Battle of Kolašin

Last updated
Battle of Kolašin
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe
Date28 July 1858
Location
Result Montenegrin victory
Belligerents
Flag of Montenegro (1860-1905).svg  Principality of Montenegro Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844-1922).svg  Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Novica Cerović
Miljan Vešović
Unknown
Strength
~5,000 Unknown

The Battle of Kolašin (Serbian : Bitka kod Kolašina) took place on July 28, 1858 between the Principality of Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire near Kolašin. The Montenegrin army was composed of 5,000 tribesmen from the Vasojevići, Morača, Rovca, Drobnjaci, Uskoci and Kuči. The Montenegrin army burnt all of the Turkish katuns on the Sinjajevina mountain, and razed the villages of Trebaljevo, Lipovo and Štitarica. [1]

The attack on Kolašin caused numerous political problems and diplomatic complications, which would later become known as the "Kolašin Affair" (Serbian : Kolašinska afera). Disagreements were put aside with the engagement of diplomatic representatives of the Great Powers, who showed a great interest in the situation occurring in the Balkans. There are some disputes as to whether the attack was authorised by Montenegrin government. Prince Danilo was unaware of it, although there are some indications that his brother, the Grand Duke Mirko, might have allowed it. Tradition has it that the attack was the result of an agreement between the voivodes of the Drobnjaci and the Vasojevići, Novica Cerović and Miljan Vukov, with aim to avenge the death of Miljan's brother Đorđije who was killed in ambush laid by Kolašin's Muslims. The archimandrite of Morača, Dimitrije Radojević, supported the plan and proved to be a key figure in mobilising the remaining tribes to act. The town was almost completely destroyed during attack. As a result, Duke Miljan was questioned by international commission in Dubrovnik and acquitted while Duke Novica took refuge in Boka Kotorska for a while. Although unsatisfied with Dukes acting on their own, Prince Danilo later commemorated the participants by erecting a bridge over Mrtvica river in their honor. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Karađorđević</span> Serbian and Yugoslav royal family

The House of Karađorđević or Karađorđević dynasty was the former ruling Serbian and deposed Yugoslav royal family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petar II Petrović-Njegoš</span> Prince-Bishop of Montenegro

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, commonly referred to simply as Njegoš (Његош), was a Prince-Bishop (vladika) of Montenegro, poet and philosopher whose works are widely considered some of the most important in Montenegrin and Serbian literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro</span> Prince of Montenegro from 1852 to 1860

Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš was the ruling Prince of Montenegro from 1851 to 1860. The beginning of his reign marked the transition of Montenegro from a traditional theocratic form of government (Prince-Bishopric) into a secular Principality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasojevići</span> Historical tribe and region of Montenegro

The Vasojevići is a historical highland tribe (pleme) and region of Montenegro, in the area of the Brda. It is the largest of the historical tribes, occupying the area between Lijeva Rijeka in the South up to Bihor under Bijelo Polje in the North, Mateševo in the West to Plav in the East. Likely of Albanian origin, most of the tribe's history prior to the 16th century has naturally been passed on through oral history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morača (monastery)</span>

The Morača Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in the valley of the Morača River in Kolašin, central Montenegro. It was founded in 1252 by Stefan Vukanović, of the Serbian Nemanjić dynasty. It is one of the best known medieval monuments of Montenegro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principality of Montenegro</span> State in the western Balkan Peninsula from 1852 to 1910

The Principality of Montenegro was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then became King of Montenegro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolašin</span> Town and municipality in Northern, Montenegro

Kolašin is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989. Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality and an unofficial centre of Morača region, named after Morača River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piperi (tribe)</span> Highlander tribe of Montenegro

Piperi is a historical tribe (pleme) of Albanian origin and a region in northeastern Montenegro. Piperi is located between the Morača and Zeta rivers up to the northern suburbs of the Montenegrin capital Podgorica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavro Vuković</span>

Gavro Vuković also known as Vojvoda Gavro was a jurist, senator of the Principality of Montenegro, a military commander, Yugoslav politician and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drobnjaci</span> Historical tribe and region in Montenegro

Drobnjaci was a tribe and historical region, Drobnjak, in Old Herzegovina in Montenegro. Its unofficial centre is in Šavnik. The Serb Orthodox families have St. George (Đurđevdan) as their patron saint (slava) and the majority of churches in Drobnjak are dedicated to St. George as well. Families of distant Drobnjak origin are present in all former Yugoslav republics and in Hungary and Hungarian-populated parts of Romania and Slovakia, where it is spelled in its Magyarized form as Drobnyák.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bjelopavlići</span> Historical tribe and valley in Montenegro

Bjelopavlići is a historical tribe (pleme) of Albanian origin and a valley in the region of the Brda, in Montenegro, around the city of Danilovgrad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Grahovac</span> Battle

The Battle of Grahovac took place in the eponymous village of Grahovac from 11 to 13 May 1858, when the Montenegrin Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš led the army of Principality of Montenegro against the Ottomans, ending in a decisive Montenegrin victory. After the victory, the demarcation of the border between Montenegro and the Ottoman Bosnia Eyalet was finalised. A considerable arsenal of war trophies was captured following the retreat of the Ottoman army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribes of Montenegro</span> Historical tribes of Montenegro

The tribes of Montenegro or Montenegrin tribes are historical tribes in the areas of Old Montenegro, Brda, Old Herzegovina and Primorje.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Čolak-Anta</span> Serbian revolutionary commander (1777–1853)

Čolak-Anta Simeonović was a Serbian military commander and revolutionary leader who played a significant role in the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813), the initial phase of Serbia’s struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire. A close ally of Karađorđe Petrović, he was known for his military skill, bravery, and leadership, which earned him the rank of vojvoda (duke). Following the collapse of the uprising, he went into exile before returning to Serbia to contribute to its administrative and judicial systems. He is the eponymous founder of the Čolak-Antić family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro</span> Balkan theocratic state

The Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro was a Serbian Orthodox ecclesiastical principality that existed from 1516 until 1852. The principality was located around modern-day Montenegro. It emerged from the Eparchy of Cetinje, later known as the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, whose bishops defied the Ottoman Empire overlordship and transformed the parish of Cetinje into a de facto theocracy, ruling it as Metropolitans.

The Montenegrin nobility (1852–1918) are notable people of the Principality of Montenegro and the Kingdom of Montenegro who hold titles such as Veliki Vojvoda, Knez (Prince), Vojvoda (Duke), Serdar (Count), and Guvernadur (Governor). The titles are hereditary or personal. Focusing on the Montenegrin nobility of the late 19th century surrounding the then recent secularization of the Principality under Danilo II and his court, excluding the older traditional clan nobility.

Mihailo was a Serbian Orthodox hierodeacon and archimandrite, who established an insurgent battalion in Potarje to fight against Ottoman Empire in the region. Having been sent in 1866 to the Dobrilovina Monastery, Dožić made the monastery the centre of the spiritual and political life and aspirations for freedom in the wide area of Potarje, and organized an insurgent battalion in the Potarje region active between 1875 and 1878 (during the Montenegrin–Ottoman War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rovčani</span> Historical tribe of Montenegro

The Rovčani are a historical tribe of Montenegro and one of the seven highlander tribes of the Brda region, alongside the Bjelopavlići, Piperi, Kuči, Bratonožići, Moračani and Vasojevići. The historical region that they inhabit is called Rovca.

Brda refers to a historical and ethnographical region in Montenegro. The Brda are one of the country's four historic tribal regions, along with Old Montenegro, Old Herzegovina and the Montenegrin Littoral. The historical tribes of the Brda are the Vasojevići, the Bjelopavlići, the Piperi, the Kuči, the Bratonožići, the Moračani and the Rovčani. Collectively known as "the seven tribes" or "the seven hills", they were referred to as "Highlander tribes" before their gradual integration into Montenegro, from the late 18th to the early 20th century. As a result, members of these tribes are also often called "Highlanders".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grahovo (region)</span> Historical region in western Montenegro

Grahovo is a field and historical region in western Montenegro. The region's area roughly comprises 219 km2, west of Rudine, in the centre between Petrovići and Cuce, from the top of Orjen mountain to the west of the Ostrog Monastery.

References

  1. Rastoder, Šerbo; Andrijašević, Živko; Popović, Dragutin; Folić, Zvezdan; Šabotić, Sait; Drobnjak, Slobodan; Selhanović, Jadranka; Drinčić, Željko; Prekić, Adnan (2006). Istorijski Leksikon Crne Gore (in Serbian). Vol. I: A - Crn. Podgorica: Daily Press - Vijesti. pp. 121–122. ISBN   86-7706-165-7.
  2. "MONTENEGRINA - digitalna biblioteka crnogorske kulture i nasljedja".