Anto Gvozdenovic
Encyclopedia
Anto Gvozdenović was a Montenegrin, Russian, and French general, a member of the Imperial Russian Privy Council
, and a diplomat and statesman. He was the ambassador of Montenegro to the United States of America and was the President (Prime Minister) of the Government of Montenegro in Exile for two terms and the Regent to King Michael I.
In his last years, General Gvozdenović returned to Montenegro, where he rebuilt his home in Vući Do, Ceklići
.
He died at his home in 1935, aged 82.
The Grandfather of General Gvozdenović was Prince Dumelja Gvozdenović (1813–1866). He married Maria Petrović-Njegoš (as her second
husband), who was the aunt of King Nicholas I of Montenegro
and sister of his father, Grand Duke Mirko of Montenegro
. The heroism and exploits of Grand Duke Mirko of Montenegro and Prince Dumelja were recorded in accounts of the famous battle of Grahavac
.
General Gvozdenović's nephew, Peter Gvozdenović married Joka Vukotić, niece of Queen Milena of Montenegro
and the Granddaughter of the Montenegrin National Hero, Serdar Janko Vukotić
. Peter Gvozdenović was one of the leaders of the 1918 Christmas uprising
against the decisions of the Podgorica Assembly
to merge Montenegro with Serbia.
, having entered his countries political life late in his career. He was born in 1853 in Vuci Do. After graduating from the Cetinje
Seminary, thanks to the backing of his godfather Prince Nicholas
, he went on to study medicine in Moscow. An exceptional personality in many respects, overpoweringly intelligent, Gvozdenović won over his colleagues and professors who choose him as student representative at congresses in Berlin and London.
As a boy the General had been sent to St Petersburg by his godfather, King Nicholas I of Montenegro
, where he was to study in the Russian Military academy.
Following his studies, Dr. Gvozdenović joined the Imperial Russian Army and, under the command of General Skobelyev, took part in the expedition against Turkmenistan.
He returned to Montenegro whenever he could and whenever there was a need. Back in 1876, as a student of Moscow University, upon hearing the news of a war with Turkey, he went back to Montenegro to participate in the defense of its freedom. His contribution in this war was immeasurable. An intellectual and a polyglot, Gvozdenović was assigned as an interpreter to V. Stillman, famous English publicist, painter and journalist and correspondent for the Times
of London.
At the time Britain, in tune with its Bosporus policy, was on the side of the Turks in this war. However, Stillman's reports, articles and books, written under the great influence of Anto Gvozdenović, are filled with admiration for Montenegro, its history and its just battle for freedom. Stillman's texts greatly contributed to turning British public opinion in favour of Montenegro in her efforts to free the subjugated Balkan peoples. Even Gladstone
himself spoke in favour of Montenegro, while Tennyson
wrote his "Ode to Montenegro," one of the most beautiful poems devoted to this state.
In 1904, Gvozdenović went to Manchuria
to serve in the Russo-Japanese War
. He was was honored with the Russian Order of St. Stanislas
with swords; and he received the rank of General of the Imperial Army.
Two of King Nicholas's daughters went on to marry Russian Grand Dukes, and Anto Gvozdenović played a role in affairs leading to the marriage of these kinsmen. In particular he remained close to Princess Anastasia with whom he had often played as a child at the Royal Palace in Cetinje
. Princess Anastasia's marriage to Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievitch came in 1907. The Grand Duke was the Uncle of Tsar Nicholas II
and younger brother of Tsar Nicholas I
and during the first World War Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Russian Armies.
General Gvozdenović remained close to the Imperial family and had large estates in the Crimea
, he was a noted soldier, having fought in eight wars and was awarded with the Russian Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious (St George)
; a Military Order awarded to officers for outstanding gallantry on the field of battle, and with the Russian Order of the Saint Apostolic Prince Vladimir (St Vladimir)
awarded to those who had saved others from mortal danger; to persons who had achieved great distinction‚ while the bow on the sword indicated exceptional accomplishment while serving in the army.
The Tsar appointed General Gvozdenović to the Imperial Russian Privy Counsel
before his retirement and return to Montenegro. Here he kept a suite of rooms at the Grand Hotel, Cetinje, and rebuilt and renovated a family property in Vući Do. Anto Gvozdenović kept an apartment in Rome and a permanent suite at the Hotel Maurice in Paris for some time.
Although already at a relatively advanced age, the news of the First Balkan War
again saw the General return to Montenegro to fight for its freedom as a volunteer.
During World War I, after exile from Montenegro, General Gvozdenović was enlisted by France to be the Deputy Chief of its Medical Corps. During the battles that raged on the Western Front, carrying the insignia of the French Army, Gvozdenović stood in the front ranks. In the later stages of this war, General Gvozdenović once again placed himself at the disposal of King Nicholas, in the role of adjutant, ADC and personal adviser.
Following Montenegro's capitulation, General Gvozdenović remained permanently at King Nicholas's side and accompanied him on many diplomatic missions to European courts and to Allied front lines.
From 7 March 1921 to 16 March 1923 General Gvozdenović became co-Regent of the Kingdom of Montenegro with Queen Milena while King Michael I was still a minor. Between 17 March 1923 and 14 September 1929 he was Regent following Queen Milena's death.
General Anto Gvozdenović died on September 2, 1935 in the house he had built for himself in the grounds of his ancestral home. It was recorded that his last words were, "So, I am packing! Traveling off," as he twirled his gold pendant with four engraved aces, he said, "This is my only memento of Monte Carlo, where I played as a champion of the Russian Tsar. All has passed and all passes."
General Anto Gvozdenović is undoubtedly among the most prominent people that Montenegro has produced, an exceptional historical personality of the mid 19th and the early 20th century.
Supreme Privy Council
The Supreme Privy Council of Imperial Russia was founded on 8 February 1726 as a body of advisors to Catherine I.Originally, the council included six members — Alexander Menshikov, Fyodor Apraksin, Gavrila Golovkin, Andrey Osterman, Peter Tolstoy, and Dmitry Galitzine. Several months later,...
, and a diplomat and statesman. He was the ambassador of Montenegro to the United States of America and was the President (Prime Minister) of the Government of Montenegro in Exile for two terms and the Regent to King Michael I.
In his last years, General Gvozdenović returned to Montenegro, where he rebuilt his home in Vući Do, Ceklići
Geographical regions in Montenegro
This is a list of some of Geographical regions in Montenegro. These regions have no official status, and some of them do overlap, or could not be said to have clear borders.-Geographical regions in Montenegro:* Montenegrin Littoral...
.
He died at his home in 1935, aged 82.
Ancestry
The House of Gvozdenović descended from Prince Rade Gvozdenović (1672–1750) who was elevated following his heroism at the battle of Tsarev Laz in 1712, of which a number of famous ballads were written and references made by the literary figure Vuk Karadžić. From Prince Rade came the name Gvozdenović (Gvozden-ović meaning son of Iron).The Grandfather of General Gvozdenović was Prince Dumelja Gvozdenović (1813–1866). He married Maria Petrović-Njegoš (as her second
husband), who was the aunt of King Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
and sister of his father, Grand Duke Mirko of Montenegro
Mirko Petrovic Njegoš
Mirko Petrović-Njegoš also Vojvoda Mirko , Grand Duke of Grahovo was a Montenegrin soldier, diplomat and poet of the House of Petrović-Njegoš. He was the older brother of Prince Danilo I and father of King Nikola, son of Stiepo/Sava Petrović-Njegoš and wife Angelika Radamovich...
. The heroism and exploits of Grand Duke Mirko of Montenegro and Prince Dumelja were recorded in accounts of the famous battle of Grahavac
Battle of Grahovac
The Battle of Grahovac occurred from 28 April to 1 May 1858, when the Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, elder brother of Knjaz Danilo, led a strong army of 7,500 and won a crucial battle against the Turks at Grahovac. The Turkish forces were routed...
.
General Gvozdenović's nephew, Peter Gvozdenović married Joka Vukotić, niece of Queen Milena of Montenegro
Milena Vukotic
Milena Vukotic is a former ballerina and a stage, television, and film actress.Vukotic was born in Rome, to a Serbian Montenegrian comediographer father and an Italian pianist/composer mother....
and the Granddaughter of the Montenegrin National Hero, Serdar Janko Vukotić
Prime Minister of Montenegro
The Prime Minister of Montenegro , is the head of the Government of Montenegro. The role of the Prime Minister is to direct the work of the Government, and to submit to the Parliament the Government's Program, including a list of proposed ministers...
. Peter Gvozdenović was one of the leaders of the 1918 Christmas uprising
Christmas Uprising
The Christmas Uprising or Christmas Rebellion refers to the uprising of Montenegrin guerrilla fighters aimed against the planned unification of Montenegro with the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes...
against the decisions of the Podgorica Assembly
Podgorica Assembly
The Podgorica Assembly , in full the Great National Assembly of the Serb People in Montenegro , was an assembly held in Podgorica that served as the representative body of the Montenegrin people during the...
to merge Montenegro with Serbia.
Biography
General Gvozdenović was the last Prime Minister of MontenegroPrime Minister of Montenegro
The Prime Minister of Montenegro , is the head of the Government of Montenegro. The role of the Prime Minister is to direct the work of the Government, and to submit to the Parliament the Government's Program, including a list of proposed ministers...
, having entered his countries political life late in his career. He was born in 1853 in Vuci Do. After graduating from the Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
Seminary, thanks to the backing of his godfather Prince Nicholas
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
, he went on to study medicine in Moscow. An exceptional personality in many respects, overpoweringly intelligent, Gvozdenović won over his colleagues and professors who choose him as student representative at congresses in Berlin and London.
As a boy the General had been sent to St Petersburg by his godfather, King Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
, where he was to study in the Russian Military academy.
Following his studies, Dr. Gvozdenović joined the Imperial Russian Army and, under the command of General Skobelyev, took part in the expedition against Turkmenistan.
He returned to Montenegro whenever he could and whenever there was a need. Back in 1876, as a student of Moscow University, upon hearing the news of a war with Turkey, he went back to Montenegro to participate in the defense of its freedom. His contribution in this war was immeasurable. An intellectual and a polyglot, Gvozdenović was assigned as an interpreter to V. Stillman, famous English publicist, painter and journalist and correspondent for the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of London.
At the time Britain, in tune with its Bosporus policy, was on the side of the Turks in this war. However, Stillman's reports, articles and books, written under the great influence of Anto Gvozdenović, are filled with admiration for Montenegro, its history and its just battle for freedom. Stillman's texts greatly contributed to turning British public opinion in favour of Montenegro in her efforts to free the subjugated Balkan peoples. Even Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
himself spoke in favour of Montenegro, while Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
wrote his "Ode to Montenegro," one of the most beautiful poems devoted to this state.
In 1904, Gvozdenović went to Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
to serve in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. He was was honored with the Russian Order of St. Stanislas
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus , also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917.-History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus:Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the...
with swords; and he received the rank of General of the Imperial Army.
Two of King Nicholas's daughters went on to marry Russian Grand Dukes, and Anto Gvozdenović played a role in affairs leading to the marriage of these kinsmen. In particular he remained close to Princess Anastasia with whom he had often played as a child at the Royal Palace in Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
. Princess Anastasia's marriage to Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievitch came in 1907. The Grand Duke was the Uncle of Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
and younger brother of Tsar Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
and during the first World War Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Russian Armies.
General Gvozdenović remained close to the Imperial family and had large estates in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, he was a noted soldier, having fought in eight wars and was awarded with the Russian Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious (St George)
Order of St. George
The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
; a Military Order awarded to officers for outstanding gallantry on the field of battle, and with the Russian Order of the Saint Apostolic Prince Vladimir (St Vladimir)
Order of St. Vladimir
The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
awarded to those who had saved others from mortal danger; to persons who had achieved great distinction‚ while the bow on the sword indicated exceptional accomplishment while serving in the army.
The Tsar appointed General Gvozdenović to the Imperial Russian Privy Counsel
Supreme Privy Council
The Supreme Privy Council of Imperial Russia was founded on 8 February 1726 as a body of advisors to Catherine I.Originally, the council included six members — Alexander Menshikov, Fyodor Apraksin, Gavrila Golovkin, Andrey Osterman, Peter Tolstoy, and Dmitry Galitzine. Several months later,...
before his retirement and return to Montenegro. Here he kept a suite of rooms at the Grand Hotel, Cetinje, and rebuilt and renovated a family property in Vući Do. Anto Gvozdenović kept an apartment in Rome and a permanent suite at the Hotel Maurice in Paris for some time.
Although already at a relatively advanced age, the news of the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
again saw the General return to Montenegro to fight for its freedom as a volunteer.
During World War I, after exile from Montenegro, General Gvozdenović was enlisted by France to be the Deputy Chief of its Medical Corps. During the battles that raged on the Western Front, carrying the insignia of the French Army, Gvozdenović stood in the front ranks. In the later stages of this war, General Gvozdenović once again placed himself at the disposal of King Nicholas, in the role of adjutant, ADC and personal adviser.
Following Montenegro's capitulation, General Gvozdenović remained permanently at King Nicholas's side and accompanied him on many diplomatic missions to European courts and to Allied front lines.
From 7 March 1921 to 16 March 1923 General Gvozdenović became co-Regent of the Kingdom of Montenegro with Queen Milena while King Michael I was still a minor. Between 17 March 1923 and 14 September 1929 he was Regent following Queen Milena's death.
General Anto Gvozdenović died on September 2, 1935 in the house he had built for himself in the grounds of his ancestral home. It was recorded that his last words were, "So, I am packing! Traveling off," as he twirled his gold pendant with four engraved aces, he said, "This is my only memento of Monte Carlo, where I played as a champion of the Russian Tsar. All has passed and all passes."
General Anto Gvozdenović is undoubtedly among the most prominent people that Montenegro has produced, an exceptional historical personality of the mid 19th and the early 20th century.
Persian Armour
Among the numerous exhibits of exceptional value held in Montenegro's National Historical Museum, prominent position is given to a suit of Persian armour that belonged to General Gvozdenović . This rare work of art dates from a time when art flourished in the East. The lettering and rich ornamentation indicate that the armor was made in Persia, during the period before the use of the gun. The exquisitely worked gold decoration, the richness of the ornamentation and the beauty of the craftsmanship undoubtedly show that the armour to have been the property of a high Eastern feudal lord or ruler. The armour, along with the Order of St. Vladimir with crossed swords, were presented to General Gvozdenović in 1881 by General Skobelyev, in a citation that read 'for courage, intrepidness and military skill displayed in wars in Bulgaria and Turkmenistan'.External links
- The Njegoskij Fund Public Project : Biography of General Dr. Anto Gvozdenović (1853–1935).