| Danilo I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait of Danilo Petrović-Njegoš by Johann Böss, 1855 | |||||
| Prince of Montenegro | |||||
| Reign | 1852–1860 | ||||
| Predecessor | Himself(as Prince-Bishop) | ||||
| Successor | Nicholas I | ||||
| Prince-Bishop of Montenegro | |||||
| Reign | 1851–1852 | ||||
| Predecessor | Petar II | ||||
| Successor | Himself(as Prince),Nikanor Ivanović(as Bishop) | ||||
| Born | (1826-05-25)25 May 1826 Njeguši,Montenegro | ||||
| Died | 13 August 1860(1860-08-13) (aged 34) Kotor,Austrian Empire | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Princess Olga of Montenegro | ||||
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| House | Petrović-Njegoš | ||||
| Father | Stanko Petrović-Njegoš | ||||
| Mother | Krstinja Vrbica | ||||
| Religion | Serbian Orthodoxy | ||||
| Seal |  | ||||
Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš (Serbian Cyrillic:Данило I Петровић-Његош; 25 May 1826 – 13 August 1860) was the rulingPrince of Montenegro from 1851 to 1860. The beginning of his reign marked the transition of Montenegro from a traditionaltheocratic form of government (Prince-Bishopric) into a secularPrincipality.[1]
He became involved in a war with theOttoman Empire in 1852, with thePorte claiming jurisdiction in Montenegro, and the boundaries between the two countries were not defined until 1858. Danilo, with the help of his elder brother,Voivode Mirko, defeated the Ottomans atOstrog in 1853 and in theBattle of Grahovac in 1858. The town ofDanilovgrad is named after him.
WhenPetar II Petrović-Njegoš died, the Senate, under the influence ofĐorđije Petrović (the wealthiest Montenegrin at the time), proclaimed Petar's elder brotherPero Tomov as Prince (not bishop, orVladika). Nevertheless, in a brief struggle for power, Pero, who commanded the support of the Senate, lost to the much younger Danilo who had much more support among the people.
Prior to the determination of Petar's successor, after making peace between theCrmnica and Katunjani tribes, and being recognized by all of theMontenegrin clans except for the Bjelopavlići, Danilo traveled toVienna,Austrian Empire and then to theRussian Empire, supposedly to be ordained asVladika, not Prince. After Danilo returned from Russia in 1852, he took Pero and his supporters by surprise, bringing with him the endorsement fromNicholas I of Russia to become thePrince of Montenegro. Thus somewhat unexpectedly, Danilo became prince and Pero conceded defeat by returning to his position as president of the Senate.
After centuries oftheocratic rule, Danilo was the first Montenegrin secular prince who did not hold the ecclesiastical position of the Vladika. He was planning to upgrade the status of Montenegro turning it into a kingdom but did not live long enough to see his ambitions realized.
It was during Danilo's reign that Montenegro won its most important battle with Turkey and its de facto independence. His charismatic elder brother, Grand VoivodeMirko Petrović-Njegoš led a 7,500 strong army and won the crucialBattle of Grahovac against the Turks (between 7,000 and 13,000) on 1 May 1858. TheTurkish forces were routed. A considerable arsenal of war trophies was left in the Montenegrins hands, to come handy again in the final wars of independence in 1862 and 1875-1878.
This major victory had had even more diplomatic significance. The glory of Montenegrin weapons was soon immortalized in the songs and literature of all the South Slavs, in particular the Serbs in Vojvodina, then part of Austria-Hungary. Montenegrin victory forced theGreat Powers to officially demarcate the borders between Montenegro and Turkey, de facto recognizing Montenegro's centuries-long independence. In 1858, a commission of foreign powers representatives demarcated the border between Montenegro and Turkey. Montenegro gainedGrahovo, Rudine,Nikšić's Župa, more than a half ofDrobnjaci,Tušina,Uskoci,Lipovo, UpperVasojevići, and the part ofKuči and Dodoši.
Danilo sought inRussia a military ally while trying not to upset Austria. His educated and wealthy wife together with Russia's failure to live up to promise for Montenegro's international recognition of full sovereignty, heavily influenced hisFrancophile attitude. This Francophile attitude was detrimental to Danilo's relations with Russia, Austria and Serbia, who saw the good relations between Montenegro and France as a threat to their interests.
At the same time, all major European powers worked to undermine Russian influence inSoutheastern Europe, which was the strongest in Montenegro. Knowing the mood of his people, Danilo refused to compromise on the sovereignty of Montenegro averting to the extent the pressure from Europeans. At the same time, Russia was in no position to help Montenegro after suffering a defeat in theCrimean War in 1854. In the subsequentCongress of Paris in 1856, Russian government representatives did not have enough strength to support Montenegrin demands for independence and territorial enlargement. However, the Russian government replied on Danilo's memorandum "that the Russian government has always recognized Montenegro's independence and will always do so regardless of the position of other great powers".
During the trip to theSecond French Empire, Danilo received some financial help (200,000 francs annually) from France, hoping that France would ensure the formal recognition of Montenegro's sovereignty. By the same token,Napoleon III hoped that this would bring Montenegro closer to French influence to the expense of Russia. This act of Danilo earned many enemies, since it was seen by many influential Montenegrins as a betrayal of Russia. Danilo's enemies grew in numbers and included Danilo's elder brother, Grand Voivode Mirko and the president of the Senate Đorđije Petrović. The plans to organize the elimination of the Prince were coined by the Montenegrin emigration led by Stevan Perović Cuca and assisted by foreign powers. Danilo's loyals managed to assassinate Perović inConstantinople but the resistance to the Prince was not over.
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In domestic issues, Danilo was anauthoritarian ruler. As it happened, the centralization of his power contributed to development of the modern functions of the state.
Danilo used the Law ofPetar I Petrović-Njegoš as an inspiration for his own General Law of the Land from 1855 (Zakonik Danila Prvog).[2]
Danilo's Code had 95 articles and was based on the Montenegrin traditions and customs and it is considered to be the first national constitution inMontenegrin history.
It also stated rules, protected privacy and banned warring on theBay of Kotor, at that time part of the neighbouringAustro-Hungarian Empire.
Danilo organized the firstcensus inMontenegro in 1855 and ordered that all Montenegrin households be recorded. According to the census, Montenegro's population was 80,000.
Danilo established a tax plan, which was accepted by all tribes of Montenegro and the Hills except theKuči; out of fear for conflict, Danilo at first did not turn to this problem, until in 1856, when he sent his older brother, commander andVojvodaMirko Petrović-Njegoš to punish the Kuči. Some 247 people were killed, and the Kuči were thus forced to pay taxes as did othertribes of Montenegro. Another feud involved theBjelopavlići clan, but the damage was limited by giving high ranks to the rebel leaders of the clan.
There were numerous attempts of matching Danilo with eligible young women.
According to the correspondence ofVuk Vrčević withVuk Karadžić, Danilo was proposed a marriage toBaroness Anastasia Sina von Hodos und Kizdia (1838-1889), an eldest daughter of a rich Austrian banker of Greek ancestry,Simon Freiherr Sina von Hodos und Kizdia, with whom he was offered a dowry exceeding 1,000,000 florins.[3] After a failed engagement attempt, Anastasia married the German Count Viktor vonWimpffen (1834-1897).[4]
Based on the report of Louis Hyacinthe Hecquard (1814-1866), theFrench consul inSkadar, dated 15 April 1855, there were plans for Danilo to marry Princess KleopatraKarađorđević (1835-1855), second eldest daughter ofAlexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia, but the negotiations with Alexander were protracted, and before any formal response from theHouse of Karadjordjevic, Danilo I fell madly in love with Darinka Kvekić from Trieste.[5][6]
After these failed attempts, he was married on 12 January 1855 atNjeguši toDarinka Kvekić, younger daughter of banker Marko Kvekić (1786-1855) and his wife, Contessa Elisabetta Cattarina de Mircovich (Mirković) fromVenice, paternal niece of Conte Demetrio de Mircovich, owner ofVilla Farsetti.[7][8][9][10] Her father offered a dowry of 100,000 francs, plus 50,000 francs, the dowry her mother offered.[3][11] She was a cousin ofSpiridione Gopcevich and a member of a wealthyKvekić family fromTrieste. They had one daughter,Princess Olga (Cetinje, March 19, 1859 -Venice, September 21, 1896), who died unmarried and childless.
Danilo was assassinated on 13 August 1860, aged 34, as he was boarding a ship at the port ofKotor. The assassin was Todor Kadić from theBjelopavlići clan. The Prince (Knjaz)Nikola, Danilo's nephew, succeeded Danilo as the next secularPrince of Montenegro.
Prince Danilo I was buried, alongside his wife Darinka, and daughter Olga, in the chapel ofCetinje Monastery inCetinje,Montenegro.[12]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prince-Bishop of Montenegro 1851–1852 | Separation of church and state |
| Regnal titles | ||
| New creation | Prince of Montenegro 1852–1860 | Succeeded by |
| Prince-Bishopric (1696–1852) |  | |
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| Principality (1852–1910) | ||
| Kingdom (1910–1918) | ||
Heads of state of Montenegro since 1696 | ||
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 Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro(1696–1852) |  | |
 Principality of Montenegro(1852–1910) | ||
 Kingdom of Montenegro(1910–1918) | ||
 PR Montenegro / SR Montenegro(constituent republic ofFPR Yugoslavia / SFR Yugoslavia) (1945–1992) | ||
 Republic of Montenegro(constituent republic ofFR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro) (1992–2006) |
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 Montenegro(since 2006) |
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Interimpresidents are initalics | ||
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