Montefiore

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

SIR MOSES (monphilanthropist, dete-fe-ō'rē), a Jewish family of bankers; scendant of a wealthy Oct. 24, 1784. born in Leghorn, Italy, Cohen (1784- In 1812 he married Judith went hand in hand 1862), a lady who schemes of with him in all his many stock-broker he soon philanthropy. As a In 1818 he was achieved great success. Spanish and elected president of the From 1829 on- Portuguese community. part in the ward he took a prominent the civil disabilistruggle for removing He was for a time ties of English Jews. after long High Sheriff of Kent, and, re-election, was exclusion and repeated London in legally admitted as Sheriff of . and 1837. In that year he was knighted in 1846 was raised to a baronetcy. He made seven journeys to the East, the in 1875 first being in 1827, and the latest chiefly for the amelioration of the condimemory of tion of his countrymen. In a Jewish college at his wife he endowed 101st year he Ramsgate in 1865. In his , July 28, 1885 died in Ramsgate, England . MONTENEGRO (native Tzrnagora, Black Turkish Karadagh, all meaning independent Mountain), formerly an Europe, situated in the principality of Peninsula, and W. part of the Balkan , and bounded by Albania, the Adriatic the former Austrian provinces of ; area, about Herzegovina and Dalmatia ; pop. about 250,000 3,630 square miles . everywhere mountainous, The surface is being covered by an extension of the Dinaric Alps, rising to the height of however, a few 8,850 feet. There are, valleys, beautiful and verdant plains and tolerably fertile. The in which the soil is Moratcha. About principal river is the , besides sevhalf of the Lake of Scutari within the Moneral smaller lakes, lies tenegrin boundary. The climate is , healthy. Forests of beech, pine, chestnut, many was made with the late and other valuable timber cover and expired in 1913. spiritual and temsheltered of the mountain sides. Fruit trees of all poral government for the . kinds abound, especially in the Prince Albert, receives valleys, where even almonds, vines, and Agriculture is in pomegranates ripen. inefficient state, though a very rude and of land is planted every cultivable piece tobacco, rye, with Indian corn, potatoes, other useful wheat, cabbages, or some are plant. Sheep, cattle, and goats . Manufactures, reared in great numbers woolen stuff with exception of a coarse , chief occupations of are unknown. The agriculture and the Montenegrins are altogether left to fishing, trade being are sheep and foreigners. The exports , honey, cattle, mutton-hams, sumach cheese, butter, and other agriculhides, The chief towns are tural produce. Cettinje, the capital; Podgoritza; Nikseaports Dulcigno and sich; and the are pure Antivari. The Montenegrins Serbian dialect. They Serbs and speak a stature and well are generally of tall men go at all times proportioned. The occupation fully armed, whatever be the engaged, and all bein which they are age (estimated tween 18 and 50 years of service at 29,000) are liable to military . the Greek Church. In religion they are of , is free Education, though once neglected Montenegro was nomiand compulsory. monarchy, with a nally a constitutional members, but the state council of eight . king was practically absolute Montenegro, first appearing as a prinname of Zeta in the cipality under the 4th century, was subject to the great Serbian kingdom till about 1389. In 1516 the secular prince abdicated in favor of the Archbishop Vavil, who then formed Montenegro into a theocratic state, under an autocratic vladika or celibate princebishop. The dignity was inherited through brothers and nephews, and after 1697 became hereditary in the family of Petrovitch Njegos. The history of Montenegro for many years is a record of deadly struggle with the Turks, and of a slowly growing civilization among its inhabitants. In 1852 Danilo became vladika, but in 1855 he married, threw off his ecclesiastical character, assuming the title of hospodar or prince, and transformed his land into a secular principality, the independence of which was soon recognized by Russia. Danilo was assassinated in 1860, and Nicholas I. was proclaimed his successor, Aug. 14, of that year. In 1861-1862 he engaged in a not altogether successful war against Turkey; but in 1876 he joined Serbia and in 1877-1878 Russia against his hereditary foe, with the results that 1,900 square miles were added to his territory by the Treaty of Berlin; that the port of Antivari and all the waters of Montenegro were closed to the ships of war of all nations; and that the administration of the maritime and sanitary police on the coast was placed in the hands of Austria. Montenegro suffered severely in the World War. At the first invasion of Serbia by the Austrian armies, Montenegro lost no time in declaring war against the Central Empires. Although the army numbered only about 40,000 men, they were at once placed in the field. A separate army was dispatched by Austria to invade Montenegro and to prevent a junction of the Serbian and Montenegrin armies. This force, however, was repulsed, and from the top of the strongly fortified Mount Lovcen, the Montenegrins carried on the bombardment of Cattaro held by the enemy. On Aug. 10, 1914, the Montenegrin infantry delivered a strong attack against the Austrian garrisons, but they were unable to make good the advantage they first gained. They successfully resisted the Austrians in the second invasion of Serbia and almost succeeded in reaching Sarajevo in Bosnia. With the beginning of the third invasion, however, they were compelled to retire before greatly superior numbers, and Serbia was finally overrun by Austro-German armies. Montenegro was also invaded and for the remainder of the war was in the possession of the Central Powers. King Nicholas fled to Italy and then to France, The government was transferred to Bordeaux. In December, 1918, King Nicholas was deposed by the National Assembly, on account of attempts made previously to bring about peace with Austria. On the creation of the state of Jugoslavia, Montenegro became a part of this kingdom. See JUGOSLAVIA..