This article includes material extracted from the 2012 doctoral thesis “KARADAĞ’IN OSMANLI EGEMENLİĞİNE KARŞI MÜCADELESİ (1830–1878) / Montenegro’s Struggle Against Ottoman Rule (1830–1878)” by Prof. Dr. İbrahim YILMAZÇELİK and Ali Gökçen ÖZDEM.

Summary: In this study, I focus primarily on Montenegrin bandit attacks against Albanian villages and the political duplicity of the Montenegrin Vladika. Certain details—such as the claim that Vladika Petar II Njegoš refused to eat unless the severed head of Ismail Agha Cengiç was placed on his table—provide insight into the level of brutality characteristic of the region during this period. The article documents repeated cross-border raids on the Albanian regions of Spiç, Bojana, Tokmil (Tuxhemillë), Tivari, and surrounding areas.

Key events

Assassination of Ismail Agha Cengiç and Violations of the 1838 Grahovo Agreement

Following the 1838 agreement between Montenegrin and Ottoman authorities intended to stabilize the Grahovo region, peace collapsed almost immediately due to Montenegrin banditry. Rather than adhere to the treaty, Vladika Njegoš planned military expansion and the assassination of the Ottoman commander Ismail Agha Cengiç.

On September 30, 1840, Cengiç was ambushed and killed during the night in Drobniak, along with his guard unit. His severed head was presented to Njegoš, who rewarded Novica Cerović, the organizer of the attack, by appointing him Voivode of Drobniak. Ottoman retaliation was swift, and Montenegrin forces suffered heavy losses. Njegoš, fearing a counter-invasion, sought peace after the Ottoman advance.

Montenegrin raids on Albanian Villages

Despite multiple peace negotiations and agreements (notably those of 1842 and 1843), Montenegrin raids continued.

Spiç & Bojana, 1844

On December 30, 1844, 30–40 Montenegrin raiders crossed the border, killing civilians in the village of Bojana and looting homes in Spiç. Ottoman forces responded militarily and imposed stricter border controls after discovering that many Montenegrins falsely registered as Russian subjects for protection.

Tokmil (Tuxhemillë), Zupçe, and Sestan, 1851

Between September 8 and 26, 1851, raids were launched against these Albanian villages. Thousands of Montenegrin fighters looted livestock and killed civilians, prompting Ottoman reinforcements.

Expansionist Policy Under Danilo Njegoš

After the death of Petar II in 1851, his successor Danilo I pursued an even more aggressive expansion policy. In November 1852, Montenegrin forces massacred members of the Piperi (Pepaj) tribe when they attempted to restore allegiance to the Ottomans. Days later, 3,000 Montenegrins captured the strategic Zhablak fortress, provoking full-scale war on December 16, 1852. Russian funding and military advisors played a central role in supporting Montenegro’s expansionist efforts.

Subsequent attacks included the ambush and beheading of Ottoman official Zeynel Bey and his entourage in 1853, and repeated assaults on Albanian-inhabited frontier areas.

Interpretation and historical significance

The events documented in this thesis show that the conflict between Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire during the mid-19th century was characterized not only by formal warfare, but also by continual irregular warfare, cross-border bandit raids, and deliberate terror campaigns against the predominantly Albanian population of northern Shkodra and Tivar.

They also reveal the interplay between:

• Montenegrin expansionism
• Ottoman counter-insurgency operations
• Russian geopolitical sponsorship
• Local tribal politics and shifting allegiances

Reference

KARADAĞ’IN OSMANLI EGEMENLİĞİNE KARŞI MÜCADELESİ (1830-1878). https://openaccess.firat.edu.tr/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11508/14678/314268.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y