Everything about Petar Ii Petrovi -njego totally explained
Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (
Serbian Cyrillic: Петар II Петровић-Његош) was a
Serbian Orthodox Prince-Bishop (
Serbian: Владика,
Vladika) of
Montenegro and a ruler who transformed Montenegro from a
theocracy into a secular state. However, he's most famous as a
poet and is considered by many to be among the greatest poets of the
Serbian language. The first notable writer from Montenegro, his notable works include
The Mountain Wreath (
Serbian: Горски вијенац or Gorski vijenac), the
Light of Microcosm (Луча микрокозма or
Luča mikrokozma), the
Serbian Mirror (Огледало српско or
Ogledalo srpsko), and
False Tsar Stephen the Little (Лажни цар Шћепан Мали or
Lažni car Šćepan Mali).
Life
Birth and early age
Radivoje "Rade" Tomov Petrović 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 Petrović-Njegoš - a dynasty that served as the Prince-Bishops of Montenegro for over a century. At the time of his birth, Montenegro didn't exist as a modern state. The borders of its territory were undefined and Montenegro wasn't recognized as independent from the
Ottoman Empire, while its
de jure ruler was a
Venetian-imposed
Governor. Power actually lay with the squabbling, disunited
clan chiefs, who variously recognised the authority of the
Austrian Empire, the
Republic of Venice, the
Ottoman Empire or the
Cetinje Metropolitan (Prince-Bishop).
Education and nomination
Njegoš spent his early years in
Njeguši. In
1825, when his uncle Prince-Bishop
Peter I sent him to the
monastery of Cetinje as his successor to be tutored by a
monk, Misail Cvetković and the Prince-Bishop's secretary, Jakoov Cek. He wrote his first poems there, which he used to entertain the local chiefs and monks. The most famous of them were
satirical. In the middle of the year, Radivoje was dispatched to the
Topla monastery near
Herceg Novi, where he was taught
Italian,
mathematics, ecclesiastical singing, the
Psalter and another subject at the monastery's
hieromonk, Josip Tropović. He often attended the ecclesiastical services in the nearby
Savina monastery, dedicated to
Saint Sava. He remained in Tople until the end of
1826, when he returned to
Montenegro's capital,
Cetinje.
On
20 January 1827, Prince-Bishop Petar I nominated Radivoje as his successor instead of Đorđije Savov, who went to the
Russian Empire and became a
cavalry officer. Petar wanted to dispatch Njegoš 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-Bishop assigned one of the greatest
Serb writers of the time,
Sima Milutinović Sarajlija (of
Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of the
Ottoman Empire) to be Radivoje's new teacher. He was taught the
Classics,
art,
history,
philosophy and
literature.
In
1829, Rade gave Sima numerous national poems he collected. The most famous was the song of the
National Spirit about the war between the
Russian Empress Catherine II and the
Ottoman Sultan.
Ruler of Montenegro
Rade became the
Bishop 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:
» I make and pronounce my nephew Rade Tomov Perović my heir, governor and guardian of everything mine and Church's, who I hope shall be a man of work and wisdom, as much as blessed Heavenly Father wished to grant him with, and whom to God, our Emperor and to Montenegrins and Highlanders I recommend with all my heart and soul.
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:
» It seems to me I've cried all I could. Only because I realised that of crying there's no use, but only damage and peril to my eyes, but still my dolorous heart doesn't let my stop the tears I'm shedding for my father and benefactor. Firstly, because I lost the benefactor's gracefulness, secondly, because the people have lost its pastor and defender who was an unshaken bastion of Christian faith and freedom, and a loyal fatherland's defender and a hesitant ally to the Russian throne up to his last words, which he spoke to me on his death bed. I asked him: "Lord, I see you're dying, but what shall I do now?" And he sat up on his bedding, and began talking to me: "I can not help you with anything now, but hear these last words from me: pray to God and stick to Russia."
Prince-Bishop Radivoje took over the leadership over seven
Serb clans:
Katun (clan),
Lješ,
Rijeka Crnojevića,
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-Bishop Rade wrote a letter to Jeremija Gagić regarding the Governor's rebellion:
» Another great headache(concern) got me. Our mister Governor Vukolaj Radonjić went to the Kotor area, to (start an) upheaval, without anyone knowing but completely willfully, wherefore he met with some Venetian general and other Venetians, intending to hand them over Montenegro and put it under their patronage, thinking that without any malice that after Vladika's death there are no sons of the Petrovic dynasty in Montenegro and allies of glorious Russia.
At the National Assembly held on
17 November 1831, Vukolaj Radonjić was deposed from his office as the Governor of Montenegro and replaced by
Sima Milutinović, Rade's old teacher.
On
31 January 1831 on the island of
Kom in the
Monastery of
Vranjina, the
Archbishop of
Rascia-
Prizren declared him as the official Archimandrite. Radivoj received the name
Petar II in his predecessor's honour. Prince-Bishop 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.
The two arrived to Montenegro in September the same year and on 27 September brought the decision on assembling the governmental infrastructure in Montenegro. A
Senate was formed, headed by the Prince-Bishop 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 these reforms (in
Serbian):
» ...imam čest Vama objaviti kako se Crnogorci nahode u soglasiju među sobom isti kako su bili ovoga prošloga vremena od kako je blaženopočivšeg mitropolita zavješčanije proglašeno, ali sada je suviše stavljeno upravlenije narodnje, koje upravlenije sostovlja 180 ljudih, iz kojijeh su 16 sovjetnici (senatori), a 164 ispolnitelji (polizia), koje sluša narod dobro i kako je dužnost narodnja svoje starije slušati i sobom odabranima povinovat se. Mene se raduje srdce i duša kada ja viđu moje otečestvo tako složno i kada viđu toliko njihovo počitanije k našemu carju i blagodjetelju i k njihovijema starješinama i glavarima, ali kakva će mi jošt i ovo radost biti kada viđu moje otečestvo đe napreduje u naukama i procvjetava prosvješčenijem i kada ga viđu da počne izlezati svoje prosvješčene i vjerne sinove, koji će ga umjeti braniti ne samo oružjem nego i perom umnim.
Ivan Vukotić became the first President of the Senate, while Mateja Vučevićević became its 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 the canon law. Prince-Bishop Petar II later formed Captains to monitor the
Serb clans in his domain as well as the
Grenadiers(
Perjanici) - the
Prince-
Bishop's personal elite guard. He also formed a special Border Militia (
Serbian:
Panduri or Пандури) to patrol the borders of
Montenegro.
Up to
1832, Petar fully cancelled governorship, 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
Serb clans - his own representatives in the
Clans.
Prince-Bishop Petar II wanted to raise Montenegro's international prestige. In order to achieve that, he visited the
Russian Czardom in
1833, after a brief stop in
Vienna, where he was accepted into
Ecclesiastical service as
Prince-
Bishop of
Montenegro in
Saint Petersburg, the
Empire's capital. In
1833, just before his journey to
Serbia,
Serbian Orthodox Christian Bishop of
Užice gifted him
Danica of
Vuk Karadžić from 1826.
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):
» Crnogorci kad ono viteški
Žabljak tvrdi turski pohаrаšе, » onda mene starca zarobiše,
na Cetinje srpsko dоnеsоšе.
In
1836, he paid 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 uncle
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 couldn't 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
Lesandro 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, Prince-Bishop 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-Bishop 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-Bishop 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.
Major works
The Mountain Wreath
The Ray of the Microcosm
Pseudo Tsar Stephen the Small
Serbian Mirror
Other works
Legacy
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 Tower of Đurišić and 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)
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