Regents of Montenegro

Of the various Serbian principalities which during the early medieval age Duklja was for a long time the most significant. The Pope elevated Duklja to the status of kingdom in 1077 and at the same was this state more and more frequently called Zeta. Its present name Montenegro is known from the 15th century, which is an Italian translation of "Crna Gora" which means "the Black Mountain". Before that had the country been overshadowed and then conquered by the principality of Raška which united the Serbian people during the 12th century. Serbia was dissolved into smaller principalities in the 14th century and Zeta/Montenegro was one of these. It was also the only Christian principality in the Balkans that managed to preserve its independence from the Ottoman Empire. What made the country even more peculiar was the decision of its prince to abdicate 1516 and leave all power to an elected bishop (vladika), whereby Montenegro became a theocracy. From 1697 was the office of vladika hereditary and 1851 was it secularized whereupon Montenegro's government again was headed by a prince with the title "knez". The same dynasty continued to rule however and they declared Montenegro a kingdom in 1910. But only eight years later was the country annexed by Serbia which created the new state of Yugoslavia. During the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s a movement for independence emerged in Montenegro. What remained of Yugoslavia was transformed into a loose commonwealth called Serbia-Montenegro in 2003 and full independence was achieved 2006 after a referendum.

c. 900 ? ? ? ? -971 971-990 990-1016	Petar (Predimir) Hvalimir, Boleslav, Dragislav and Svevlad Legec Silvester Tugomir Hvalimir II Petrislav Jovan Vladimir
1016-1034	Dragomir	= 970-1034
1034-1052 1052-1077	Stefan Vojislav (Dobroslav I) Mihajlo I
Kingdom of Zeta
1077-1081	Mihajlo I (same as above)
1081-1101	Konstantin Bodin	= 1072
1101-1102 1101-1102 1102 1102-1103 1103-1114 1114-1118 1118-1125 1125-1131 1131-1146 1146-1162 1162-1186 1186	Mihajlo II Dobroslav II Dobroslav III Kocapar Vladimir II Djordje Grubesa Djordje (restored) Gradinja Radoslav Mihajlo III Conquered by Serbia
Serbian Vassal Kingdom
1186-1190	Stefan Nemanja	= 1168-1196
1190-1208	Stefan Vukan Nemanjić	= 1202-1204
1208-1248 1248-1276 1276-1309	Djordje Nemanjić Stefan Nemanjić Jelena av Anjou
1309-1314	Stefan Uroš III Dečanski	= 1321-1331
1314-1322	Stefan Konstantin
1322-1331	Stefan Uroš IV Dušan	= 1331-1356
Principality of Zeta House of Balšić
1356-1362 1362-1378	Balsa I Djuradj I
1378-1385	Balsa II	= 1383-1385
1385-1403 1403-1421	Djuradj II Balsa III
United with Serbia
1421-1427	Stefan Lasarević	= 1389-1427
1427-1456	Djuradj Branković	= 1427-1456
Principality of Montenegro House of Crnojević
1435-1465 1465-1490 1490-1496 1496-1499 1499-1515 1515-1516	Stefan I Crnojević Ivan I Djuradj IV Stefan II Ivan II Djordje V
Prince Bishops (Vladikas)
1516-1520 1520-1530 1530-1532 1532-1540 1540 1540-1559 1560-1561 1561-1569 1569-1579 1575-1582 1582-1591 1591-1593 1591-1593 1593-1636 1636-1639 1639-1649 1649-1659 1659-1673 1673-1685 1685 1685-1692 1692-1694 1694-1696	Vavila (bishop since 1493) German II Pavle Vasilije I Nikodim Romil Makarije Ruvim I Pahomije II Komanin Gerasim Venijamin Nikanor Stefan (co-ruler) Ruvim II Boljević Interregnum Mardarije I Kornecanin Visarion II Mardarije II Kornecanin Ruvim III Boljević Vasilije II Velikrasić Visarion II Banjica Interregnum Sava I Kaludjerović
Prince Bishops of the House of Petrović-Njegos (princes from 1851)
1696-1735 1735-1781 1750-1766 1782-1830 1830-1851 1852-1860 1860-1910	Danilo I Sava II Vasilije (co-ruler) Petar I Petar II Danilo II Nikola I
Kingdom of Montenegro
1910-1918 1918-1941 1941-1943 1943-1944 1944-2003 2003-2006 2006-	Nikola I (same as above) Part of Yugoslavia Occupied by Italy * Occupied by Germany Part of Yugoslavia Commonwealth of Serbia and Montenegro Republic of Montenegro