Danilo I, Metropolitan of Cetinje facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Danilo I |
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| Metropolitan of Cetinje | |
An old drawing of Danilo from a book called The Mountain Wreath
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| Native name | Данило I |
| Church | Serbian Orthodox Church |
| See | Skenderija and Primorje |
| Elected | 1697 |
| In Office | 1697–1735 |
| Predecessor | Savatije |
| Successor | Sava Petrović |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 1700 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1670 Njeguši, Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro |
| Died | 11 January 1735 Podmaine monastery, Republic of Venice |
| Buried | Orlov krš (Eagle's Rock), Cetinje |
| Nationality | Montenegrin |
| Residence | Cetinje |
| Coat of arms | .png) |
Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš (born 1670, died 11 January 1735) was a very important leader in Montenegro. He was the Metropolitan of Cetinje from 1697 to 1735. A Metropolitan is a high-ranking bishop in the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Danilo also started the House of Petrović-Njegoš. This was a family that ruled Montenegro for a very long time, from 1697 until 1918. He was also known as Danilo Šćepčević.
Contents
Early Life and Becoming a Leader
Danilo Šćepčević was born in a place called Njeguši. His father, Stepan, was a merchant, and his mother was Ana. He had a brother named Radul.
When he was about 15 years old, Danilo saw the battle of Vrtijeljka in 1685. He later wrote about the brave fighters who died there.
In 1697, the leader of the church in Cetinje, Sava Očinić, passed away. The people of Montenegro then needed to choose a new Metropolitan.
Becoming a Bishop
In 1697, the Montenegrin tribes chose Danilo Šćepčević to lead the church in Cetinje. At that time, the main Serbian Church was facing challenges.
In 1700, Danilo traveled to Hungary. There, he was officially made a bishop by Arsenije III Crnojević, who was the Serbian Patriarch (a very high church leader) in exile. This important ceremony was attended by many Serbian bishops and important people.
Danilo had likely met Arsenije III before. In 1689, Arsenije III had visited Cetinje. He asked the Montenegrin people to fight together against the Ottoman Empire.
Danilo's Time as Leader
As Metropolitan, Danilo helped organize the defense of Montenegro. He also worked to solve disagreements between the different tribes.
In 1711, an uprising began. Montenegrins, along with people from nearby regions, fought against the local Ottoman rulers. Danilo encouraged this fight.
During Danilo's rule, Montenegro started to build strong connections with Russia. Historians believe that Montenegro looked to Russia for help. This was because other powerful countries like Turkey and Austria often caused problems for Montenegro. Russia was seen as a strong ally against them.
In 1714, Danilo sent a message to the Montenegrin leaders. He told them to unite and fight bravely, just like famous heroes from Serbian history.
In 1715, Danilo visited Czar Peter I in St. Petersburg, Russia. He secured Russia's support against the Ottomans. This trip became a tradition for future Montenegrin leaders. After this, Danilo helped Montenegro regain control of the Zeta region from the Ottomans. He also rebuilt the monastery in Cetinje. He built defenses around another monastery, Podostrog-Podmaine, which was a summer home for the ruling family.
On May 1, 1718, the Republic of Venice recognized Danilo's authority. This meant he had spiritual power over Orthodox Christians in certain areas. From then on, the Metropolitans of Cetinje could build and rebuild churches in those places. They could also preach freely there.
Who Came After Danilo?
Danilo chose his cousin, Sava II Petrović Njegoš, to follow him as leader. Later, his nephew, Vasilije Petrović Njegoš, also became a very important leader. Danilo wanted Sava to learn about leadership early on. However, Sava mostly kept things as they were. He let the tribal chiefs make many decisions on their own.
Danilo's Influence
Danilo played a key role in bringing together different families, clans, and tribes in Montenegro. He helped create stronger connections among them.
Titles Danilo Used
- "Danil, Metropolitan of Skenderija and Primorje" (1715)
- "Danil, Bishop of Cetinje, Njegoš, Duke of the Serb land" (1732)
Images for kids
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An old drawing of Danilo from a book called The Mountain Wreath
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Danilo's grave at Cetinje
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Another view of Danilo's grave at Cetinje
See also
- Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro
