Montenegro - History

[Soldier of Macedon]

http://www.visit-montenegro.com/cities-bar-c.htm

In that legend among other things, it is said that love between Vladimir and Kosara- the daughter of the Macedonian King Samuilo, was unusual. Namely, during the Samuilo`s attack on the area known as Precista Krajinska, where the capital of the state Duklja was placed, Prince Vladimir former ruler, in order to save his people he voluntarily surrendered himself to Samuilo. Vladimir was immediately imprisoned, but not long after Samuilo`s daughter Kosara falls in love with Vladimir, so the Prince of Duklja is being released. Vladimir and Kosara stay in marriage until the year 1014, when after Samuilo`s death, the Macedonian throne falls into hands of Jovan Vladislav. Considering the fact that Prince Vladimir independently ruled Duklja, he immediately fell in disfavor of the new Macedonian emperor Vladislav, who tricked him into death in the year of 1016. Still, the appearance of Prince Vladimir, later a saint, is interesting also because of the fact that the cult of St. Vladimir of Duklja is cherished even today, so in the June procession that is organized up to the mountain Rumija, on which according to the tradition there used to be the church of St. Vladimir, believers of all three confessions participate: Orthodox, Catholics ad Muslims. On that day on the top of the mountain a wooden cross is being carried, which according to a legend Prince Vladimir had on him during the execution. Vladimir`s cross is being preserved as the greatest relic in Androvic brotherhood in the Old Bar.

For the data about Prince and St. Vladimir of Duklja, merit goes to Byzantium historian Jovan Sikilica, who at one time wrote that the “blessed Prince Vladimir of Duklja, was just, peace-loving man, full of virtues” so that the cult of St. Vladimir beside in Duklja was respected in Dalmatia, Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Good for you Montenegro.

I have read about this interesting story many times before, how the Macedonian princess fell in love with a Montenegrin prince, and Samoil, for the love of his daughter, after having him imprisoned, then releases him and allows them to be together.

The man appears to have had a good heart, although he was responsible for the death of close family members, this could likely be because they rivalled or plotted against him......

[Rogi]

Macedonia and Montenegro are very close...they actually have real respect for Macedonians.

Macedonians also make up most of the working population in some of Montenegro's tourist hotspots, like Budva (which is very beautiful, by the way!)

[Dimko-piperkata]

great find !

[Pelister]

I had never heard of Jovan Vladislav as A Macedonian King.

The first thing that came to my mind was Macedonian Royalty. Is it possible a Montenegrin or even a Macedonian can claim descent?

Great find SoM.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Not sure what happened to their descendants.

The Montenegrins recognize the Macedonian character of Samuel and his empire, and we recognize the Montenegrin contribution to their own society. The Montenegrins have a rich warrior tradition, they would surely retain many Illyrian customs, and it is refreshing to see that they accept history from a pragmatic and realistic viewpoint, as opposed to the rest of our neighbours. Needless to say, it was Montenegro, and not Serbia, that kept the candle of freedom for the Illyrian Slavs alight during the Ottoman era, the way they were duped by the Serbs later is also a sad chapter in the autonomous history of the Montenegrins.

[Mr. MASO]

YouTube - Macedonians in Montenegrin sources

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pelister]

There we have it.

Macedonian royal blood is found in Montengrin royalty.

That is brilliant.

[Rogi]

I haven't watched the video yet, but what I have read was that Samuil's daughter married into the Montenegrin royalty, I think that's where the connection between the royal families began.

It's also the same connection to the Queen of England, as their daughter (Samuil's granddaughter) married into that Royal family and so on.

[Pelister]

I haven't watched the video yet, but what I have read was that Samuil's daughter married into the Montenegrin royalty, I think that's where the connection between the royal families began.

It's also the same connection to the Queen of England, as their daughter (Samuil's granddaughter) married into that Royal family and so on.

I have never heard of that.

Are there any references to this marriage?

[Rogi]

Samuil’s daughter, Theodora Kosara married Jovan Vladimir.

Theodora Kosara and Jovan Vladimir had a daughter, who married Stefan Vojslav, prince of Zeta (Montengro).


Stefan Vojslav and his wife (grandaughter of Samuil) had a son, Mihailo I of Duklja.
He would be Samuil's great-grandson.


Now, look at the family tree of the House of Vojislavljević

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Vojislavljevi%C4%87#Family_Tree

Find Mihailo I (as mentioned above) on the tree and you'll see how from his root there is a connection to all Royal families in Europe.

[Rogi]

This is what Donski's book is about too, and the basis for the claim that the Queen of England has a Macedonian connection (albeit very, very tiny).

[Soldier of Macedon]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Rebellion

[Soldier of Macedon]

Doesn't look like the Montenegrins were always cosy with the Serbs.

[Soldier of Macedon]

http://www.macedoniantruth.org/2008/04/08/macedonians-mentioned-in-a-montenegrin-memorandum-to-the-league-of-nations-1924/

Monday, Sep. 22, 1924
Appeal

M. Luigi Criscuolo, head of the Manhattan Branch of the Committee for Montenegrin Independence, sent a memorandum to the League of Nations at Geneva requesting justice from that body for Montenegro, forcibly annexed by Yugo-Slavia in 1921.

Points from the memorandum:

Nearly six years have elapsed since the question of the independence of Montenegro was first brought to the attention of the nations of the world.

There is no abatement in the practice of the Serbs in imprisoning, torturing and murdering Montenegrin men, in mistreating and even violating women, in persecuting old men merely because they have refused to swear allegiance to the new Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and persist in maintaining that they are Montenegrins and that the sovereign rights of their country shall not be violated.

The ostensible object of the League of Nations is to prevent wars. For years, those who sympathized with the aspirations of the Montenegrin people have been pointing out to the world that the inhuman policy of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes towards its minorities would only lead to another struggle in the Balkans. The attitude of the Croatian separatists under M. Stefan Radich, of the Macedonian insurgents under Alexandrov, of the Montenegrin insurgents under the late Savo Raspopovich gives proof that the spark exists that can kindle another war, if it be not extinguished. The League of Nations is hereby petitioned to appoint a Commission to investigate the condition of the minorities in the Balkans— in Montenegro in particular—in order to ascertain the truth of the assertions which we have made, and with a view of conducting an impartial plebiscite in Montenegro at the earliest possible moment. If it is possible for small nations to be forcibly annexed by large ones and no objection is forthcoming from an international tribunal such as is the League of Nations, then this is proof that civilization is declining rather than advancing. There is no one question that would inspire more faith in the League of Nations and gain for it many thousands of adherents and supporters than an immediate solution of the question of Montenegrin independence. This is particularly so in the United States, where the question has been brought to the attention of the American public and has received srong support— by the press of the country which, while realizing the almost hopelessness of the fight, has, nevertheless, in many instances maintained that the forcible annexation of Montenegro by Serbia was a crime against humanity as well as against International Law.

—An overstatement. While various sections of the U. S. press have from time to time published letters and articles on the plight of Montenegro, it is untrue to say that any paper has given “strong support.”

What would have been had countries like Macedonia, Montenegro and Croatia prevailed during this period rather than wolves like Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania.

[Soldier of Macedon]

http://forum.cafemontenegro.com/showthread.php?t=14008

And something from a Montenegrin forum, sounds interesting.

Duklja (Doclea), the first Montenegrin state under the first dynasty, the Vojislavljevic

The thousand-year history of the Montenegrin state begins in the ninth century with the emergence of Duklja, a vassal state of Byzantium. In those formative years, Duklja was ruled by the Vojislavljevic dynasty, the first Montenegrin dynasty. In 1042, at the end of his 25-year rule, King Vojislav won a decisive battle near Bar against Byzantium, and Duklja became independent. Duklja's power and prosperity reached their zenith under King Vojislav's son, King Mihailo (1046-81), and his son King Bodin (1081-1101).

As King Nikola I Petrovic of Montenegro declared in 1910: "Deep are the foundations of this renewed kingdom of ours. They descend to the old Zetan kings Vojislav, Mihailo and Bodin. Time had been destroying only what had been on this earth, but not what had been built into it, what had been planted in the hearts of the freedom-loving mountaineers of these mountains. And this no strongman could destroy. We started building on those deep foundations. And today, here is our old kingdom glistening under the heavenly sun!" (Glas Crnogorca, August 19, 1910).

The territory of Duklja comprised much of the southern Adriatic coast, most of present-day Montenegro, Skadar Lake, the town of Skodra and parts of present-day northern Albania. In the west, it included present-day Herzegovina, with its border about 50 kilometers west of the Neretva River.

The people of Duklja "were the oldest ancestors of Montenegrins. That people, in the feudal sense, was a particular mix of Illyrians, Romans and Slavs, synthesized under the name -- the Dukljans." (Dragoje Zivkovic, Istorija crnogorskog naroda, Cetinje, 1989, p.134).

The Dukljans were predominantly Catholics. The population also included Bogomils (members of a Bosnian Christian sect which originated in Macedonia) and pagans, but these faiths gradually disappeared under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church. The conversion to Orthodox Christianity began only after the fall of the Vojislavljevic dynasty, in the 12th century.

Mihailo received royal insignia from the Pope, and the image of King Mihailo with his crown is still found in the Church of St. Mihailo in Ston, a town in the Peljesac peninsula (in present-day Croatia). In a letter from 1077, the Pope refers to him as "Michaeli Sclavorum Regi" (Mihailo, King of Slavs). Recognizing Mihailo as a king, the Pope also considered his request that Duklja's bishopric in Bar be raised to an archbishopric. This request was challenged by the rival archbishoprics in Dubrovnik and Split.
But on January 8, 1089, the Pope issued a bull to Mihailo's son King Bodin raising the Bar bishopric to the status of archbishopric, with ten subordinated bishoprics and Archbishop Petar as head.

Following Mihailo's death around 1081 and a brief power struggle among his heirs, his son Bodin became king. Bodin fought the Byzantines and Normans and took the town of Durachium. He established vassal states in Bosnia (under Stefan) and Raska (under Vukan and Marko), which recognized his supremacy. After Bodin's death (around 1101), incessant struggles for power among his heirs weakened the state. These struggles culminated in the rise to power of pro-Raska rulers in Duklja. The rise of Raska under its ruler Stefan Nemanja (around 1166) thus led to the subordination of Duklja and the end of the first period of the Montenegrin state.

Nemanja's conquest of Duklja - or Zeta, as it was referred to from the 11th century on -ended with its incorporation into Raska. Nemanja destroyed entire towns in Zeta that never subsequently recovered. He persecuted the Bogomils and expelled the Greeks from Zeta, burning local churches and books. Pavel Rovinski, one of the most knowledgeable 19th-century historians of Montenegro, notes that "in burning books, there was no discrimination, whether they were religious, historical, geographic, literary or descriptions of nature" (Crna Gora u proslosti i sadasnjosti, Cetinje, 1993, p.279). Nemanja started forcefully converting Zeta's population to Orthodox Christianity - this in a country where "there was not one Orthodox priest. And when he consolidated his power in Zeta, the Greeks had already been expelled" (Rovinski, p. 281).

Despite the massive destruction during Nemanja's conquest, Zeta was culturally and economically one of the most advanced parts of Raska (Serbia). And Zetans constantly struggled to maintain and increase their autonomy. When the Serbian kingdom started crumbling in the mid-14th century, Zeta increasingly asserted its sovereignty.
It regained its independence under the second Montenegrin dynasty, the Balsic, which came to power in 1356.