Twenty Years of Balkan Tangle | Page 6

and Sava was left to manage alone.
He was quite unfit and his post was usurped by a remarkable imposter
who appeared suddenly in Montenegro and said he was Peter III of
Russia, who had been murdered in 1706. Russia was a name to conjure
with. He thrilled the credulous tribesmen with tales of his escape and
adventures. In the words of an old ballad: "He is known as Stefan the
Little. The nation turns to him as a child to its father. They have
dismissed their headmen, their Serdars, Knezhes and Voyvodas. All
eyes turn to him and hail him as Tsar." Sava returned to his monastery
and the imposter reigned. Even the Patriarch of Ipek who was on the
verge of dismissal, cried for the protection of Stefan Mali, who set to
work to govern with great energy. Venice, alarmed by his popularity,
joined with the Turks and attacked Montenegro, but was repulsed.
Russia, seeing her influence waning with the departed Sava, sent an
Envoy to denounce the impostor. But "nothing succeeds like success."
Stefan Mali had such a hold over the ignorant tribesmen that Russia,
seeing Sava was useless, recognized Stefan as ruler. He reigned five
more years and was murdered in 1774 by, it was said, an agent of the
Pasha of Scutari. He is believed to have been of humble Bosnia origin
and was one of the few successful impostors of history.
Sava had perforce to return to the world, and owing to his incapacity
the post of Civil Governor of Montenegro now became important. The
office, till now held always by a Vukotitch, had meant little save the
leadership of tribal Soviets or councils. The Vukotitches exchanged the
office with the Radonitches for that of Serdar, and under the title of
Gubernator the first Radonitch rose to power.
This is a very important period for now for the first time Austria
appears on the scene and the long diplomatic struggle with Russia for
power in Montenegro begins.

In 1779 an appeal to the Emperor of Austria was sent, signed by Ivan
Radonitch, Gubernator; Ivan Petrovitch, Serdar; and lastly by Petar
Petrovitch, Archimandrite and Deputy-Metropolitan. From which we
must conclude that Sava had definitely retired from power. From this
date for several years Ivan Radonitch always signed first. He had just
returned from a fruitless trip to Russia, and was seeking help from
Austria. Sava died in 1783 and was succeeded by Vladika Plamenatz, a
fact which, though well known in Montenegro, is rigidly excluded from
her official history by the Petrovitches, whose version, the only
"authorized" one, is constructed with more regard to the glory of their
dynasty than historic truth.
On Sava's death the Radonitch party at once welcomed the first
Austrian Mission to Montenegro and accommodated it in Sava's
monastery. One of the Envoys has left a vivid picture of Montenegro in
those days.
"The nation has no police, no laws. A kind of equality reigns. The
headmen have only a certain authority for managing ordinary business
and settling blood-feuds. The father of Radonitch was the first to whom
the nation gave the title Gubernator in order to gain the respect of the
Venetians and Turks. The Gubernator summons the Serdars, Voyvodas
and Knezhes. They meet in the open air. The General Assembly takes
place at the village of Cetinje. . . . The Vladika, or at least a couple of
monks, are present. The Serdars similarly call local meetings of
headmen and thus arrange peace between two families or villages.
Their power consists only of persuasion. In practice murder is usually
avenged by murder. The land has one Metropolitan, the Vladika, in
whose eparchy are included Ipek, Kroja and Dalmatia spiritually, for
the consecration of priests, he being, since the removal of the Patriarch
of Ipek, the next Archbishop. But the foreign priests obey him in no
respect save for consecration. His functions consist in the consecration
of priests and churches. He visits the parishes but not so much for
pastoral duties as for the collection of the so-called Milostina, the alms
which form his payment. The monks too collect on their own behalf.
The people who are very superstitious, fast rigorously and give
willingly to the clergy. Their terror of excommunication makes them

regard their Bishops as the highest and most respected in the land.
Radonitch's father, first Gubernator, tried to obtain the highest position
for himself but failed. His son now tries to, and would succeed, were he
cleverer and had more money, for the Metropolitan Plamenatz is little
respected and could not do much to prevent him. The Metropolitans
have been used to visit Petersburg from time to time and to receive a
subsidy for the Church and gifts in money and in the form of costly
vestments for themselves.