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Montenegrins
Црногорци
Crnogorci

Total population
c. 560,000[a]
Regions with significant populations
Montenegro 278,865[1]
Turkey	100,000 (2014)[2]
United States	40,000 (2014)[2]
Serbia	38,527 (2011)[2]
Argentina	30,000 (2001)[2]
Germany	25–30,000[2]
France	30,000[3]
Luxembourg	12,000 (2001)[2]
Bosnia and Herzegovina	10,071 (1991)[4]
Chile	7,000 (2015)[5]
Croatia	4,517 (2011)[6]
Canada	2,970 (2011)[7]
Macedonia	2,686 (2002)[8]
Slovenia	2,667 (2002)[9]
Bolivia	1,500–2000 (2017)[10]
Australia	1,554 (2013)[11]
Albania	366 (2011)[12]
Languages
Montenegrin, Serbian
Religion
Predominantly Eastern Orthodoxy (Montenegrin Orthodox Church, Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral),[13] with a Catholic and Muslim minority
Related ethnic groups
Other South Slavs
a The total figure is merely a sum of all the referenced populations listed.

Montenegrins (Montenegrin and/or Serbian: Црногорци/Crnogorci, pronounced [tsr̩nǒɡoːrtsi] or [tsr̩noɡǒːrtsi]), literally "People of the Black Mountain", are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Montenegro. Migrant communities exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, United States, Argentina, Germany, Luxembourg, Chile, Canada, and Australia.

Identity and population

Slavs have lived in the area of Montenegro since the 6th and 7th centuries in the medieval state of Doclea. Montenegro (Serbian and/or Montenegrin: Crna Gora; literally translates as “Black Mountain”) got its present name during the rule of the Crnojević dynasty in 15th century. Since the end of the 17th century, Montenegro existed as a de facto independent country, first as a theocratic Prince-Bishopric (1694-1852), then as a secular Principality (1852-1910) and finally as a Kingdom (1910-1918). After the end of World War I, Montenegro was illegally annexed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, thus losing its statehood, which caused the Christmas Uprising of 1919, between supporters of Petrović-Njegoš dynasty and Montenegrin nationhood and proponents of unification with Serbia under the Karađorđević dynasty, who considered Montenegrins a mere subgroup of Serbs. After the World War II, Montenegro regained its identity, becoming one of the six constituent republics of the SFR Yugoslavia, and Montenegrins were recognised as a nation once again. Following the collapse of socialism in Yugoslavia, a portion of Montenegrins began to declare as Serbs, while the largest proportion of citizens of Montenegro preserved their Montenegrin self-identification. This has deepened further since the movement for full Montenegrin independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began to gain ground in 1991, while full independence was regained after the 2006 referendum.

In the 2011 census, around 280,000 or 44.98% of the population of Montenegro identified themselves as ethnic Montenegrins, while around 180,000 or 28.73% identified themselves as Serbs. The number of "Montenegrins", "Serbs" and "Bosniaks" fluctuates from census to census, not due to real demographic changes, but due to changes in how people self-identify nationally. According to the Serbian 2002 census, there are around 70,000 ethnic Montenegrins in Serbia, accounting for 0.92% of its population. In addition, a significant number of Serbs in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are of Montenegrin ancestry, but exact numbers are difficult to assess – the inhabitants of Montenegro contributed greatly to the repopulation of a depopulated Serbia after two rebellions against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century^{[citation needed]}. On 19 October 2007 Montenegro adopted a new Constitution which proclaimed Montenegrin (a standardized variety of former Serbo-Croatian) as the official language of Montenegro.

The term "Montenegrins" in a wider sense also denotes all the residents of Montenegro, regardless of their national and religious affiliation.

History

Middle Ages

Slavs settled in the Balkans during the 6th and 7th centuries. According to De Administrando Imperio, there existed three Slavic polities on the territory of Montenegro: Duklja, roughly corresponding to the southern half; Travunia, the west; and Serbia (or Rascia), the north. Duklja emerged as an independent state during the 11th century, initially held by the Vojislavljević dynasty, later to be incorporated into the state of the Nemanjić dynasty.

By forming the first Serbian country under the rule of Časlav Klonimirović, with the center in the old town of Ras, all these areas belong to Serbian territory by conquest. By strengthening of the coastal Duklja and the noble family of Vojislavljević, in the beginning of the 11th century, they took power from Vlastimirovic dynasty, and soon after that, in 1077, Prince Mihailo Vojislavljević got the crown from the Pope and proclaimed the Kingdom of Duklja, with the center in the city of Bar.

With the descent of Vojislavljević dynasty, the nobleman, Zavid Vukanović, from Ribnica near Podgorica, a cousin of Vojislavljević dynasy on a female line, gets four sons. His youngest son, Stefan Nemanja, will later become the Grand Prince of the new Great Serbia, and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church among all Serbs. He moves to the city of Ras, where he overthrows (and kills) his eldest brother, Tihomir, in 1169, and declares himself to the Grand Prince of Raska. After his proclamation, the last Prince/King of Duklja, Mihailo Vojislavljević, dies, and Stefan Nemanja joins Duklja and Raska, and soon he returns the rest of the lands from the period of Prince Časlav Klonimirović and King Mihailo Vojislavljević. From the reign of Stefan Nemanja to the fall of the Serbian medieval state, Duklja, or already Zeta, was a part of the united Great Serbia. Throughout the period of Nemanjić dynasty, Crnojević dynasty became a noble family, and later on the line of Crnojević was replaced by the noble family of Balsici, originating from France, who remain on the throne of the Zeta, or even then Montenegro until the fall of the Serbian state in 1459.

The region previously known as Duklja later became known as "Zeta". Between 1276 and 1309, Serbian queen Helen of Anjou, the widow of the Serbian King Uroš I, ruled Zeta, where she built and restored several monasteries, most notably the Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Srđ and Vakh) on the Bojana river below Skadar (Shkodër). The Venetian name Montenegro, meaning "black mountain" occurred for the first time in the charter of St. Nicholas' monastery in Vranjina, dating to 1296, during Jelena's reign. Under King Stefan Milutin (reigned 1282-1321), at the beginning of the 14th century, the Archdiocese in Bar was the biggest feudal domain in Zeta.

In the late 14th century, southern Montenegro (Zeta) came under the rule of the Balšić noble family, then the Crnojević noble family, and by the 15th century, Zeta was more often referred to as Crna Gora (Venetian: monte negro). In 1496, the Ottomans conquered Zeta and subsequently established a sanjak that was subordinated to the Sanjak of Scutari. Ottoman influence remained largely limited to urban areas, while various tribes in the highlands emerged as districts out of reach of the Ottomans. These tribes were at times united against the Ottomans, under the leadership of the Metropolitans of Montenegro, the so-called "prince-bishops".

19th century

Proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš

With the arrival of the Turks, because of the inaccessibility of the terrain, and because of the lack of interest of the Ottomans for the "Montenegrin karst and fracture"(inaccessible terrain), the tribes in Montenegro enjoyed more than autonomy, and less than independence, but even this did not prevent the Montenegrin tribes from raising various revolts against Turkish conquest . The people were divided into tribes, and shortly thereafter bloody accounts of "brotherly" tribes turned bloody. The most serious causes of these accidents were the lack of food in the then-Montenegro, and the few resources were left, were taken away by the Turks, and the conflicts were inevitable. At the beginning of the 18th century. From then on, to Prince Danilo Petrovic, Montenegrins are under the theocratic rule of the Petrović dynasty. Due to the impossibility of approach, due to the terrain of Montenegro, Bishop Petar I Petrović Njegoš cursed the tribes he was ruling, using their piety to inspire unity, and thus attempted to prevent the further slaughter of the fraternal people. After his death in 1830, Petar of Cetinje was buried in the monastery of the in Cetinje and was proclaimed a saint.

Flag of Principality of Montenegro

His adopted son Petar II Petrović Njegoš ruled from 1830 until 1851. It is recorded as one of the greatest educators of the Serbian people in general. He wrote one of the most important works of the romantic epoch "Mountain Wreath"(regarded as one of the artistic foundations of Serbian nationalism), and he was also credited with bringing the final look of a Montenegrin hat, which is decorated with a black frame and represents the crown, more precisely, sorrow for the slavery of the Serbian people under Ottoman yoke. The top of the cap is red, symbolizing blood, where 5 golden threads are engraved, which signify 5 centuries of slavery under the Turks. Within these golden threads there is a "Cross" with four Cyrillic letters (scores) S.

Flag of the Kingdom of Montenegro

He ruled as a Bishop, but he also stood firm to see that Montenegro must be modernized. He built schools, roads, raised the Church, expanded the capital of Cetinje. After his death and funeral, the son of Prince Danilo Petrovic changed the state into secular creation. Since then, Kniazdom(Principality) of Montenegro was no longer a theocratic, but a secular monarchy. This led to the opinion of the Turkish court that this change can lead to a major change in Montenegro, and a desire for "independence". In 1852, Omer-pasha sent a large army against the Montenegrins. A small Montenegrin army led by Prince Nikola's brother, Duke(Voevoda) Mirko, defended 30 remaining fighters in the monastery of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, Ostrog for 9 days. This is taken as the greatest heroic force of the people in those areas. One year later, Omer-pasha again tried to conquer Montenegro , but with the great heroism of Vojvoda Mirko, the Montenegrins performed the greatest victory over the Ottomans in the new century, after which Montenegro gained essential autonomy, the highest degree to independence, and a few decades later, full independence. Prince Danilo dies in 1860, and Danilo's adoptive son came to the throne, biological son of Vojvode Mirko, Nikola Petrovic. He remained remembered in the Montenegro as the greatest ruler, precisely because he was the first modern-day King of Montenegro. He is of great importance for the Montenegrin people in general, because he has fought against the Turkish empire in the territory of Montenegro, Herzegovina and Bosnia, and the people often called him "Emperor of the Heroes". Already immediately after coming to power, a war for the liberation of the Montenegrin people in Herzegovina started in 1862, in which Principality of Montenegro entered, but later it turned out that she entered extremely unprepared and soon after that peace was made. After returning from Russia, the then emperor Alexander II enlightened him, and immediately upon his arrival he began to work hard for the urbanization of the country. He revised the army completely, built many courts and schools, and Montenegro began to look like a European state. In 1876, with the Principality of Serbia and the Obrenović dynasty, he started a war, in history known as "War for the Liberation of the Serbian People".

A couple of years before the war, Prince Nikola Petrovic with the Serbian prince Mihailo Obrenovic made an alliance in Venice, where beside the military alliance, a contract was signed on the dynastic heritage of the new future unified joint state. It was said that the plan is for Serbia to go back to its historical borders (On the management of the Empire) from the Timok River to the Una peak. The Montenegrin federal unit would be an integral part of the new common state, and in it Petrović dynasty would have the title of the princes, while the Obrenović dynasty would wear a royal crown. The Montenegrins performed great victories, and by the end of the war at the Berlin Congress in 1878, the Principality of Montenegro received recognized independence, and became an internationally recognized state. This act raised the then two Serbian states to the ranks of independence, and it meant encouragement for all Serbs to completely resist the Turkish occupation in all Serbian countries. After the war, Prince Nikola wrote all his famous works, and the most famous work is the folk anthem "Onamo' namo! ", According to many, the most beautiful Serbian song about Kosovo. In 1910, then Prince Nikola, with the permission of the great powers of the Kingdom of Serbia and King Peter, proclaimed another Serbian kingdom in the Balkans: the Kingdom of Montenegro. The flag of the new state has become a flagrant national flag (a Serbian tricolor with the coat of arms of Petrović-Njegos dynasty), while with the old flag, it is equally used in the people and the popular "crusader" flag of Montenegrins. Knjazevina(Principality) of Montenegro, with the address of Russia, announces the war on Japan. Naturally, the participation of Montenegrins in this war was more symbolic, as the gratitude of Montenegro to Russia for generous help. In the Balkan Wars, the Kingdom of Montenegro and the Kingdom of Serbia participated in the liberation battles in the old Serbia (Kosovo, Metohija and Novopazarski sandzak) and Macedonia. Thus, a common border was established between the two new-age "Serb" states, and the dream of King Nikola about the liberation of the "Serbian cradle"(Kosovo) was realized. At the beginning of the First World War, Montenegro immediately declared war on Austria-Hungary, after Serbia, but in 1916 it had to capitulate after all forces held a rally on the direction of Serbian withdrawal through Albania. After the passage of the Serbian government and the king, the crushed Montenegrin army sacrificed itself for the future of the Serbian state. King Nikola, already ill and in years, had to leave his homeland. He went to France, where he passed away.

The Montenegrins maintained their independence from the Ottoman Empire during the Ottoman's reign over most of the Balkan region (Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc.). The Montenegrins were gathered around the Metropolitans of the Cetinje Metropolitanate, which led to further national awakening of the Montenegrins all around. The creation of a theocratic state and its advancement into a secular and independent country was even more evident in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

The rule of the House of Petrović in the 18th and 19th century unified the Montenegrins and established strong ties with Russia and later with Serbia (under Ottoman occupation), with occasional help from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That period was marked by numerous battles with Turkish conquerors as well as by a firmer establishment of a self-governed principality.

In 1878, the Congress of Berlin recognised Montenegro as the 26th independent state in the world. Montenegro participated in the Balkan Wars of 1911–1912, as well as in World War I on the side of the Allies.

Yugoslav era

After the liberation of the Serbian and other Yugoslav(South Slavic) peoples, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is proclaimed, but the "Venetian Agreement" between the then Prince Nikola and Prince Mihail Obrenovic was breached. With theunification with the Kingdom of Serbia, Montenegro was to have autonomy under the prince's dynasty Petrović-Njegoš. Due to this act, the Montenegrin public is divided on two sides. The first, majority party, better known as Bjelaši("The Whites"), advocate unconditional unification with the Serbian Kingdom and the Karađorđević dynasty, while Zelenshi("The Greens"), in a minority, advocate a conditional union that would respect the Venice Treaty. In Podgorica on October 26, 1918, at the Podgorica Assembly, unanimously voted that Montenegro unconditionally joins Serbia, losing every aspect of preconceived autonomy. Due to this decision, the few Greenpeaks are persecuted, and they are bloody suppressed in the coming years of the common state. In 1929, with the proclamation of the Zeta Banovina with its headquarters in Podgorica, the territory of the former Montenegro with eastern Herzegovina and Metohija gained autonomy in the form of banovina, and the ruler of the region became a ban, whom the king personally poses. King Alexander Karadjordjevic ordered the construction of a chapel in Lovcen in 1925, and the remains of, as many would say, "the wisest Serb" of Petar II Petrović Njegoš were transferred there by a grandiose ceremony. At the beginning of the Second World War, the army in the Zeta Banovina area made great success against the Italian occupation of the army, expelling the Italian army to Shkodra to Albania. There are stories that Yugoslav officers, after the news of the capitulation of the army and the common state, shot themselves in the head because they thought they were released. After the breakup of a common Yugoslav state, Montenegro gets a puppet government led by Sekula Drljević, who will be expelled from the country later.

Montenegro unconditionally joined Serbia on November 26, 1918 in a controversial decision of the Podgorica Assembly, and soon afterwards became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed as Yugoslavia. A number of Montenegrin chieftains, disappointed by the effective disappearance of Montenegro, which they perceived to have resulted from political manipulation, rose up in arms during January 1919 in an uprising known as the Christmas Rebellion, which was crushed in a severe, comprehensive military campaign in 1922–23. Annexation of the Kingdom of Montenegro on November 13, 1918 gained international recognition only at the Conference of Ambassadors in Paris, held on July 13, 1922.^[14] In 1929 the newly renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia was reorganised into provinces (banovine) one of which, Zeta Banovina, encompassed the old Kingdom of Montenegro and had Cetinje as its administrative center.

Between the two world wars, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia opposed the Yugoslav monarchy and its unification policy, and supported Montenegrin autonomy, gaining considerable support in Montenegro. During World War II, many Montenegrins joined the Yugoslav partisan forces, although the portion joining the chetniks was also significant. One third of all officers in the partisan army were Montenegrins. They also gave a disproportionate number of highest-ranked party officials and generals. During WWII Italy occupied Montenegro (in 1941) and annexed to the Kingdom of Italy the area of Kotor, where there was a small Roman community (descendants from the populations of the renaissance Albania Veneta).

When the second Yugoslavia was formed in 1945, the Communists who led the Partisans during the war formed the new régime. They recognised, sanctioned and fostered a national identity of Montenegrins as a people distinct from the Serbs and other South Slavs. The number of people who were registered as Montenegrins in Montenegro was 90% in 1948; it has been dropping since, to 62% in 1991. With the rise of Serbian nationalism in the late 80's the number of citizens who declared themselves Montenegrin dropped sharply from 61.7%, in the 1991 census, to 43.16% in 2003. For a detailed overview of these trends, see the Demographic history of Montenegro.

After the end of the Second World War, the official position of the Montenegrin assembly is: The Montenegrin nation is the clearest ethnic group among the Serbs.^[15] The Yugoslav state recognized Montenegrins as a separate nation, different from Serbs and other Slavs, and gave them their own statistical code at the 1948 population census, where about 90% of Montenegrin citizens declared themselves Montenegrins.

During communism in the new SFRY, the flag of the SR of Montenegro was identical with the flag of the SR of Serbia, where it was a Serbian tricolor with a five-pointed in the middle, while the Coat of Arms was a tower by the sea, surrounded by a wreath, wrapped with a Serbian tricolor. By introducing standards for the new Montenegrin nation, the people of Montenegro were confused, but it was explained that the Montenegrin nation was "the purest among the Serbs", and the entire people of Montenegro (predominantly the Orthodox part) wrote themselves as Montenegrins, not imagining it would mean later separation from Serbian ethnos and Serbian culture and literacy.

Initially, after the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, the idea of a distinct Montenegrin identity has been taken over by independence-minded Montenegrins. The ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) (reformed communists), led by the prime minister Milo Đukanović and the president Momir Bulatović, was firmly allied with Slobodan Milošević throughout this period and opposed such movements.

During the recent Bosnian War and Croatian War (1991–1995) Montenegro participated with its police and paramilitary forces in the attacks on Dubrovnik and Bosnian towns along with Serbian troops. It conducted persecutions against Bosniak refugees who were arrested by the Montenegrin police and transported to Serb camps in Foča, where they were executed.^[16]

Seeking independence

At the beginning of the Yugoslav crisis in the 1990s, the JNA army was trying to prevent the break up of Yugoslavia by military attacks. Part of the army from the then SR of Montenegro is attacking Herzegovina and Dubrovnik, and keeps Dubrovnik under siege for almost eight months. In this period, the Montenegrins have an old sense of national affiliation, and at a referendum almost 100% of the respondents who voted on the referendum declare that they want to stay in the new state the neighborhood of Serbia and Montenegro, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During the siege of Dubrovnik, the Serbian (Montenegrin) paramilitary formation invents the saying: "From Lovcen a fairy salutes, where are you Serbian Dubrovnik!" (Serbian: "Са Ловћена вила кличе, ђе си српски Дубровниче!"), which has been taken many times as a verse with a negative connotation, because of the city being besieged for so much time. After the abolition of communism and the creation of a new state, the federal unit of the Republic of Montenegro receives a new flag and the coat-of-arms, where the flag was a classic Montenegrin national flag (a Serbian tricolor with blue color), while the coat of arms of the Coat of Arms is taken from the historical emblem of Petrović. Then, the great fighters for the joint FRY, Momir Bulatovic and Milo Djukanovic, together with Slobodan Milosevic, rule the state union. The paths of Milo Djukanovic and Momir Bulatovic diverge before the start of the NATO aggression against the FRY, and Milo Djukanovic begins to drastically change attitudes, starting from the very political attitudes, and afterwards both national and religious. After the fall of Slobodan Milosevic, Montenegro is increasingly moving away from Serbia, and in 2003, the lower house of Parliament in Podgorica, with Milo Djukanovic as president, is seeking the amendment of the Constitution. The Constitution is changing, and the Federal Unit of Montenegro 3 years after the change of the Constitution (2006) can issue a referendum on independence. In 1997 a full-blown rift occurred within DPS, and Đukanović's faction won over Bulatović's, who formed a new Socialist People's Party of Montenegro (SNP). The DPS distanced itself from Milošević and gradually took over the independence idea from the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro and the SDP, and has won all elections since. In the fall of 1999, shortly after the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the Đukanović-led Montenegrin leadership came out with a platform for the re-definition of relations within the federation that called for more Montenegrin involvement in the areas of defence and foreign policy, though the platform fell short of pushing for independence. After Milošević's overthrow on October 5, 2000, Đukanović for the first time came out in support of full independence and succeeded in his quest by winning a vote on independence on 21 May 2006.

When the referendum was announced, independence was obtained by a narrow majority, so narrow that even foreign media sought a revision of the referendum. Since the proclamation of independence, the policy of making a new nation is even more intensified in Montenegro.

Controversy about Montenegrin ethnic identity

Montenegro was part of medieval Serbia during 12th, 13th and first half of the 14th century. Ottoman conquest of the Balkans resulted in separation from Serbia and the re-emergence of Zeta. In the 19th century national romanticism among the South Slavs fueled the desire for re-unification.

The ethnic composition in the 18th century was clear among the Slavs;

• In a letter to Justinian Bert in 1756, Montenegrin chieftains said: "We are of the Orthodox Christian faith and law of the Eastern Church, of the honorable and glorious Slav-Serb kin".


• Jovan Stefanov Balevic, of the Bratonožić clan, who later became a major in the Russian army, wrote "A brief and objective description of the present state of Montenegro"^[17] in St. Petersburg in 1757, where it said: "All inhabitants of Montenegro are ethnically Serbs and confessionally Orthodox. As they are incompetent in some skills, because of their lack of school, they are naturally capable, especially with weapons."; "The number of Montenegrin warriors who live free on the peaks of Montenegro, called by Turks disobedient, does not exceed 5000."; "There are no artisans and schools in Montenegro except at the Cetinje monastery, within the archbishop's residence, where priests learn reading and writing in the Slav-Serb language, which is financed by the archbishop."; "Montenegrins count among themselves neighbouring Slav-Serbs of different provenience: Kuci, Bratonozici, Donji and Gornji Vasojevici, Piperi, Rovcani, Moracani, Bjelopavlici, who are Serbian Orthodox but Ottoman citizens. They, also, count Roman Catholics: Hoti, Klimenti, Grudi, Tuzi, Skrivali, Huzi, Maltezi, Kastrati and others who outnumber Montenegrins.^[18]"
  


• Metropolitan Sava called his people, the Montenegrins, by the "Serbian nation" (1766).


• In June 1789, Montenegrin Chieftains, wrote to Russian Empress Katarina II, in the name of the entire Serb Montenegrin community: "We Serbs Montenegrins hope that we shall not be left without help" and "If we could have organization and munition, we would liberate our glorious Serb lands entirely from the Barbarian yoke (Ottoman Empire), together with our armed Serb brothers who aim to attack this enemy from all sides.


• The 1909 official census was undertaken by the authorities of the Principality of Montenegro.^[19] Ethnicity was decided according to the mother tongue and religion, the official languagebeing the Serbian language:^[19] Total: 317,856 inhabitants. By language:
  
  
  
  • 
    Serbs: ~95%^[19]
    
  
  
  • others mostly Albanian^[19] By religion:
  
  
  • 
    Orthodox Christians: 94.38%^[19]
    
  
  
  • 
    others (mostly Muslims)^[19]
    
  
  
  
  

• During Petar I Petrović Njegoš's reign, the basic textbook in state schools was called "The Serb elementary reading book". Another edition was published during Petar II Petrović Njegoš's rule;


• King Nicholas said: "Who isn't loyal to Montenegrinism, he won't be accepted by God and people"


• During the reign of Danilo II Petrovic Njegos, the pupils had classes in Serbian Grammar; Serbian History; and Slavic History.


• The geography syllabus at the College of Theology consisted of "studying the Serb lands independent, subjugated and occupied as well as the main cities, places and villages in the entire Slavhood".


• The geography textbook for the 3rd grade of elementary school, in 1911, said:

In Montenegro live only true and pure Serbs who speak the Serbian language... Besides Montenegro there are more Serb lands in which our Serb brothers live... Some of them are as free as we are and some are subjugated to foreigners.^[20][...] Each Serb in Montenegro is obligated to love his entire Fatherland, all Serb lands - in which our free and unfree Serb brothers are living.^[21]"

• The 1909 census, undertaken by the Principality of Montenegro, recorded that 95% of the population spoke Serbian and followed the Orthodox Christian faith.

Present situation

The political rift in late 1990s caused the Montenegrin/Serb ethnic issue to resurface.

Montenegrins in Montenegro according to the 1991 census

Ethnic structure of Montenegro by municipalities 2011.

Religious structure of Montenegro by municipalities 2011.

Montenegrins in Vojvodina, Serbia (2002 census)

After 2006, the Serbian language was changed in schools, and replaced by "Mother language", and in 2011, it was named "Montenegrin language" in schools, which is still not recognized as a separate language in the world, and most of the Montenegrin population does not call the "Montenegrin language" as their first language. After the proclamation of independence of Kosovo, in Podgorica and throughout Montenegro there were spontaneous protests of citizens on the streets, and the largest protest came after the recognition of Kosovo by the Government of Montenegro. A large number of people came to the streets, and even the government was asked to call a referendum on recognition of Kosovo. In 2011, the percentage of declared Montenegrins was 44.98%, of which 44.98%, even 66.29% (184 866) speak Montenegrin as native^[22]. Only 26.82% (74,806) of ethnic Montenegrins declared themselves to speak Serbian. A large part of the Montenegrins are listed on the list as "Montenegrins of the Serbian faith". Such statistic begs the question how do Montenegrins consider themselves to speak in Serbian, whether as a separate nation or as part of Serbian ethnicity. According to the last census (2011), the declared Serbs in Montenegro were 28.73%. Montenegrins and Serbs together account for 73.71% of the population of Montenegro. Due to such statistics and the disagreements among the people, the national question, and the issue of the Montenegrin nation is still unresolved. It is said that such a division of the people always existed in Montenegro only during the time of communism, the support of the new state was obtained by the "Montenegrin strain", and before that, the Serbian side received support.

Regarding the issue of independence of Montenegro, voted on a referendum in 2006, the population was roughly divided between ethnic Montenegrins (Orthodox, Muslim, and Catholic), Bosniaks, Croats, and Albanians on one side, and ethnic Serbs on the other.^{[citation needed]}

Various notable people in Montenegro supported Montenegrin independence and acknowledged the right of citizens in Montenegro to declare themselves as ethnic Montenegrins. Noted supporters of independence include current Prime Minister Milo Đukanović and the Speaker of Montenegro's Parliament Ranko Krivokapić. Of the minorities, these include the historical scientist Šerbo Rastoder, a Bosniak from Berane, and don Branko Sbutega (d. 2006), a Croat Roman Catholic priest from Kotor, and the journalist Esad Kočan, of Bosniak descent.

A number of notable individuals declaring as ethnic Montenegrins include famous football players Dejan Savićević, Predrag Mijatović, Stevan Jovetić and Mirko Vučinić; politicians Slavko Perović, Filip Vujanović, and Jusuf Kalamperović (declared as a Montenegrin who professes Islam); comedians Branko Babović, Sekula Drljević, the popular folk singer Sako Polumenta, the former world kick-boxing champion Samir Usenagić, actor Žarko Laušević, fashion model Marija Vujović, members of the rock group Perper, Miraš Dedeić, and former President of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marović.

A number of Montenegrins living outside Montenegro, primarily in Serbia, still maintain Montenegrin folklore, family ties and clan affiliation. They remain Montenegrins by these standards, yet at censa they declare themselves mostly as Serbs. Some have risen to high cultural, economic and political positions. Slobodan Milošević, the Serbian nationalist and President of FR Yugoslavia, was of Montenegrin descent, the first generation of his family to be born in Serbia. His daughter, Marija Milošević declares Montenegrin ethnicity, as did his late brother Borislav, former ambassador to Russia.

Other prominent Serbs having ancestry from what is today Montenegro include the Serbian language reformer Vuk Karadžić, revolutionary leader Karađorđe (paternally), the wartime leader of the Bosnian Serbs Radovan Karadžić,^[23] former President of Serbia Boris Tadić,^[24] crime boss and warlord Željko Ražnatović-Arkan (paternally),^[25] the famous poet and writer Matija Bećković, editor-in-chief of high circulation Večernje novosti daily Manojlo Vukotić, the former basketball star Žarko Paspalj, the BIA chief Rade Bulatović, former Serbian Interior Minister Dragan Jočić,^[26] the Serbian constitutional court president Slobodan Vučetić.^[26]

Language

Montenegrins speak Montenegrin, a Ijekavian variant of the Shtokavian dialect of the pluricentric Serbo-Croatian language. Neo-shtokavian Eastern-Herzegovinian sub-dialect is spoken in the North-West (largest city Niksic), and old shtokavian Zeta subdialect is spoken in the rest of Montenegro, including capitals Podgorica and Cetinje, and eastern Sanjak.

The Zeta dialect features additional sounds: a voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative (/ɕ/), voiced alveolo-palatal fricative *(/ʑ/, (occurring in other jekavian dialects as well) and a voiced alveolar affricate (dz, shared with other old-štokavian dialects). Both subdialects are charactericized by highly specific accents (shared with other old-štokavian dialects) and several "hyper-ijekavisms" (i.e. nijesam, where the rest of shtokavian area uses nisam) and "hyper-iotations" (đevojka for djevojka, đeca for djeca etc.) (these features, especially the hyper-iotation, are more prominent in Zeta subdialect), that are common in all Montenegrin vernaculars.

On sociolinguistic level, the language has been classified as a dialect of Serbian, being previously a dialect of Serbo-Croatian. The Montenegrin constitution currently defines Montenegrin as the official language. Since the campaign for independence, a movement for recognition of the Montenegrin language as separate from Serbian has emerged, finding the basis for separate language identity mostly in above-mentioned dialectal specifics. The current pro-independence government did not particularly embrace the movement, but did not oppose it either; trying to overcome the situation, the language school classes were renamed from "Serbian language" to "native language", with fierce opposition from pro-Serbian circles. In the 2011 census, 42.88% of Montenegrin citizens stated that they speak the Serbian language, while 36.97% stated that they speak Montenegrin.

Religion

Most declared Montenegrins are Orthodox Christians, predominantly belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church, the rest belonging to the uncanonical Montenegrin Orthodox Church.

According to the census, people that declared Montenegrin ethnicity declared the following religious identity:

• Eastern Orthodoxy(almost exclusively members of the SOC): 246,733 (88.48%)


• 
  Sunni Islam: 12,758 (4.57%)


• 
  Atheism: 5,867 (2.10%)


• Roman Catholicism: 5,667 (2.03%)

Culture

Male folk costume from Montenegro

The most important dimension of Montenegrin culture is the ethic ideal of Čojstvo i Junaštvo, roughly translated as "Humanity and Bravery". Another result of its centuries long warrior history, is the unwritten code of Chivalry that Marko Miljanov, one of the most famous warriors in his time, tried to describe in his book Primjeri Čojstva i Junaštva (Examples of Humanity and Bravery) at the end of 19th century. Its main principles stipulate that to deserve a true respect of its people, a warrior has to show virtues of integrity, dignity, humility, self-sacrifice for the just cause if necessary, respect for others, and Rectitude along with the bravery. In the old days of battle, it resulted in Montenegrins fighting to the death, since being captured was considered the greatest shame.

It is still very much engraved, to a greater or lesser extent, on every Montenegrin's ethical belief system and it is essential in order to truly understand them. Coming from non-warrior backgrounds, most other South-Slavic nations never fully grasped its meaning, resulting in reactions which ranged from totally ignoring it, in the best case, to mocking it and equating it with backwardness.

Most of extraordinary examples of Montenegrin conduct during its long history can be traced to the code. Its importance is also reflected in the generally very low level of religiousness in the Montenegrin population. It is probably fair to say that the ethical beliefs of Montenegrins more closely match those of Stoicism than those of Christianity.

Montenegrins' long-standing history of fighting for independence is invariably linked with strong traditions of folk epic poetry. A prominent feature of Montenegrin culture is the gusle, a one-stringed instrument played by a story-teller who sings or recites stories of heroes and battles in decasyllabic verse. These traditions are stronger in the northern parts of the country and are also shared with people in eastern Herzegovina, western Serbia, northern Albania and central Dalmatia.

On the substratum of folk epic poetry, poets like Petar II Petrović Njegoš, the Montenegrin icon, have created their own expression. Njegoš's epic book Gorski Vijenac (The Mountain Wreath) presents the central point of Montenegrin culture.

On the other hand, Adriatic cities like Herceg-Novi, Kotor and Budva had strong trade and maritime tradition, and presented an entry-point for Venetian, Ragusan and other Catholic influences. Possession of those cities often changed, but their population was basically a mixture of people with Orthodox and Catholic religions and traditions. These cities were incorporated into Montenegro only after the fall of Austria-Hungary. In those cities, stronger influences of medieval and renaissance architecture, painting, and lyric poetry can be found.

Anthropology

Vlahović (2008) noted many anthropological studies which showed that Montenegrin people have strong Dinaric type (with seaboard, central, Durmitor, mountain and other subtypes) autochthonous on the Dinaric Alps since the Mesolithic period. Dinaric people, including Montenegrins, are the tallest people in the world. The type, particularly in Montenegro, is distinguished by brachiochepal shape, broad forehead, wide relief and strong face, wide jaw and noticeably flat notched head, while arms and legs are proportional to the body height. Hair is commonly of black color, with black or blue eyes.^[27]

Anthropologist Božina Ivanović considered that the development of the Montenegrin Dinaric variety was influenced by gracilization and brachycephalization; they have characteristics which were not found in other Slavic and non-Slavic European populations, nor morphological properties from paleo-anthropological series originating from the Slavic necropolis from other South Slavic area. Also, the brachycephalization and width of the face in the last five centuries is growing in Montenegrin, while among other Slavic and European communities decreasing, showing anthropological issues in Montenegro have deeper roots and broader scientific importance.^[27] Montenegrin historian Dragoje Živković (1989) noted that modern multidisciplinary research disagrees with older consideration how Sklavinias and Slavic states had ethnical identification, example Serb ethnos, until 12th century.^[28] Slavs mixing with native population (in case of Komani culture necropolis in Pukë) made a new cultural-historical drift of Albanian-Illyrian and Slavic built upon extinct and present La Tène, Greek-Illyrian, Illyrian-Roman, and Byzantine.^[29] He argued that the Slavs from Duklja promptly blended in social-economical of the natives who historically had more developed and civilized society, as was in their interest to approach the Roman-Illyrian natives.^[30]

Genetic studies done in 2010 on 404 male individuals from Montenegro confirmed previous anthropological studies; autochthonous haplogroups I2a (Mesolithic) and E-V13 (Neolithic) make 60% (1:1 ratio), J2 (Neolithic) 9%, R1b 9.5%, while R1a which represents the Slavic superstrata brought during the Middle Ages only 7.5%, with all others less than 5% each.^[31]

Notable Montenegrins

See also

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• 
  Montenegrins of Serbia
  
  • Montenegrins of Vojvodina
  
  


• Lovćenac


• Kruščić


• Savino Selo


• Vrakë

Notes

• ^a Note: The majority of people originating from within Montenegro's present borders declare ethnic affiliation in censuses as Serb. Thus, it is difficult to establish the exact numbers; up to few million people in Serbia and BiH might have one or more ancestors from Montenegro.

References

Sources

• 
  Mirabal, Sheyla; et al. (July 2010). "Human Y-Chromosome Short Tandem Repeats: A Tale of Acculturation and Migrations as Mechanisms for the Diffusion of Agriculture in the Balkan Peninsula". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 142 (3): 380–390. doi:10.1002/ajpa.21235. PMID 20091845.
  

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montenegrins.

• Matica crnogorska (official pages)


• Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (official pages)


• The Montenegrin Association of America


• 
  Špiro Kulišić: O Etnogenezi Crnogoraca (On Ethnogenesis of Montenegrins) (in Montenegrin)


• 
  (in Serbian) Ethnic Origin of Montenegrins^{[permanent dead link]} by Nikola Vukčević, 1981 (pdf)


• Article about Montenegrin tribes (in montenegrin language)