Montenegro/Montenegrins

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)

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