On the Russian financial assistance to Montenegro: From the origins of Russian-Montenegrin relations to the beginning of the 20th century

In 1711, official relations were established between Russia and Montenegro. Since 1715, Russia began to pay a constant financial subsidy to Montenegro. Over the years, its amount was growing, more and more new items of expenditure were added to the main subsidy. Based on documents, we note a special increase in these payments at the period of the Great Eastern Crisis of 1875-1878, during the Montenegrin-Turkish War of 1876-1877 and the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Because of the latter, the Berlin Treaty was signed, officially securing the independence of Montenegro and its territorial expansion. In the post-war decade, Russia repeatedly provided loans to Montenegro for various needs, including military ones, and helped, almost annually, by sending foodstuffs. In 1889, two dynastic marriages were contracted between the Russian Empire and the Montenegrin principality. Before this, Petersburg had covered all the external debts of the Principality. Since 1895, Russia took upon itself the financing of one battalion of the Montenegrin army, and since 1902 of two battalions with a total cost of 331 thousand rubles. In our opinion, financial “injections” were an important measure of Russian-Montenegrin relations, which can be used to judge the interest of the Russian Empire in Montenegro, as well as the significance of this small Balkan country for the Russian Foreign Ministry’s policy plans.