Petar I Petrović-Njegoš

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Saint Peter of Cetinje

Petar I Petrović Njegoš (St. Peter of Cetinje) (1747-1830) (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар I Петровић Његош, Св. Петар Цетињски) was the ruler of Montenegro, the Cetinje Episcop of the Eastern Orthodox Church (Serbian: Владика or Vladika) and Exarch (claimholder) of the Serb Orthodox throne. He was the most popular spiritual and military leader from the Petrović dynasty. During his long rule, Petar strengthened the state by uniting the often quarreling tribes, consolidating his control over Montenegrin lands, introducing the first laws in Montenegro (Законик Петра I or Zakonik Petra I) and launching the first program of national liberation and unification of Serbs.

He had unquestioned moral authority strengthened by his military successes. His rule prepared Montenegro for the subsequent introduction of modern institutions of the state: taxes, schools and larger commercial enterprises. He was made a bishop in 1784. During his trip to Russia (1785), Montenegro was attacked by Turkish forces. When Vladika Petar I returned from Russia, he began a war of liberation. At the crucial battle at Krusi (Љесанска нахија or Ljesanska nahija) the Turkish Army of 30,000 led by Mahmut-Pasa Busatlija and assisted with seven French officers was defeated with heavy casualties by a force of 6,000 Montenegrins led by Vladika Petar I (3 Oct. 1796). In this famous battle Mahmut-pasha was killed. After the victory Petar enlarged the territory of Montenegro and became virtually independent of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1806, French troops advanced toward the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. The Montenegrin army led by Vladika Petar I, aided by several Russian battalions and the fleet of Admiral Senjavin pushed them back to Dubrovnik. But soon after, Russian czar Alexander I asked Montenegrins to relinquish control of Boka to Austria. However, after Montenegrins retreated to Herceg Novi, Alexander changed his mind again, and with a help of Montenegrins conquered Brač and Korčula. In the meantime, France encouraged Turkey to attack Russia, which withdrew its fleet from the Adriatic to defend the Ionian islands. The Treaty of Tilsit (1807) between Russia and France granted the control of the Bay of Kotor to France.

In 1807-1812 Turkish forces supported by France attacked Brda and Montenegro several times, but were defeated. Petar was the conceiver of a plan of forming a new Serbian Empire out of Bosnia, Serbia, Herzegovina and Montenegro with Boka, with Dubrovnik as its Imperial Capital. In 1807, he sent a letter to the Russian General of the Danube Army regarding this subject: "The Russian Czar would be recognized as the Tsar of the Serbs and the Metropolitan of Montenegro would be his assistant. The leading role in the restoration of the Serbian Empire belongs to Montenegro."

In 1813, the Montenegrin army, supported by Russia and Britain, liberated the Bay of Kotor from the French. However, at the Congress of Vienna, control of the Bay of Kotor was granted to the Austrian Empire and Montenegro's independence was not recognised.

Following this disappointment Montenegro entered very difficult times. Thousands of Montenegrins starved to death. Hundreds of Montenegrin families emigrated to Russia and Serbia.

In 1820, in the north of Montenegro, the highlanders from Morača led by Serdar Mrkoje Mijusković won a major battle against the Turkish force from Bosnia.

Petar I is also known as an author of the first Montenegrin law (1798). He was also a prolific writer, mostly of epistolar letters but also of poems such as "A Moral in Verses" (Поука у стиховима or Pouka u stihovima) and "A Poem to Karageorge" (Пјесма Карађорђу or Pjesma Karađorđu).

He was canonised as Saint Peter of Cetinje by his successor Petar II Petrović Njegoš. The Serb Orthodox Church celebrates him on October 31th, Gregorian calendar, which is October 18th in the Julian calendar.