Montenegro/Montenegrins: Development of a Nation
How Montenegro became Montenegro, and how the Montenegrins became Montenegrin.

How Montenegrins as a people, and the country of Montenegro as a nation-state, evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral bloodlines, the Montenegrin language, borders, culture, and even how they received their name.

Ancestral Background
Development of Language
Formation of Borders
Etymology (How Name Received)
Culture
Montenegro in 2008

Montenegrin Ancestral Background:
 

1. 3000 BC – People along the Baltic coast centered around modern Lithuania begin speaking the Proto-Balto-Slavic language, a branch off from Proto-Indo-European. This serves as the genesis of the Slavic and Baltic languages/peoples.
2. 1000 BC – A group splinters from the Proto-Balto-Slavic people, migrating southeast into modern Ukraine. This branch off group were the predecessors to Slavs, who would ultimately extend outward in all directions.
3. In the 6^th century, as Germanics migrated westward, a group of Slavs expanded southward to fill the void, inhabiting the northern border of the Byzantine Empire (continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world).
4. 558 – Avars, a central Asian Turkic people, driven west into Europe (through modern Ukraine) by Persians and more powerful Turkic empires, came into contact with the Byzantines. They were paid off by the Byzantines to settle the area north of the Danube River, and to subdue barbarian Germanics remaining in the territory. The Avars succeeded in driving the Germans out of area, including the Lombards, who were driven into Italy, where they become the ruling class. At this time, large groups of Slavic peoples were settled north of the Danube as well. The Avar raids forced them south into the Balkan peninsula, where they settled lands abandoned by Germanic peoples, including modern Romania and Hungary. Slavic peoples would inhabit the entire Balkan region north of the Greek-inhabited lands at the very southern portion of the peninsula by 700. The Illyrians would be driven into a remote mountainous region in modern Albania, becoming forefathers to modern Albanians, which would also include a Slavic component from intermixing.
5. In the middle of the 7^th century, a group of Serbs were given land by the Byzantines (continuation of the Roman Empire by the Greeks) roughly equivalent to modern Montenegro, forming the Principality of Dolcea. It is this group of people that would ultimately give rise to the Montenegrin nationality, as they would forever remain distinct from their Serbian kin.

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Development of Montenegrin Language:
 

1. 3000 BC – People along the Baltic coast centered around modern Lithuania begin speaking the Proto-Balto-Slavic language, a branch off from Proto-Indo-European. This serves as the genesis of the Slavic and Baltic languages/peoples.
2. 1000 BC – A group splinters from the Proto-Balto-Slavic people, migrating southeast into modern Ukraine. This branch off group were the predecessors to Slavs, who would ultimately extend outward in all directions. Their language evolves into the original Slav language, a sub-branch of Proto-Balto-Slavic, and the ancestral language to all Slav sub-branches, including Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Croatian and others.
3. South Slav Language begins to separate from Western Slav Language in the 9^th to 10^th century, after Magyars settled into modern Hungary, separating the West Slavs (in modern Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia) from the South Slavs (territory roughly approximating the former Yugoslavia).
4. By 10^th century, Serbian begins to become a distinct language, having sufficiently diverged from other South Slav languages.
5. Montenegrins continued to speak a South Slav language that was a synthesis between Croatian and Serbian, due to its geographical proximity to both. By 1850, this eclectic Slavic language was officially declared as a separate language under their own name, Montenegrin.

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Formation of Montenegro Borders:
 

1. In the 6^th century, as Germanics migrated westward, a group of Slavs expanded southward to fill the void, inhabiting the northern border of the Byzantine Empire (continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world).
2. 558 – Avars, a central Asian Turkic people, driven west into Europe (through modern Ukraine) by Persians and more powerful Turkic empires, came into contact with the Byzantines. They were paid off by the Byzantines to settle the area north of the Danube River, and to subdue barbarian Germanics remaining in the territory. The Avars succeeded in driving the Germans out of area, including the Lombards, who were driven into Italy, where they become the ruling class. At this time, large groups of Slavic peoples were settled north of the Danube as well. The Avar raids forced them south into the Balkan peninsula, where they settled lands abandoned by Germanic peoples, including modern Romania and Hungary. Slavic peoples would inhabit the entire Balkan region north of the Greek-inhabited lands at the very southern portion of the peninsula by 700.
3. In the middle of the 7^th century, a group of Serbs were given land by the Byzantines (continuation of the Roman Empire by the Greeks) roughly equivalent to modern Montenegro, forming the Principality of Dolcea. It is this group of people that would ultimately give rise to the Montenegrin nationality, as they would forever remain distinct from their Serbian kin.
4. Dolcea comes under Bulgarian rule around 900, then under Serbian soon after.
5. 960 – Byzantines take control of the region, including the Principality of Dolcea.
6. Dolcea revolts against Byzantine, becoming independent in 1042.
7. Doclea comes back under Serbia rule in 1186.
8. 1496 – Dolcea is conquered by the Muslim, Turkic Ottoman Empire. Republic of Venice gains control of its coastal areas. Montenegro (Principality of Zeta as it was known in the Ottoman Empire) operated with autonomy, although officially a vassal to the Ottomans.
9. 1797 – Montenegro regains all of its coastal territories back after the Republic of Venice is disbanded during the Napoleonic Wars.
10. Montenegro becomes officially independent from the disintegrating Ottoman Empire in 1878.
11. 1913 – Montenegro gained some territory during the Balkan Wars against Bulgaria, splitting territorial gains with Serbia.
12. Montenegro was occupied by the Central Powers during WWI. After the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918, Montenegro joined the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The name was changed to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929.
13. 1941 – Montenegro is annexed by Italy during WWII. It is added back to Yugoslavia at the end of the war, upon the defeat of the Axis Powers in 1945.
14. The break up of Yugoslavia begins in 1991, with the start of the Yugoslavia Wars. Montenegro decides to stay connected to Serbia after , forming Republic of Serbia and Montenegro.
15. In a 2006 referendum, Montenegro elects to become independent from Serbia with a favorable vote of only 55.5%, just 0.5% above 55% requirement.

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Etymology (How Name Received):

Montenegro is based on the Slavic term for a mountainous region, first used to describe the region of modern Montenegro in the 13^th century.

Montenegrin Culture:

Similar to Serbian, as it shares the same roots, but also influenced by a variety of cultures, as it traded hands several times through history.

Montenegro in 2008:

Economy: Suffered due to break up of Yugoslavia, as it initiated transition from communist economy to free-market economy, eliminating guaranteed business for its industrial sector. Sanctions were assessed against Serbia and Montenegro, as Serbia was seen as the aggressor in the Wars by the international community, further damaging the economy. Montenegro has experienced recent improvements, even after separating from Serbia.
Government: Democratic Republic
Religion: Serbian Orthodox 74%, Muslim 18%, Roman Catholic 4%.
Demographics: Montenegrin 43%, Serb 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, Other 12%. Those that identify themselves as Montenegrins versus Serbs varies from survey to survey, due to the controversy/confusion as to whether Montenegrins and Serbs are indeed separate or the same ethnic groups.
Foreign Policy: Gaining full recognition of independence (declared in 2006) in all nations throughout the world, including Serbia. Already recognized by most, including all western nations. Goal to achieve EU and NATO memberships.
Population: 678,177 (2008)

 

Formation of Nations (All European Nations)

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