Montenegro (1874-1918, 1941-45) Country Guide

Where is/was Montenegro?

Montenegro is in South-eastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and borders Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the north-west, Serbia to the north-east, and Albania to the south-east.

History

Montenegro (meaning black mountain) had been under the nominal rule of the Ottoman Empire since 1528. After the assassination of his Uncle, Prince Nikolas (Nicholas), who was then in Paris studying, assumed the title of Prince of Montenegro. He was 19 at the time and married the daughter of a Montenegran General named Milena who was to bear him 12 children.

 

King Nicholas and Family at his Coronation in 1910

In 1875 in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina war broke out against the Ottomans. Serbia and Montenegro joined up and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 resulted in Ottoman defeat. The aftermath resulted in Montenegro obtaining it’s independence and in 1910 he proclaimed himself king.

Proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro, 1910

In 1912, Montenegro joined with Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria to form the Balkan League and fought the Ottomans which allowed Montenegro to expand its borders.

In 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia, and Montenegro, in support, declared war on Austria and Germany. Austria defeated Serbia in 1915 and in 1916, the took the Montenegrin Capital, Cetinje and King Nicholas fled to Italy and later to France.

While in exile, the voted to depose Nicholas and annex Montenegro to Serbia. A few months later, Serbia (including Montenegro) merged with the former South Slav territories of Austria-Hungary to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929 which would eventually break apart in 1992. .

Nicholas continued to claim the throne until his death and was buried in Italy. In 1989, the remains of Nicholas, Milena, and two of their twelve children were re-buried in Montenegro.

Stamps

First Prince Nikola Design

Cetinje Monastery design

1905 Constitution overprints

Prince Nikola in a hat design

Coronation Stamps

King Nicholas Designs

Postage Due Stamps

Acknowledgement of Receipt Stamps

Opinions as a Beginner

I started my collection with Montenegro. They are beautiful stamps with a rich history and affordable.

A Fun Thing to Do in Montenegro while Searching for Stamps

Well, everyone loves cats, right? Why would there be so many cat posts on Facebook if cats weren’t such beloved creatures. Naturally this makes the cat museum in Montenegro THE place to visit.

After visiting the Cat museum you may feel you need more cats. Fret not, cats abound in the streets. Once a busy port town, cats from all over the world were left behind and now have virtually taken over the city, something, I think, Prince Nicholas would be happy about.

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