528 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
much of the coast, while the Crnojević
occupied the mountainous interior.
Under threat from the advancing
Ottoman Empire in the 15th century,
Stefan Crnojević (r. 1451–65) forged a
defensive alliance with the Venetians,
who occupied mvvost of the coast.
However, by 1496 much of the region
had succumbed to the Ottomans. At
this time Cetinje was established as
capital of Crna Gora (Montenegro),
the mountainous interior region. Due
to the difficult terrain, the
Montenegrins were left largely to their
own devices, while the Ottomans
focused on taking control of strategic
coastal towns.
Following an unsuccessful
allegiance with Russia against the
Ottomans in 1710, Montenegro came
under frequent attack by the Turks.
Sporadic conflicts continued until
1878, when the Berlin Congress
recognized it as an independent state.
Allied with Serbia during World War I,
Montenegro was soon occu pied by
Austria-Hungary. In 1918, Montenegro
joined the new kingdom of Serbs,Croats and Slovenes, losing much of its
identity in the process. During World
War II, the country was occupied first
by the Italians and then the Germans,
whose eventual defeat led to the
creation of Tito’s Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, in which Montenegro was
one of six republics. Following the
break up of Yugoslavia (1991–95),
Montenegro sided with Serbia in
attacks on Bosnia and Croatia.
However, in 1996 President Mizo
Ðukanović began to slowly move
away from Serbian tutelage, beginning
the move towards full Montenegrin
independence. On 26 May 2006, a
referendum finally established
Montenegro as a sovereign state.LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Montenegrins speak Serbo-Croatian
and officially use both the Latin and
Cyrillic alphabets. There is little to
culturally differentiate Montenegrins
from Serbians as they have been
intermarrying for centuries; variations
in traditions are most pronounced
between the communities of the
Ottoman-influenced coast and those of
the interior. Right up until the last
century, elaborate regional costume
played an important role in the cultural
life of the interior comm unities; it was
a custom to be buried in full traditional
dress. Colourful festivals are still a
regular feature of Montenegrin life.KEY DATES IN MONTENEGRIN
HISTORYAD 395 Roman Empire divided into two: Serbia
and Montenegro are part of Byzantine Empire
1015 Duklja develops into a Serb-controlled
principality
1189 Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja conquers
Duklja and renames it Zeta
1496 Cetinje established as the capital of the
interior region of Crna Gora (Montenegro)
1667 A devastating earthquake hits the Adriatic
coast, destroying Kotor
1800s Prince Petar I seeks Russian support in
the struggle against the Ottomans
1876–8 Montenegro wins freedom from a
shrinking Ottoman Empire
1918 Montenegro joins the newly formed
kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes,
accepting the Serbian royal family as its
new monarchs
1941 Mussolini occupies Montenegro with plans
to absorb it as an Italian protectorate
2006 Montenegrins vote in a referendum for
independence from Serbia
2007 Montenegro signs a membership
agreement with the EUĐukanović supporters holding his portrait, 2006 rally