In ancient times, the province of Zeta was called Prevala, until it received its current name after the river Zeta, which flows from Herzegovina. This province was divided into two parts, namely Upper and Lower Zeta, by the river Morača, which also originates from Herzegovina and, joining between Spuž and Podgorica, flows into the Zeta, or by its current name, the Skadar Lake.
Under the name of Upper Zeta, Montenegro was also included at that time. They always had their ruling bans inseparably, both during the reign of the Serbian emperors from the Nemanjić house and after the extinction of that imperial family; not wanting to recognize Vukašin, the regicide, as their king, they remained under the rule of their princes from the Balšić lineage, which Mavro Orbini, the Dubrovnik archimandrite, mentions. This family was then the foremost among the nobility of both Zetas, having some kinship with the Nemanjić lineage through female blood. But when the Serbs crowned Lazar Hrebeljanović as the great and autocratic prince of the Serbs, these two Zetas also joined Lazar’s side, but in such a way that their own princes governed them. – Balša or Baoš, the third prince of the Balšić house, had for a wife the daughter of the Serbian prince Lazar, named Despina. This Baoš gathered his army and went to aid his father-in-law and lord against the Turkish emperor Amurat; but on the way, he received the unfortunate news of the defeat of the Serbian army and the death of Prince Lazar at Kosovo, and he was forced to return with bitter weeping, cursing Vuk Branković for the betrayal committed against his emperor and fatherland. And so, after such a grievous fall of the Serbian empire, both Zetas remained under the rule of the aforementioned prince Baoš. His wife, having given birth to a son who was exceedingly dark-skinned, looked at him with displeasure and said: “Ah! What a black child I have borne” – and this word spread among the people, and the people began to say that the prince had a black son, who was baptised with the name Stracimir, and when he grew up, he was a man of great stature and brave character; but the name “black” remained for him, and thus his son Stefan was called Crnojević, the ruler of both Zetas. Thus, his descendants were also known by this surname.
This Stefan had three sons: Ivan, Božidar, and Andrija, called Arvanit the Brave. Stefan lived during the era of the great and glorious deeds of George Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg, to whom he sent aid against the Turks under the command of his son Božidar. The treacherous Lekë Dukagjini, along with Zaharia Amnisferi, a prince of some honour in Albania and an ally of Skanderbeg, ambushed them at a certain place and killed them both, causing great sorrow to Kastrioti and all his army, as well as to Stefan. Stefan died and was buried in the Assumption Monastery, which he had built on an island called Kom, near the aforementioned Lake Skadar, close to the fortress of Žabljak, where the seat of the lords of Zeta and Montenegro was located. He left his son Ivan Crnojević as his successor.
During the time of this Lord of Zeta and Montenegro, a certain place in Herzegovina neighbouring Montenegro was ruled by Herzog Stefan, or Stjepan, who built a fortress called Klobuk on a naturally fortified mountain in Korjenići near Trebinje. However, when the Turkish Sultan Mehmed, the conqueror of the Greek Empire, after ten years following the death of George Kastrioti, took control of Epirus and all of Albania, he turned against Prince Crnojević and Herzog Stjepan. The latter’s state was conquered in a short time; and Ivan Crnojević, after many battles at his border in the Hoti Mountains, was forced to seek help from Western states, leaving in his place the Arvanit the Brave, his brother, but did not receive help and returned back.
In such constrained circumstances, this ruler had no other hope but in God’s help, the bravery of the Montenegrin people, and the inaccessible mountains, where he built fortifications and strongholds. Seeing the people without their spiritual shepherd, he built a church in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God and a monastery in Cetinje, in the heart of Montenegro. He decreed that it should be called the Metropolitanate of Zeta, appointing Visarion as the Metropolitan, as stated in his diploma given to the same monastery, which reads as follows…
The Montenegrins, seeing their lawful Lord, that he, apart from God, had dominion solely over them and had no other thought but to lay down his life for the preservation of Montenegrin freedom, all unanimously took an oath of loyalty to their Lord. Furthermore, they established that no Montenegrin, during the time of battle with the Turks, should retreat voluntarily unless ordered by the commander; whoever would retreat from his position and flee back away from his comrades, such a person would have neither honor nor respect among the heroes ever again. Instead, he would be given women’s clothing and a distaff, and the women would chase and drive him with distaffs as a coward and a traitor to his brothers. And so, fearing the distaff more than death, each one strove to perform some outstanding act of heroism, to earn a plume and heroic glory.
Hearing of the power of this law and seeing the Montenegrin places fortified by rocky mountains and narrow passes, the Turks ceased to frequently send armies against Montenegro, having realised in many instances how difficult and dangerous it was to wage war among such mountains and with such a people, who do not wish to live without freedom. After the fall of the Serbian Empire, the people of Kotor, having surrendered to the former Venetian Republic, and at the time when Ivan Crnojević, fighting against the Turks, was forced to pledge Konavle (from Debeli Brijeg to Fratarska Dubrava) to the Republic of Dubrovnik for several thousand perpers, and when the Kotor nobility had complete hope that the Turks would subdue Ivan and Montenegro under their rule, they did not hesitate, through a certain citizen of Kotor named Družko, to poison 72 monks in the monastery on Prevlaka, a monastery that had been built by Saint Stefan the First-Crowned King of Serbia, as evidenced by the following letter…
Since Ivan-bey had taken a brief respite from the great Turkish army, he endeavoured to fortify his borders and built a small fortress above the river, which is called Obod, and thereafter it was named, as it is still called today, Crnojevića Rijeka, where the Montenegrins have a market, where ships from Turkish lands can arrive; likewise, by the same river, he built a house for printing church books, and here is a copy from the first page of an Octoechos printed in that typography during the time of his son Đurađ Crnojević…
Ivan had two nieces, the daughters of his brother Arvanit, named Maria and Angelia. He gave Maria to Radul-bey, a great duke, and Angelija to Stefan Branković, and she bore him two sons: Jovan the Despot and Archbishop Maksim. Meanwhile, Ivan-bey set out to inspect and reaffirm his borders, which he did, as this Chrysobull declares… Within his borders were the communities of Maine, Brajići, Pobori, and Grbalj, and this community then had access to the sea, and Ivan-bey had his salt pans at the bottom of the Grbaljsko Polje, from which he received income.
Ivan died, but he left behind two sons: Georgije and Stefan, who was called Staniša, and he was buried in the monastery in Cetinje, which he had built. Georgije took his father’s place as the ruler of Montenegro, while Stefan took with him several Montenegrins and went to Constantinople to ask the Turkish sultan to allow him to return to Zeta, which the Turks had occupied, and to offer to pay tribute from the land to the sultan, as the Wallachian and Moldavian lords did. However, receiving the response that this could not be done unless he converted to Islam, he was compelled to do so, fearing for his life if he did not agree. Thus, he converted to Islam, and all the Montenegrins who were in his service did the same, and he was named the second Skanderbeg. But upon returning to his homeland, feeling partly reproached by his conscience and partly by his brother and all the people, he returned again with great repentance to his former faith, and in the end, he took monastic vows, in which he passed away. The other Montenegrins who had converted to Islam remained in their respective places, adhering to the Turkish law, and unfortunately for their homeland, they multiplied, as will be seen in due course.
By all accounts, Georgije, a very wise and virtuous ruler, endeavoured with all his might to bring the aforementioned converts back to Orthodoxy, but he could achieve nothing; for once the corrupt spirit of Muhammad enters someone, it does not easily depart. This gave the Turks hope that, through these very converts, it would not be difficult for them to conquer Montenegro in due time; and thus, living in that hope, they ceased making large and frequent attacks on Montenegro. And indeed, their hope was not in vain, as will be discussed further.
Seeing the great scarcity of church books, Georgije Crnojević procured a printing press at his own expense and set it up in Rijeka Crnojevića, in the house that his late father had built for this purpose. This Georgije had a wife, Marija, from the Mucenigo family of Venice, and an estate in Italy, as well as a mansion in Jakin. His wife, having no children, and seeing both herself and her husband nearing old age, began to urge him to go to Venice to spend the rest of their lives there. Georgije, agreeing to this, ordered the gathering of the nobles, or rather the Montenegrin courtiers, and a considerable number of other people, before whom he came out and began to speak as follows:
“I cannot fully express my gratitude to you, dear nobles and always brave people, for your loyalty and dedication, which you have shown to my ancestors and to me in every situation with your courage and heroic deeds, defending your freedom and your fatherland valiantly. However, with great sorrow in my spirit, as you yourselves can see, I do not have a successor from my lineage to leave to you after my death, for my family line ends with me, who am already near the grave. Therefore, with the greatest sadness in my heart, I am compelled to inform you that I intend to go to Venice, where my wife’s relatives are, to spend there the short time that God allows us in our old age. I am not leaving you to avoid the enemy’s force, from which I have never shied away; rather, I have always laid down my life and my possessions for the sacrifice of our fatherland, and you are witnesses to all my efforts and endeavours for the common good. I am still ready to die if it can benefit the fatherland; but knowing that neither my death nor my old and weak life can bring you any benefit, I tell you my sorrowful intention. I would advise you to choose a man from among you and accept and recognize him as your ruler; but knowing that you will not agree among yourselves in the selection, for this reason, I leave in my place Metropolitan German, and after him future metropolitans, until God provides for the Serbian people in a better way. German is the common spiritual father and archpastor, and this is your common church and monastery where he resides; who, therefore, can work better and more earnestly for your good than your spiritual father? And you are his children in the Holy Spirit and the sheep of Christ’s Slavic flock, for which he is obliged, as a shepherd, to lay down his life. Consult with him and heed his advice and teachings, and I leave him the coat of arms, which our blessedly departed emperors, and after them my ancestors and I have used.”
This proclamation made by Georgije Crnojević was no less sorrowful and grievous to the Montenegrins than if they were to see their lawful ruler on his deathbed in his final breath, who also bathed his face with tears, and, having bid farewell to all the people, shortly thereafter set out for Venice, accompanied by the Metropolitan and the most distinguished Montenegrin courtiers to the city of Kotor.
Metropolitan German, upon his return from Kotor, held a council with the leaders of Montenegro, advising them to be vigilant against Turkish attacks and cunning, and similarly to avoid any provocation that might draw the Turks upon them.
Sandžak-bey, hearing that the Montenegrin Lord had gone to Venice and that Montenegro was left without its legitimate ruler, under the leadership of a single Vladika, and seeing that the aforementioned converts to Islam were multiplying in Montenegro, he began, according to Turkish custom, to use his cunning, giving orders to his subordinates that no one should dare to harm or do evil to the Montenegrins, but to raid in other directions, until they made the first move; and in the meantime, he did not cease to secretly sow discord and disunity in Montenegro through the said converts to Islam. But his cunning, and that of the Sandžak-beys who followed him, during the life of this Metropolitan German and his successors: Pavle, Vasilije, and Nikodim, could achieve nothing, for they, one after the other, did not cease to strengthen the people in unity and harmony, proving to them that all their fortune lay in that. And so these four Metropolitans, working earnestly for the good of their spiritual flock and beloved homeland, did not allow any discord or disunity among their people. Yet, despite all their efforts, they could not in any way return the domestic converts to Islam back to the Christian faith.
Metropolitan Nikodim passed away, and Montenegro was left without its archpastor and leader until the arrival of the Serbian Patriarch, who usually came to the Eparchy of the Montenegrin Metropolitan every seven years.
Seeing that Montenegro was left without leadership, the Sanjak-bey found that this was the only means by which he could, with the help of the Montenegrin converts to Islam, conquer Montenegro without bloodshed before the time of the Patriarch’s arrival in Montenegro. He also knew that the Montenegrins could not send anyone to the Turkish lands to the Patriarch to elevate him to the rank of Metropolitan. And so he bribed the aforementioned converts, especially those who lived around Rijeka Crnojevića and the fortress built by Ivan-bey. These converts, being in the closest proximity to the Turks, led the Turks into that fortress by night and took control of the market of Rijeka Crnojevića, without which the Montenegrin people could not live in any way.
After that, the following Metropolitans were in Montenegro: Rufim Boljević, Pahomije Koman, Mardarije Kornećanin, Rufim Veljekrajski, Vasilije Veljekrajski, Visarion Bajica, and Sava Kaluđerčić. This Visarion Bajica, at the invitation of the former Venetian Republic, raised the Montenegrins to assist the Venetians against the Turks; however, the Turkish force, led by Suleiman Pasha of Skadar, turned towards Montenegro, and after a fierce and very bloody battle (which took place in the year 1623), reached Cetinje and destroyed the monastery that Ivan-beg had built. This happened because Zano Grbičić, a nobleman from Kotor, whom the Republic had sent 1560 soldiers, betrayed the Montenegrins and fled to Kotor. Thus, the Montenegrins lost many of their brothers and monasteries, and they also lost their freedom by aiding the said Republic! And so, the local Montenegrin Turks remained as commanders of the market and fortress at Rijeka Crnojevića, until, with general consent, the Montenegrins elected Danilo Petrović Njegoš, against his will, as their leader and archpastor, who in the year 1700 was elevated to the archiepiscopal dignity by the late Patriarch Arsenije Čarnojević in the Hungarian town of Szentendre.
When this Metropolitan returned to his homeland, his main concern was to cleanse Montenegro of the internal Turks and restore Montenegrin freedom. Therefore, he ordered a general Montenegrin assembly to be held, where he appeared and began to speak as follows:
“Noble gentlemen, boyars, and my other Montenegrin brothers! You have chosen me against my will to be your leader and spiritual archpastor, and I reluctantly agreed out of necessity, as you well know; for I saw, on the one hand, that you would not leave me in any way, and on the other, I thought that I was obliged, as every honest man is, to offer my service to my fatherland, and here I am, by the grace of God, having accepted the yoke of the archbishopric upon myself. I also willingly accept, as much as my strength allows, all the labours and efforts for the benefit of our beloved fatherland and my spiritual flock, the rational sheep of Christ; but see what these accursed converts to Islam have done? And consider what they plan to do in the future. These are fierce and poisonous snakes, which I cannot tolerate in our bosom, and if you do not exterminate these vile followers of the depraved Muhammad, who refuse to convert, from all our land, I will not be your leader and pastor. And if you are willing to listen to me, I tell you to cleanse Montenegro of the Turkish spirit as soon as possible and to work valiantly for the restoration of your freedom.”
After this speech by Metropolitan Danilo, the Montenegrins promised to fulfil his orders, which they confirmed not only in words but also in deeds, by killing and expelling all their converts to Islam who refused to be baptised. The descendants of these people can still be found today in various places across Turkey, as well as in Montenegro among those who accepted holy baptism. Almost all of them bear Turkish surnames, such as Muhadinović, Alić, Ramadanović, Huseinović, and so on.
Seeing that Metropolitan Danilo, with God’s help, had cleansed Montenegro of the Turks, he first gave praise and thanks to God, and then began to rebuild the church and monastery destroyed by the aforementioned Suleiman Pasha, and to establish harmony and order among the people.
Montenegro never had peace, but rather a continuous war with Herzegovina, in which many times the mentioned converts to Islam, as well as other Montenegrins, took part. Thus, in the year 1706, an army from Herzegovina attacked the Montenegrin border villages, but to their misfortune, as the Montenegrins defeated them and drove them back in shame. In that battle, 157 Herzegovinians were killed, besides those who fell into Montenegrin captivity, whom the Montenegrins did not want to kill, nor for money, but rather for boars, for greater Turkish dishonour, to give them for ransom, demanding more for a higher-ranking official and less for a lower-ranking one, to which the Turks were ultimately forced to agree with great sorrow, sending as many boars as the Montenegrins demanded, about which there is also a folk song, and it goes like this…
At that time, the Russian Emperor Peter the First was at war with the Turks and the Swedes, and in his service was Count Sava Vladisalić, a native of Herzegovina, who knew Montenegro and the Metropolitan well. Seeing that Russia needed help against such great power and two fierce enemies, he informed the Emperor that Montenegro could provide significant assistance by diverting the Albanian and Herzegovinian Turks against itself. For this reason, in the year 1711, Colonel Mihailo Miloradović, also a native of Herzegovina, and Captain Ivan Lukačević, a native of Podgorica, came to Montenegro to the Metropolitan Danilo with letters. The Metropolitan received them with indescribable joy and happiness, and without any delay, he summoned the Montenegrins to a general assembly in Cetinje, where he appeared before them and began to speak:
“We, dear Montenegrin brothers, have heard that we have a Christian Emperor to the north of the world, God knows how far away, and we have always desired to know about him and his empire. However, as we are enclosed in these mountains on all sides, we could not understand anything from anyone, and it seemed to us that he, as a ruler, could not know anything about us, a small handful of people enclosed among snakes and scorpions, and that his envoys could not reach us. But today, thanks be to God, we see his envoys and have his imperial letters in our hands; envoys, I say, not strangers, but our Serbian brothers, who tell us, as the letters also announce, that it is Peter the Great, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, and that his God-blessed Empire is mightier and more extensive than any other empire in the world. He is at war with the Turks, and seeks no other glory than to liberate the churches and monasteries of Christ and to raise the True Cross upon them, and to free the Christian people from the fierce yoke and chains of the Turks. Therefore, we are obliged, and every Christian in the world, not only to pray to God constantly that He may be our Emperor’s guide, but also for each of us to prepare according to our ability, and to arm ourselves with the spirit of fearless courage and bravery against the common Christian enemy, and if we do so, we will draw closer to the Russians and the Russians to us, with God’s help, so that we will not be far from each other and God will be our helper. As we are of the same blood and language as the Russians, so let us also draw closer in neighborliness. Arm yourselves, therefore, my Montenegrin brothers, like knights, and I am ready with you to spare neither my property nor my life in the service of the pious Christian Emperor and our beloved homeland, praying to the most gracious God that, through the prayers of the most pure Mother and all the saints, He may be our helper and guide.”
Having finished this speech, the Metropolitan took and read with a joyful heart the imperial charters of the following content: (the texts of the charters follow)
After the Montenegrins understood what the imperial decrees proclaimed, and what the Metropolitan spoke, they all joyfully exclaimed in unison: “Thank God, for we have seen the envoys of the Christian Emperor among us and received his decrees! Here are our sabres at our belts, here are our rifles in our hands, and we are ready and willing to gladly fight for our Emperor!” Then, raising their hands to the heavens, they cried out: “God, support and bless our Emperor Peter the Great!” After that, they expressed their joy three times with gunfire, saying: “May our Orthodox Emperor Peter Alexeyevich, Autocrat of All Russia, be healthy and prosperous!”
Miloradović and his companion Lukačević, having convinced themselves that the Montenegrins, now joined by the Highlanders, indeed intended to wage war against the Turks, returned to Russia. And the Montenegrins, with joyful hearts, sang songs composed for the occasion to each other, and began to procure some gunpowder and lead for themselves. And so, after a short time, they armed themselves and, with their usual boldness, entered the border Turkish towns, some of which they plundered and burned, killing many Turks. In doing so, according to the wishes of the Orthodox Tsar, they disrupted the Turks in Herzegovina and Albania, preventing them from going to war against Russia.
Tsar Peter, when he made peace with the Grand Vizier on the Prut (in the year 1711), did not utter a word about the Montenegrins, as if they had not even fought for him against the Turks. – Sultan Ahmed III, being dissatisfied with the Grand Vizier for making peace with the Russian Emperor without necessity, while his army was in the greatest danger, decided to vent his anger on the Montenegrins, and immediately sent serasker Ahmed Pasha with 60,000 troops to Montenegro.
By the Sultan’s command, the serasker was supposed to be in Montenegro that same autumn; however, as winter set in early, a time when the Turks are reluctant to wage war, he abandoned the plan for then. Instead, in the following year (1712), at the beginning of spring, he arrived in Podgorica, near the Montenegrin border. When Metropolitan Danilo heard that the serasker was there with his army, he convened a meeting of the Montenegrin chieftains, revealed the serasker’s intentions to them, and together with them, quickly gathered a considerable number of Montenegrins and set out to the Mršulja river. There, they divided the army into three parts: one, under Janko Đurašković, went to the right side to ambush and hide near the Pržnik mountain; the second, under the command of Vuk Mićunović, went to the left side to conceal themselves at the top of the Vranj mountain; and the third remained with the Metropolitan in the centre to face the Turkish force. They stayed there for two days, waiting for the serasker to attack, until on the third day, they received news that the serasker had arrived at the Vlahinja river, where he was resting with his army. Upon hearing this, the Metropolitan decided not to wait for the enemy any longer and immediately, the following night, he moved his army and just before dawn, launched a surprise attack on the Turks. The Turks grabbed their weapons and resisted the Metropolitan’s army well, but at that moment, the other two Montenegrin armies emerged from their ambushes and unleashed a fierce fire on the Turks. The Turks, caught off guard by this unexpected attack, began to flee; however, in their confusion, they did not retrace their steps but instead wandered into dense and tangled forests and gorges, where the Montenegrins surrounded and heavily defeated them, so much so that even the serasker barely escaped with his life. In addition to much rich clothing and weapons, the Montenegrins captured 34 battle flags; in this battle, around 300 Montenegrins were killed, while countless Turks fell dead like leaves, and from that time, the place was called Carev Laz.
This news struck the Sultan like thunder, so he decided, no matter how many troops it would take, to subdue Montenegro once and for all; and for that reason, he sent the most notable vizier of that time, Duman Pasha Ćuprilić, with 120,000 men, who in May of 1714, arrived at the very Montenegrin border from the Herzegovinian side.
Understanding that the narrow gorges of Montenegro, through which his army must pass to carry out the Sultan’s command, are difficult to navigate, and recognizing the Montenegrins’ readiness to sacrifice their lives for their homeland, Ćuprilić decided to achieve by deceit and cunning what he could not by force. He sent a letter to the Montenegrin leaders, advising them to cease their warfare with the Turks and to seek peace, which the Sultan desired to maintain with them forever. If they agreed, they should send a few chosen men to him for negotiations, and he gave his solemn oath on his religion that no harm would come to those who came to negotiate, even if peace was not achieved. The Montenegrins, eager for a lasting peace with the Turks and trusting in the Vizier’s oath, sent 37 leaders to the Turkish camp with the knowledge of their Metropolitan. As soon as the Montenegrin leaders arrived, the treacherous Ćuprilić had them imprisoned and suddenly attacked Montenegro with all his might. Despite this unexpected betrayal, the Montenegrins bravely fought like knights the Turks. However, unable to withstand the overwhelming Turkish force, they were forced to retreat and scatter into the mountains and the Littoral. Ćuprilić’s army passed through all of Montenegro, burning many villages, churches, and even the Cetinje Monastery. He captured a large number of people, hanged the aforementioned leaders, and subjugated the Highlands to the Sultan’s rule. Proud and boastful of his deceitful success in Montenegro, although he did not conquer it nor dared to stay long, he hoped that Montenegro would not recover soon or think of waging war against the Turks again. He then descended with his army into the Doge’s state, the Littoral, where the Venetian Republic handed over the Montenegrin refugees who had sought refuge there. From there, he turned towards Albania and, joining forces with the army led by the Grand Vizier Ali Pasha, secretly attacked Morea and seized it from the Venetian Doge. This is how the Turks repaid the Venetians for betraying their Montenegrin guests!
Montenegrins, after such great suffering, sent their Metropolitan Danilo to Russia to inform Tsar Peter of all that had happened to them. Peter the Great, upon understanding the misfortune that had befallen the Montenegrins because of him, took pity on them and, praising their zeal and devotion to the Russian court, as a sign of his mercy and gratitude, sent them through the same Metropolitan church vessels, archbishop’s and priestly vestments, church books, and along with that 10,000 rubles, that is, 5,000 rubles to rebuild the destroyed churches and the Cetinje Monastery, and 5,000 rubles to be distributed to the poor, who had suffered the most during that war; he also sent 160 gold medals with the portrait of His Majesty to reward those heroes who had distinguished themselves better than others in that battle; and above all that, he decreed that every third year, 500 rubles should be given as alms to the Cetinje church, accompanying all this with two of his letters…
After the Metropolitan arrived in Montenegro from Russia in 1716, he convened the Montenegrins for an assembly, read them the imperial decree, displayed the gifts, and distributed them as the Tsar had commanded. When the border Turks heard of this, they became disheartened and began to harbour ill omens, fearing that the Montenegrins, now honoured and gifted by the Tsar of Moscow, would seek revenge for Ćuprilić’s treachery. To prevent this premonition from coming true, they decided it would be best to attack Montenegro again as soon as possible, to ravage it if they could, and thus forever suppress the spirit of vengeance in the Montenegrins. And so, in that same year, two brothers of the Čengić family, Herzegovinian pashas, along with bey Ljubović, gathered a large army from Herzegovina and Bosnia and attacked Trnjine (a village in Cuce). The villagers of Trnjine called for help, and nearby Montenegrins rushed to their aid, engaging the Turks in battle. After a long fight, the Turks turned their backs and fled; the Montenegrins pursued them, inflicting great losses and capturing both Čengić brothers, bey Ljubović, and over seventy other Turks, all of whom they brought alive to Kčevo. The Montenegrins intended to ransom these captives, but Krste, the wife of Mojaš Đukanović, the knez of Kčevo, rebuked them, saying:
“Why do you keep those Turks, why don’t you cut them down? You once wanted to ransom your brothers from Vizier Ćuprilić, but he did not give them up for ransom; instead, he killed them all. And Ćuprilić did not capture your brothers through bravery, as you have captured these Turks, but through treachery. Remember the wretched Montenegrin widows who are without their husbands! Are you not ashamed to let the Turks go for ransom?”
Convinced by these words, the Montenegrins scorned the wealth and immediately cut down the Čengićs, the Ljubovićs, and all the other Turks, thus avenging their brothers who had been killed by the treacherous Ćuprilić.
The Montenegrins, during the time of the Turkish wars, did not only help the Russians but also the Venetians; for when the latter attacked the cities of Bar (Antivari) and Ulcinj in Albania in 1717 and 1718, Metropolitan Danilo, at their request, sent over 5,000 men to assist them, who fought bravely for the Republic as if it were their own homeland. For this assistance, the Venetians expressed their gratitude in writing to the Metropolitan, and they did so because they were in need of the Montenegrins; but when they were not in need of them, not only did they forget the good deeds, but on suitable occasions, such as during the time of the Köprülü family and the era of Šćepan Mali, they endeavoured to completely exterminate the Montenegrins, preferring that Turks live in Montenegro rather than Christians of the Orthodox faith!
After several years (in 1727), Čengić Bećir-pasha, in order to avenge his relatives killed in Kčevo, gathered a large army from Herzegovina and attacked Montenegro, where he was completely defeated, and he somehow escaped on horseback, only to later be killed by the Russian army near Ochakov. – Similarly, in the year 1732, Topal Osman-pasha, appointed by Sultan Mahmud I as the beglerbey djinidver, that is, the general inspector of Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia, upon arriving in Albania, raised a powerful army from Macedonia and Albania and sent it against the Pipers, who had again rebelled against the Turks and joined with Montenegro. The Pipers, aided by the Kučs, met the Turkish army, fought them, and thoroughly defeated them. The people recount a miracle that occurred before the armies clashed, namely that the Christian army saw a man on a white horse, resembling the great martyr George, who so terrified the Turks that even Topal Osman-pasha fled from Podgorica to Albania and later perished in a campaign against the Persians…
In the year 1765, when Metropolitan Vasilije was staying in Petersburg, where he passed away in 1766, a certain vagabond, originally from Kranjska, came to Montenegro. Under the guise of a doctor, he traveled all over Montenegro, observed the customs and way of life of the people, and became convinced of the strong love and unwavering loyalty of the Montenegrins to the Russian throne. He then returned to Mahine, in the Littoral. After staying there for some time, he devised a plan to become the ruler of Montenegro. Thus, in 1767, he came back to Montenegro and proclaimed himself to be Peter III, the Russian Tsar, telling the people that he had fled from Russia due to some rebellions and had come here, that the rebellions in Russia would soon be quelled, and that he would return to his kingdom with glory, and that his arrival here would bring great fortune to the Montenegrins. The people, in their simplicity, accepted all this as truth and recognized the so-called Tsar Peter as their ruler. He, pretending that if rebels from Russia were to seek him, he could more easily hide, abandoned the imperial name and called himself Šćepan Mali.
Metropolitan Sava began advising the Montenegrins not to believe that Šćepan Mali was the Russian Tsar, as the Russian Tsar Peter III had long been dead and his wife Catherine II had ascended the throne. Shortly thereafter, Prince Dolgorukov, sent by the Russian court, arrived and announced to the people that Šćepan Mali was nothing but an impostor who should be expelled from Montenegro. However, this did not help at all; the people remained steadfast in their belief that Šćepan Mali was the Tsar, indeed the Russian Tsar. Moreover, all the Highlands once again united with the Montenegrins and recognized Šćepan Mali as their lord. When Šćepan Mali saw that the people truly respected him as the Russian Tsar, he then assumed the imperial dignity, convened an assembly, and strictly ordered that everyone must reconcile and mutually forgive each other for any grievances, wounds, or killings. As he commanded, so it was done. Immediately thereafter, he gathered the Montenegrin leaders and went with them to the Stanjevići Monastery, where Metropolitan Sava resided. To show him that Šćepan Mali was indeed the Russian Tsar, he had him imprisoned, dispersed all the monks, and ordered all the monastery’s livestock to be slaughtered, thereby demonstrating his powerful authority over the people.
Šćepan Mali would harshly fine the Montenegrins and Highlanders for the slightest offence, and from these fines, he would only support his own officials; for murders, he would begin to hang the perpetrators. In order to eradicate theft among the people, he placed 10 ducats by the roadside, in view of Kotor, and they remained there for several days, with no one daring to touch them. In short, our so-called Tsar Petar instilled such fear and obedience to authority among the people as had never before been seen in Montenegro.
The Venetians, although they knew who and what Šćepan Mali was, were still displeased that he proclaimed himself the Russian Tsar. Therefore, they wrote to the Sultan, reproaching him for how he could indifferently watch as a handful of Montenegrins and Highlanders opposed his mighty power. They added that the Montenegrins and Highlanders had already appointed a tsar for themselves, who might soon take Herzegovina and Bosnia from him, and in time, could easily restore the Serbian Empire and deprive the Sultan of his most beautiful lands. When Sultan Mustafa III heard this, he ordered 180,000 troops to march on Montenegro, led by three viziers. Thus, by the Sultan’s order, in the year 1768, around mid-August, the Bosnian and Rumelian viziers arrived with their army in Kčevo, burning Bjelopavlići, Pješivci, Bjelice, and many other Montenegrin tribes; while the Skadar vizier Mehmed Pasha penetrated Crnica and set it ablaze.
It is true that the Montenegrins bravely fought the Turks everywhere, but what could 10,000 Montenegrins and Highlanders do against the Turkish force? And even if they could compensate for the small size of their army with bravery, they suffered a great shortage of ammunition, which the Venetians not only prohibited but also, to prevent any Montenegrin from escaping the Turkish sword into the Doge’s state, they had stationed their own army along the entire Montenegro from Grahovo to Turkish Albania. – Šćepan Mali, fearing for his life, hid somewhere, and the Turks began to demand from the Montenegrins to hand him over by any means; the Montenegrins, pitying Šćepan Mali, replied that he had died fighting the Turks; and to more easily convince the Turks of Šćepan’s death, they handed over his horse and thus saved Šćepan Mali’s life. Meanwhile, on November 2nd, lightning struck the Doge’s army near the town of Budva, and another struck the army of the Skadar vizier in Crmnica on the same day, and thus, frightened by the sky, both armies fled without looking back. With this fortune, another even greater one came to the Montenegrins, as they captured the Turkish ammunition that was going to the viziers in Kčevo. Hearing what had happened to the army of the Skadar vizier and the Venetian army, and that the Turkish ammunition had fallen into Montenegrin hands, and with winter already approaching, the viziers fled from Kčevo, and the Montenegrins pursued them and fiercely defeated them. Thus, Montenegro remained autonomous as always, while the Highlands, out of necessity, came under Turkish rule, and they no longer wanted to know about Šćepan Mali, who lived for another four years, although without any respect from the people.
In the year 1774, the Kučs once again broke away from the Turks, and the Vizier of Scutari, Mehmed Pasha Bushatli, with 30,000 troops, attacked them in the month of May, ravaged and plundered them, but lost more than 1,000 men.
In the year 1785, Mahmut Pasha Bushatli, the Vizier of Scutari, having raised an entire army from Albania, crossed over the Lješan and Rijeka nahiye and, in the month of June, came to Cetinje, where he plundered and burned the monastery. Likewise, he plundered and burned the tribes in the Katun nahiye: Kčevo, Velestovo, Bjelicas, Ćeklićs, and Bjelošas, and from Njegušs he took 1,700 gold coins as tribute, then went over Lovćen and through Paštrovićs and returned again to Albania. All of this Bushatli did without difficulty and without the loss of his army, because at that time Metropolitan Petar Petrović, who had become the ruler of Montenegro in 1782 after the death of Metropolitan Sava, was in Russia, and moreover, three or four Montenegrin chieftains were on Bushatli’s side or, to be precise, they were the ones who brought him into Montenegro and were the cause of all this misfortune.
The meeting of Catherine the Great with Joseph II in Kherson (in 1787) was not at all pleasing to the Turkish court; moreover, it considered it a step towards the destruction of its rule in Europe. The Divan, feeling insulted by this, and furthermore instigated by the English side, dared (on August 24) to declare war on Russia, in which Austria, as Russia’s ally, also had to participate. Both allied courts decided to send their people to Montenegro to persuade the Montenegrins to wage war against the surrounding Turks and thus divide the Turkish forces. Indeed, (in January 1788) Major Filip Vuksanović arrived with 400 soldiers, bringing with him a considerable amount of money and a letter from Emperor Joseph, which letter we transcribe here word for word…
The people, understanding from Emperor Joseph’s letter his benevolent intentions – to liberate Christians from the Turkish yoke – joyfully received Vuksanović and promised him that they would strike against Turkish lands. However, Metropolitan Petar Petrović was not inclined to wage war against the Turks, for, being a man of perceptive mind, he foresaw that when the emperors make peace, the Montenegrins would draw the Turkish army upon themselves, just as they had done so many times before by aiding others. Meanwhile, Colonel Tutolmin arrived with a letter from Empress Catherine II and a recommendation to incite the Montenegrins against the Turks. The Metropolitan, along with the spiritual and secular leaders, and all other Montenegrins, upon seeing the letter from the Pious Empress, received the envoy in the most gracious manner and with joyful hearts each promised to direct their forces and weapons against the common enemy of Christianity. Seeing that his recommendation was fulfilled as desired, Tutolmin returned to his homeland, leaving the Montenegrins with the greatest mandate to follow the letter of the Pious Empress, and thereafter to expect her great benefactions, which she promised in her letter…
Afterwards, Major Vuksanović immediately sent out letters all over Montenegro and the Highlands, which were then under Turkish control, calling upon the people to take up arms and fight against the Turks. He promised rewards to the heroes and independence from the Turkish court to all the people.
To the abbot of Ostrog (in Bjelopavlićs), he wrote as follows:
“Now or never, father! Urge the Highlanders to cut down the Turks: I swear to you by God, it will be better for them, for there is no deceit. And as I have plenty of everything, thank God, if the Montenegrins and Highlanders unite, all of Christendom would turn to us and we would accomplish everything with God’s help. Now, father, you can make your days completely happy and honourable; for, I swear to you by God, everything I wish for myself I will do for you, just do not miss this opportunity, but, if you can, set a day for us to strike at Spuž or Podgorica; if God grants that we take it, you will receive a hundred gold coins, and the Highlanders a great gift. Whoever brings me the head of Mećikukić (the Spuž commander) will have another hundred gold coins, and you will also receive a great gift. Do as God guides you and give me an answer.”
To Pipers, in a letter, he says:
“You can see from the letter of Mr. Vladika Petar the harmony and unity of the two most powerful courts and the strength that God and these same courts send to everyone who believes in Christ, without you understanding that I, thank God, have brought enough from the honourable Imperial Crown until now. This will be a hundred times more for those who faithfully serve God and these two courts, which do not hesitate to spend wealth for your redemption and to shed the blood of all subjects. Therefore, knights! Here is an opportunity that neither has been nor will be while the world exists; this wealth that I have, I intend to share equally with all the faithful. By God’s faith, whoever is the better hero will receive a better gift. – You have so far given enough help to the Turkish faith by force, but now, without any trouble, rise up to dig out the barbarian beast; we can easily do this this morning, when the Turks have no help, and we, thank God, have plenty of everything, and more of us than the Turks; and do not think, by God’s faith, that it is a deception, and as long as I live, I will not leave you. And when there is peace, these two empires will make a firm peace for you as well as for themselves. Rise, if you want good for yourselves and to have a day like others. See that you do not regret it, and God be with you.”
Montenegrins and Highlanders, seeing the grand promises in the letters of Vuksanović, immediately armed themselves and, having received a small amount of gunpowder from him, surrounded Spuž with those 400 soldiers. However, not having cannons or any other military equipment for taking the town, they could not do anything to it. Vuksanović did not even seek that; he was satisfied when he saw that the Turks and Montenegrins indeed quarreled, and amidst this, he skillfully and easily withdrew his soldiers (on August 22) and went back to where he had come from.
When the allied courts made peace with the Ottoman Porte in 1791, each looked out for their own interests as best they could, leaving the Montenegrins with their perpetual war and mutual hatred with the Turks, and additionally, the wrath and fury of Kara-Mahmud Bushatli, the vizier of Albania. He had long since rebelled against his sultan and made himself the autocratic ruler of his homeland and a great enemy of the Montenegrins, especially since the Highlands had begun to defect and come under the Metropolitan’s rule! Therefore, he began secretly preparing to gather an army. Hearing of this, the Metropolitan wrote to him, asking him to refrain from waging war on Montenegro and the Highlands. To this, Kara-Mahmud replied that he was not gathering an army against Montenegro but only against the Highlands, which had defected, and he advised the Metropolitan not to aid the Highlanders or allow them to flee to Montenegro, for if he helped the Highlanders, he would pursue both them and those who aided them with “fierce, fierce Albania.” When the Metropolitan saw that Kara-Mahmud indeed intended to attack the Highlands, he wrote back to him as follows:
“Do not tell me not to help the Highlanders and not to let them into Montenegro, for that is against my law and my soul. The Highlanders are my brothers just like the Montenegrins. As for your fierce Albania, I see that you rely on your own strength; but remember that true strength lies only with God, to whom we surrender and pray for help. You know how much harm and shame you have inflicted upon the Montenegrins, and how you burned and destroyed my church and monastery in Cetinje while I was on my trip in Russia. Yet, I had forgotten all that and did good to you despite the evil, when trouble came upon you from the emperor, and I did not let the Montenegrins go against you. Now I ask you again, leave the poor Highlanders alone, so that true blood is not shed. If you do not, thanks be to God! We will defend ourselves from your strength and assault with God’s help as long as one of us remains.”
Ever since Vukasović left Montenegro, the Metropolitan had been contemplating this most important matter: if indeed the Vizier were to march on Montenegro or the Highlands, with what would he meet him. Having no money, he sent Emperor Joseph the archbishop’s mitre, asking him to give him ammunition in exchange for it. This mitre had been gifted by the blessed memory of Elizaveta Petrovna, the Russian Empress, to Metropolitan Vasilije; and when he passed away in St. Petersburg, the mitre was sent to Montenegro to Metropolitan Sava. As a sign of imperial grace, it was precious and worth more than it was appraised. Thus, in 1790, Leopold II, since Joseph II had already passed into eternity, sent about 300 barrels of gunpowder and distributed it accordingly, instructing that it should not be spared in the fight against the Turk, the common enemy and persecutor of Christianity.
In the year 1796, in the middle of summer, Kara-Mahmut raised an army against the Highlands to conquer and ravage them first, so that his rear would be secure from them when he later marched on Montenegro. All the Highlands, except for Kučs, secretly sent their deputies to ask the Metropolitan and the Montenegrins for help. They willingly promised it with this oath:
“We, the leaders and elders, and you, the assembly of Montenegro, being gathered today in one place, hearing and seeing that the Turks are preparing and readying with all their might and strength against us and our brethren from the Highlands, working and yearning according to their perpetual cunning custom and hatred against Christianity, by public or secret means, to destroy us and subject us to eternal servitude and misery. Therefore, understanding and thinking of all those misfortunes that have befallen our Slavic-Serbian people due to betrayal and discord, we all unanimously said and decided and firmly established with an oath, kissing the honourable and life-giving cross of Christ our Lord and Savior and the Holy Gospel, that we all want to fight and strive with all our strength and might against the common Christian enemy for the Orthodox faith and for the holy faith and for our precious freedom and our will and for our beloved fatherland, for our churches and monasteries and for our wives and children, so that we would not allow upon ourselves and our descendants the heavy and harsh yoke of the infidel, from which we have defended ourselves until this time, with the supreme help of the almighty God, following the example and model of our blessed departed parents and ancestors, with our own weapons from the time of the fall of our Serbian empire and later from the time of our last prince and lord Ivan Crnojević. And as we justly and honourably swear, so may God help us in everything. Amen! Amen! Amen!”
The next day after that oath, the Metropolitan set out with several Montenegrins and made camp on the left side of the Zeta River, at a place called Slatina. In a few days, the rest of the Montenegrins and Highlanders arrived there, about 8,000 men in total, while Kara-Mahmut with 20,000 troops was already positioned under the hill of Visočica, above the town of Spuž, and two hours away from the Metropolitan’s camp. Thus, for nine days, both armies stood facing each other without engaging in battle, until on the tenth day (July 11), the Turks began the fight. The Metropolitan’s army fought bravely and by evening, after a bloody battle, chased them through the village of Martinovići and into Spuž. That day, 23 Montenegrins and Highlanders fell, and 26 were wounded; among the Turks, 67 prominent lords, aghas, and beys were killed, and more than 1,500 soldiers, not counting the many wounded, and even Kara-Mahmut Pasha himself, wounded, barely escaped with his life.
The Vizier of Skadar, having quickly recovered from his wound and wishing to erase the shame before his subordinates, once again gathered up to 40,000 troops and, at the beginning of autumn that same year, marched on Doljani. When these tidings reached the Metropolitan, he sent out letters all over Montenegro to gather the army and defend against the enemy; however, only the Katun people came, about 400 men, with whom the Metropolitan (on the 9th of September) set out from Cetinje and arrived at Vučji Studenac that evening. In a few days, up to 4,000 more Katun people gathered there, and in the meantime, the Vizier advanced with his army to Sitnica. The Highlanders did not dare to come or join the Katun people, as the Bjelopavlićs thought the Vizier would attack them, and the Pipers were convinced he would attack them, as indeed the Vizier had sent 2,000 men against each to prevent them from aiding the Montenegrins. The Kučs, partly bribed and partly intimidated by the Turks, did not assist the Metropolitan but rather the Vizier. The Metropolitan’s army (on the 22nd of September) moved to Busovnik, where he, with his archpastoral words, urged them not to regret dying for the Orthodox faith and their homeland. At that time, the Vizier attacked Kruse, a village in the Lješan nahiye, where the Lješan people, along with a few other Montenegrins, bravely confronted him; however, unable to withstand such a large Turkish force, they were forced to retreat, and the Turks burned the village and the church. Immediately afterward, the Turks attacked the Metropolitan’s army, which also had to retreat a little. The Metropolitan once again encouraged his army, inspiring them with the victory and glory of Martinićs, which awaited them if they resisted the Turks. Indeed, the Katun people immediately charged at the Turks; after a fierce battle, the Turks turned their backs, and at that moment, the Rijeka and Crnica nahiyes joined in, and together with the Katun people, they pursued and completely defeated the Turkish army. The battle lasted three hours, in which up to 2,000 Turks were killed, and even the Vizier Mahmut was beheaded, whose head is still kept in the monastery in Cetinje to this day. On the Metropolitan’s side, 23 men were left dead on the battlefield…
