Who Was Petar II Petrović Njegoš

Petar II Petrović Njegoš (Njeguši, 13 November 1813 – Cetinje, 31 October 1851) was a Montenegrin prince-bishop, secular ruler, poet and philosopher. He was born Radivoje, known as Rade, and received the name Petar when he took monastic vows. He led Montenegro from 1830 to 1851 and is remembered as a statesman who laid the foundations of the country’s modern state institutions.

Yet Njegoš is best known for his literary work. His epic-dramatic poem “The Mountain Wreath” is considered one of the greatest achievements of South Slavic literature. He also wrote “The Ray of the Microcosm” and “The False Tsar Šćepan the Little”, and during his life he worked with writers and scholars such as Sima Milutinović Sarajlija and Vuk Karadžić.

Origins and Childhood

Rade was born in the mountain village of Njeguši, not far from Cetinje, into the Petrović family. His father was Tomo Petrović, a member of the Njeguši clan, and his mother was Ivana, née Proroković, daughter of the Njeguši captain Lazo Proroković. The family had five children, and Rade was the middle son, between his older brother Pero and his younger brother Jovan.

He spent his childhood in Njeguši, tending his father’s flock. At the time Njeguši was a remote village in Old Montenegro, and life in the area was shaped by tribal communities and constant conflict with the Ottomans. From an early age Rade listened to folk songs and stories, which would later leave a strong mark on his writing.

His uncle, Petar I Petrović Njegoš, was then the prince-bishop of Montenegro. It was he who noticed his nephew’s talent and began preparing him as his successor.

Education and Early Teachers

Njegoš had no formal schooling. He learned to read and write at the age of twelve from monks at Cetinje Monastery. He then spent a year studying Italian at Savina Monastery and about eighteen months at Topla Monastery near Herceg Novi, where he learned Russian and French with the priest Josif Tropović. (Sources differ on the exact order and places of his schooling.)

The decisive influence on his intellectual development was the poet Sima Milutinović Sarajlija, who came to Cetinje in 1827 as secretary to Bishop Petar I. Sarajlija introduced the young Rade to poetry and encouraged him to write down folk songs and stories. He was also an unconventional mentor, teaching him shooting and fencing.

Over the years, through independent reading, Njegoš became familiar with the works of Alexander Pushkin (Rus. Alexander Pushkin), Vasily Zhukovsky, Victor Hugo, Alphonse de Lamartine, George Gordon Byron, Dante Alighieri and John Milton. This reading played a decisive part in shaping his poetic voice.

Coming to Power

When Petar I died in 1830, his will was read before the assembled chieftains and the people on the threshing floor in front of Cetinje Monastery. According to it, his successor was his nephew Rade Petrović, then only seventeen. In this way the young Njegoš took on spiritual and secular rule over Montenegro.

He inherited a heavy burden. The country was poor and divided among tribes that often fought one another, and pressure from the Ottomans was constant. In addition, power had until then been split between the bishop and the governor, so the young ruler’s own position was uncertain. Rade took the name Petar when he became a monk, and as Petar II Petrović Njegoš he entered history. The name Njegoš comes from his native village.

Domestic Policy and Reforms

Njegoš devoted his reign to strengthening the state. His aim was to remove tribal anarchy through new institutions and to establish centralized rule. According to one source, over twenty-one years he left the country far more stable than he had found it.

The Senate, the Guard and the Perjanici

In 1831 he founded the Governing Senate, the first state body that brought tribal chieftains together in the shared governance of the country. The first president of the Senate was Ivan Vukotić, and the vice-president was Matija Vučićević. Both were Russian citizens, but in early 1834 they were removed after disagreements with the ruler. Their place was taken by Njegoš’s brother Pero Tomov Petrović. Alongside the Senate, Njegoš created the Guard and the Perjanici, armed forces charged with carrying out the decisions of the authorities.

Taxes and the Expulsion of the Governor

In 1830 Njegoš abolished the title of governor, and in 1832 he expelled the last governor, Vuk Radonjić, from the country. In doing so he united secular and religious power in a single person. He also introduced regular taxation, although sources differ on the year: some give 1833, others 1837. Tribes that refused to pay were punished.

Journey to Russia and Consecration as Bishop

To carry out his church duties, Njegoš had to be consecrated as a bishop. For this purpose he travelled to Saint Petersburg in 1833, where he enjoyed the patronage of Russian Emperor Nicholas I. He was consecrated in Russia, and the Russian court provided him with financial aid and political support.

On the way he stopped in Vienna, where he met Vuk Karadžić and supported his reform of the Serbian language. Karadžić then visited Montenegro in the autumn of 1834 and in 1837 published the book “Montenegro und die Montenegriner”. In this way Njegoš forged his first deep ties with European intellectual circles.

First Schools, the Printing Press and “Grlica”

From Russia, Njegoš brought a printing press, bought with Russian assistance. The Cetinje printing house was founded in 1834, and the same year saw the opening of the first secular school in Montenegro, which operated in the premises of Cetinje Monastery.

The calendar and almanac “Grlica” was published in Cetinje from 1835 to 1839. It was edited by Dimitrije Milaković, Njegoš’s personal secretary, and among its most frequent contributors were Njegoš himself and Sima Milutinović Sarajlija. “Grlica” was the first serial publication in Montenegro and was aimed mainly at young people. Milaković also wrote the first school textbooks, including the “Serbian Primer” (1836) and a Serbian grammar for Montenegrin youth.

Relations with Russia and Austria

Russia was Montenegro’s most important ally and main financier, so Njegoš often had to balance Russian interests against the needs of his own country. His second journey to Russia, in 1837, followed difficult internal and external circumstances. When intrigues arose around his rule, the Russian government formed a special commission headed by Consul Jeremija Gagić. The investigation ended in Njegoš’s favor.

With Austria, Njegoš kept careful but wary relations. Because of financial needs he sold Maine Monastery in 1837, and in 1839 Stanjevići Monastery, during the demarcation of the border between Montenegro and Austria. For both monasteries he received 35,000 thalers.

Relations with the Ottomans and Neighbors

Border conflicts with the Ottomans accompanied Njegoš’s entire reign. He sought to expand Montenegrin territory, supporting and encouraging troops who wanted to annex Grahovo to Montenegro. He also ran a strong propaganda campaign among the tribes of the Brda and Herzegovina, aiming to unite the Orthodox population in the struggle against the Ottomans.

His attempt to drive the Ottomans out of the surrounding regions did not succeed. Near the end of his life a new danger loomed over Montenegro, as Omer Pasha Latas was preparing an attack on the country.

Literary Work

Although he ruled for more than twenty years, Njegoš is best known for his literary output. In his works he combined folk tradition, lyric poetry and biblical motifs. He began writing at the age of seventeen.

Early Poems

He published his first collections in the 1830s: “Glas kamenštaka” (“The Voice of a Stone-Cutter”, 1833), “Pustinjak cetinjski” (“The Hermit of Cetinje”) and “Lijek jarosti turske” (“The Cure for Turkish Fury”, 1834). These poems were still largely shaped by folk poetry and by the influence of Sima Milutinović Sarajlija.

“The Serbian Mirror” and “The Ray of the Microcosm”

“Ogledalo srpsko” (“The Serbian Mirror”) is a collection of patriotic poems about the struggles of Montenegrins and Serbs; the year of composition most often given is 1835, although sources differ. “The Ray of the Microcosm” was published in Belgrade in 1845. It is a religious and philosophical poem about the fall of man and his divine nature, and critics see in it the influence of Milton’s “Paradise Lost”.

“The Mountain Wreath”

Njegoš’s best-known poem was written in 1846 and printed in 1847 in Vienna, at the Mekhitarist press, which also published the works of Vuk Karadžić. The action is set in the 18th century and depicts the attempts of Bishop Danilo to regulate relations among the feuding tribes and to curb Ottoman influence. The poem has nearly three thousand lines and combines elements of oral epic and dramatic form.

The work is dedicated to “the dust of the father of Serbia”, Karađorđe. By 1996 it had gone through more than one hundred and twenty editions, and by 1913 it had been translated into ten languages. The interpretation of “The Mountain Wreath” remains open: during and after the wars in Yugoslavia some critics re-examined the work, while others stress that it should be read in the historical context in which it was written.

“The False Tsar Šćepan the Little” and “The Freedom Song”

Njegoš wrote the verse drama “The False Tsar Šćepan the Little” in 1847, and it was published in 1851. The plot follows an unusual episode from Montenegrin history, the rule of Šćepan the Little, who presented himself as the Russian tsar. The poem “Slobodijada” (“The Freedom Song”) was written in 1835 but published only in 1854, after Njegoš’s death.

Biljarda – Njegoš’s Residence

In 1838 Njegoš built a house next to Cetinje Monastery known as Biljarda, named after the billiard table that was brought to Cetinje. It housed the Senate and his own living quarters. The building had a ground floor and an upper floor with twenty-five rooms.

The walls were decorated with weapons and portraits of figures he admired, among them Peter the Great, Nicholas I, Napoleon, Karađorđe and Byron. Today Biljarda is a museum, opened in 1951, which holds the original manuscript of “The Mountain Wreath”, the poem “Noć skuplja vijeka” (“The Night That Gathers a Century”), the will naming Rade as ruler, and the first Montenegrin calendar, “Grlica”.

Private Life

There is little verified information about Njegoš’s private life. As a monk and bishop he lived modestly, surrounded by secretaries and associates, and devoted most of his time to affairs of state and writing. He also spent some time in Italy, in Trieste, Venice and Naples, which left traces in works such as “Tri dana u Trijestu”, “Pirovanje” and “Polazak Pompeja”.

His health declined in the last years of his life. He died of tuberculosis, and there are no reliable sources on other details of his private life.

Final Years and Death

Njegoš died in Cetinje on 31 October 1851 (19 October in the Old Style calendar), in his thirty-eighth year. The cause of death was tuberculosis. He died at one of the most difficult moments for Montenegro, when Omer Pasha Latas was preparing an attack.

He was succeeded by Danilo Petrović Njegoš, who in 1852 proclaimed Montenegro a secular principality, ending the era of prince-bishops.

Burial and the Mausoleum on Lovćen

In 1845, the same year “The Ray of the Microcosm” was printed in Belgrade, Njegoš ordered a modest chapel to be built on Jezerski Vrh on Mount Lovćen. He dedicated it to his uncle, Saint Peter of Cetinje, and expressed the wish to be buried there. His final resting place had a long and turbulent journey.

From Cetinje Monastery to the First Chapel

Although he expressly asked to be buried on Lovćen, Montenegrins feared that the Ottomans might desecrate his remains. He was therefore first buried in Cetinje Monastery, beside the relics of his uncle Petar I. His remains were transferred to the chapel on Lovćen on 27 August 1855.

The 1925 Chapel and the 1974 Mausoleum

The chapel was damaged during the First World War (sources differ: some mention damage, others demolition by Austro-Hungarian forces), and the remains were temporarily returned to Cetinje. In September 1925 the chapel was rebuilt with the support of King Alexander, and the remains were reburied. In 1952 the authorities decided to replace the chapel with a mausoleum designed by the sculptor Ivan Meštrović. The chapel was demolished in 1972, and the mausoleum was officially opened on 28 July 1974.

The mausoleum stands on Jezerski Vrh at about 1,657 meters above sea level, and a tunnel with 461 steps leads up to it. Inside is a statue of Njegoš carved from a single block of granite weighing 28 tons, and at the entrance stand two caryatids. Nearly 70,000 people visit the mausoleum each year. The question of rebuilding the chapel continues to provoke differing opinions in the public.

Honors and Monuments

Many monuments and museums have been dedicated to Njegoš. The first monument to him in the world was unveiled in Trebinje on 28 and 29 May 1934, the work of sculptor Toma Rosandić, and it was unveiled by Jovan Dučić. In 2023 the Serbian Post issued a stamp marking two hundred and ten years since Njegoš’s birth, featuring a portrait by Petar Lubarda and Meštrović’s mausoleum.

Njegoš has been declared a national poet of Yugoslavia, and “The Mountain Wreath” is studied today in schools and universities across the region.

Interesting Facts

• He learned to read and write only at the age of twelve.
• He became ruler of Montenegro at seventeen.
• The name Njegoš comes from his native village of Njeguši.
• Biljarda was named after the billiard table brought to Cetinje.
• Njegoš’s remains were moved several times before being laid in the mausoleum in 1974.
• Meštrović, the creator of the mausoleum, reportedly never visited Lovćen, according to one source.

Legacy and Influence

Njegoš’s legacy is twofold. As a statesman he laid the foundations of the modern Montenegrin state by establishing the Senate, the Guard, the Perjanici and a system of taxation. As a poet he wrote works that are still read, reprinted and translated today.

Because of “The Mountain Wreath” he also remains a subject of debate, since readers find in it different meanings, from the celebration of freedom to critiques concerning the interpretation of historical events. Njegoš is still revered in Montenegro and Serbia, and the question of his national identity is subject to differing interpretations.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Petar II Petrović Njegoš?

Petar II Petrović Njegoš was a Montenegrin prince-bishop, ruler, poet and philosopher. He ruled Montenegro from 1830 to 1851 and is best known as the author of the poem “The Mountain Wreath”.

When and where was Njegoš born?

Njegoš was born on 13 November 1813 (1 November in the Old Style calendar) in the village of Njeguši, not far from Cetinje.

What was his name before he became a bishop?

His real name was Radivoje Petrović, known as Rade. He took the name Petar when he became a monk.

What is Njegoš’s most famous work?

His most famous work is “The Mountain Wreath”, published in Vienna in 1847. “The Ray of the Microcosm” and “The False Tsar Šćepan the Little” are also important works.

What did Njegoš accomplish as a ruler?

He founded the Senate, the Guard and the Perjanici, introduced taxes, expelled the governor Vuk Radonjić, opened the first secular school, founded a printing press and launched the almanac “Grlica”.

Was Njegoš formally educated?

He had no formal schooling. He studied at the monasteries of Cetinje, Savina and Topla, and learned poetry and philosophy from Sima Milutinović Sarajlija.

What did Njegoš die of?

He died of tuberculosis on 31 October 1851 in Cetinje, in his thirty-eighth year.

Where is Njegoš buried?

He is buried in the mausoleum on Jezerski Vrh on Mount Lovćen, designed by Ivan Meštrović and opened in 1974. He was originally buried in Cetinje Monastery.

Was Njegoš Serbian or Montenegrin?

Njegoš was born in Montenegro and ruled it. In Montenegrin tradition he is regarded as Montenegrin, and in Serbian tradition also as a Serbian poet, so the question of his national identity is subject to differing interpretations.

Conclusion

Petar II Petrović Njegoš was a unique figure in Balkan history: a ruler and bishop who, in a short life of thirty-seven years, laid the foundations of Montenegro’s state institutions while creating works that rank among the peaks of South Slavic literature. “The Mountain Wreath” remains his best-known achievement, and the mausoleum on Lovćen bears witness to his lasting significance.