King Danilo I of Montenegro

- 1860    Has 9 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Danilo I of Montenegro
  Prefix	King
  Gender	Male
  Death	13 Aug 1860
  Siblings	1 Sibling
  + 1. Mirko Petrowitsch Njegosch de Montenegro,   b. 19 Aug 1820   d. 20 Jul 1867  (Age 46 years) ▻ Anastasia Martinowitsch   2. King Danilo I of Montenegro   d. 13 Aug 1860
  Person ID	I52919	Geneagraphie
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2000

  
  

  Father	Danilo Petrowitsch Njegosch,   b. 1790   d. 1851 (Age 61 years)
  Mother	Krstinja Vrbica   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F21574	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

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• Notes

  In his testament, Petar II Petrovic Njegos named his nephew Danilo as his successor. But when Njegos died, the Senate first proclaimed Njegos's elder brother Pero Tomov Petrovic as Prince (not Vladika). This indicated that Njegos himself most likely was preparing ground for the new ruler of Montenegro to be a secular leader. But in a brief struggle for power that followed Njegos's death, Pero Tomov lost to the much younger but savvy Danilo. While the successor to Njegos was still undetermined, Danilo traveled to Vienna and then Russia, supposedly to be ordained as Vladika, not Prince. But to the surprise of Pero Tomov and his supporters, Danilo returned to Cetinje with the endorsement from the Russian tzar to become Prince of Montenegro. This gave him a decisive advantage and he became the Prince while Pero Tomov returned to his position as president of the Senate. Danilo Petrovic was thus the first Montenegrin secular Prince who did not also hold the ecclesiastical position of the Vladika. So Danilo's rule paved the way for Montenegro to become a kingdom under Danilo's successor Prince (later King) Nikola I Petrovic. In military affairs, Danilo was a capable strategist and commander. He lead Montenegrins in major military victories. In 1858, he won a crucial battle against the Turks at Grahovo (or Grahovac). The Montenegrin army was led by the legendary Grand Duke Mirko Petrovic, Danilo's elder brother, and a charismatic military commander. This major victory prompted the great powers to officially demarcate the borders between Montenegro and Turkey, de facto recognizing Montenegro's centuries-long independence.