinand I as Austrian Emperor and Hungarian King (1835, Cetinje; Serbian: Ода ступлѣня на престолъ Фердинанда I Императора Аустрискога и Краля Маџарскога и пр. и пр. и пр.)
  • Three days in Trieste in the month of January in 1844 (Vienna, Armenian Monastery, 1844; Serbian: Три дана у Тріесту у мѣсецу Януарию 1844)
  • Light of Microcosm (1845, Belgrade, Serbian: Луча Микрокозма)
  • Serbian Mirror (1846, Belgrade; Serbian: Огледало Србско)
  • The Mountain Wreath (English translation) (1847, Vienna; Serbian: Горскій віенацъ: историческо событіє при свршетку XVII віека)
  • The Voice of Đurišić * The Castle of Aleksić (1850, Vienna; Serbian: Кула Ђуришића и Чардак Алексића 1847 године)
  • False Tsar Stephen the Little (written 1847, 1851, Trieste; Serbian: Лажни цар Шћепан Мали: историческо збитије осамнаестога вијека)
  • Song of Freedom (1854, Zemun, posthumously; Serbian: Слободіяда: епійскій спѣвъ у десетъ пѣсама)
  • Njegoš's Accords (1956, Cetinje, Historical Institute, posthumously; Serbian: Његошева биљежница)
Preceded by:
Petar I Njegoš		 Prince-Episcop of Montenegro
1830–1851		 Succeeded by:
Danilo II of Petar Njegoš

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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