1516 Renaissance and Reformations
Ecclesiastical principality
Power passes to the metropolitans of Cetinje: an Orthodox theocracy unique in Europe.
Montenegro
Montenegro
Never fully subdued by the Ottomans, Montenegro uses the euro without being in the euro area and is the most advanced accession candidate.
Heritage
The monastery of Cetinje was both an episcopal see and a political capital: until 1852 Montenegro was governed by prince-bishops, an Orthodox theocracy unique in Europe. Kotor preserves a Venetian heritage on the World Heritage list.
History
Descended from the medieval principality of Zeta, the mountainous region kept de facto autonomy under Ottoman rule. From the seventeenth century the metropolitans of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty turned it into a hereditary ecclesiastical principality.
Independence was recognised in 1878 at the Congress of Berlin. The kingdom disappeared in 1918 into the nascent Yugoslavia.
After the Yugoslav break-up, Montenegro remained united with Serbia until the referendum of 21 May 2006, which restored independence with 55.5 % of the vote. The country unilaterally adopted the German mark in 1999 and then the euro in 2002. A NATO member in 2017, it has opened and provisionally closed the largest number of accession chapters in the Western Balkans.
Milestones
1878 Early modern period
Independence of Montenegro recognised
The Congress of Berlin confirms a state the Ottomans had never fully subdued.
1918 Early modern period
End of the kingdom
Montenegro is absorbed into the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
2002 European construction
Unilateral euro adoption
Without being in the euro area, the country makes the euro its official currency.
2006 Contemporary period
Independence referendum
55.5 % of voters choose separation from Serbia.
2017 Contemporary period
NATO accession of Montenegro
The country joins the Alliance despite strong internal opposition.
Related news
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Enlargement
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Enlargement: Montenegro could soon be in the EU
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Enlargement
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Enlargement
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Enlargement
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Balkan Summit puts the Berlin Process to the testLe sommet des Balkans met le Processus de Berlin à l’épreuve
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Economy
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Enlargement
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Les dirigeants de l’UE ratent le coche de l’élargissement
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Debates
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