Olga Petrović Njegoš: Difference between revisions

Montenegrin princess (1859–1896)

Olga Petrović-Njegoš (Cetinje, 19 March 1859 — Venice, 21 September 1896), was a Montenegrin princess.

Olga was born on 19 March 1859 in Cetinje, as a member of the House of Petrović-Njegoš, ruling family of the small Principality of Montenegro since 1697.^[1] She was an only child of Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro and his wife, Princess Darinka of Montenegro. Alexander II of Russia and Eugénie, Empress of the French acted as Olga’s godparents, a choice that illustrated the strong dynastic ties linking their courts with Montenegro.^[2]

When her father was assassinated in 1860, Olga’s first ceremonial role came while still an infant, carried on horseback in her mother’s arms, at the head of his funeral procession.^[3] After the accession of Nicholas I, she and her mother departed Montenegro for political reasons and took up residence in Venice. In accordance with the will of her father, Olga was placed under the guardianship of her mother until she reached the age of eighteen, and after that she was to come in to the inheritance and lands of her father. However, Nicholas I did not give permission to her or her mother to permanently return to Montenegro again once they had left, so she was never able to take control of her inheritance.

Upon their departure, the Montenegrin court agreed to set aside 5,000 francs a year for Princess Olga and to give her a dowry of 250,000 francs upon her marriage. Initially dissatisfied with the this arrangement, her mother requested an increase, and Prince Nicholas agreed to contribute an additional 5,000 francs annually from his own funds, bringing Olga’s total support to 10,000 francs a year.^[4] He and his father, Olga’s uncle, Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, President of the Montenegrin Senate, consistently expressed their readiness to oversee and support her education and upbringing.^[5] During her visit to the Russian Empire in 1861/1862, Darinka secured from Emperor Alexander II an annual pension of 4,000 silver rubles (16,000 francs) to provide for both her own support and her daughter Olga’s education.^[6]

After the fall of Napoleon III and the Second French Empire, the temporarily loss of their previously granted annual French pension of 12,000 francs—combined with the misfortunes of the once-wealthy Kvekic family of Trieste, whom Darinka had long supported—left the princess and her daughter in a precarious financial state. Although their French pension was reinstalled during the Third Republic, but reduced to half (6,000 francs), the severity of their difficulties is evident in a letter from Olga to Nicholas, in which she requested an advance of 12,000 francs from the dowry that had been pledged to her upon marriage. Seeking broader relief, mother and daughter appealed to the prince himself, who provided 106,000 francs to settle their debts on the condition that ten and a half of the Princess’s annual Russian pensions be assigned to him. A formal contract to that effect was drawn up in 1875 and personally approved and signed by the Emperor of Russia. Even this support proved inadequate to meet their expenses and sustain their extravagant way of life. A few years later the Montenegrin government guaranteed another loan of 40,000 francs in the names of Princess Darinka and her daugher, Princess Olga.^[7]

Princess Olga was described as quite pretty, and as a timid and sweet tempered personality. Even as a young girl, her future marriage was considered a matter of significant importance, frequently discussed and negotiated among family and political circles.

According to the claims of the Serbian statesman Milan Piroćanac, her mother, Princess Darinka, hoped to see her daughter married to Milan Obrenović, member of the House of Obrenović and heir apparent to Prince Mihailo and the Serbian throne, citing provisions of the secret Serbian-Montenegrin treaty as justification. By then, however, relations between the two dynasties had cooled, and Prince Nicholas had no intention of supporting such a match.^[9]

In the early months of 1867, Alexander Semenovich Ionin (1836-1900), the Russian consul in Dubrovnik, reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, that Mihailo Obrenović, Prince of Serbia, who was persistently intent on replacing his wife Julia, had, through the mediation of his aide-de-camp, Colonel Ljubomir Ivanović (1836-1879), pledged himself in marriage to Olga’s mother, Princess Darinka. The envisioned union, however, was not merely personal; its deeper intention and purpose was the political consolidation of Serbia and Montenegro under a single sovereign authority.^[10]

Based on the report of Franz Philippovich, Freiherr von Philippsberg (1820–1903), the Austrian Governor of the Kingdom of Dalmatia, dated 20 January 1867, Princess Olga had become engaged to her cousin, Marko Petrović-Njegoš (b. 25 March 1858), member of the cadet branch of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, the younger son of Drago Petrović-Njegoš (1818–1872) and his wife, Marija Mare Daković. Because Marko’s elder brother, Duke Božo Petrović-Njegoš, had already been named heir apparent to the throne should Prince Nicholas die without a male successor, whispers emerged that Princess Darinka was maneuvering to alter the line of succession so that Marko—then only nine years old and supposedly promised to Olga—might one day become the Prince of Montenegro.^[11]

Though of royal birth, Olga possessed no substantial property and lived in constant financial uncertainty. Expected to marry within royalty, she nevertheless remained unmarried, as her limited dynastic significance and lack of personal wealth reduced her prospects in the royal marriage market. Although she had been raised from an early age to possess all the personal qualities expected of someone of her rank—arguably surpassing those of many contemporary princesses—after the death of her ambitious mother from pneumonia in 1892, Olga’s prospects for a dynastic marriage diminished further.^[12] Marrying outside royal circles was not considered acceptable at the time, leaving her ultimately unmarried.

The brutal assassination of her father, Prince Danilo, in 1860, together with the political intrigues that followed, compelled Princess Darinka and her daughter Olga to leave Montenegro and make their home in Venice in 1867. They established their permanent residence in the Palazzo Tiepolo, situated in the heart of historic Sestieri of San Polo, the smallest yet one of the oldest districts of Venice, known for its illustrious residents, elegant palaces and proximity to the Grand Canal.^[14] According to contemporaries familiar with their years abroad, special attention was devoted to her education and Olga was instructed through the works of Italian senator Achille Mauri.^[15]. It was also recorded that:

“Having taken up residence in Venice, Darinka devoted herself entirely to her daughter’s upbringing. Olga was educated so as to bring honor to her House in every princely and aristocratic circle, a reputation she indeed gained—both among the elite and among the populace in Venice. Conscious of her House’s glorious name and of her immortal father, she held her name to be her highest sacred trust.”^[16]

At her request, Olga was introduced to American writer Constance Fenimore Woolson through Edith Wharton, and the two soon formed a warm and lasting friendship.^[17] Clare Benedict, Constance’ niece, also a writer and a patron, met Princess Olga while traveling through Venice and recorded in her memoirs:

“My most recent acquaintance is Princess Olga of Montenegro. I have long wished to visit Montenegro, and Olga tells me it is now quite easy: you go to Rijeka, opposite Venice, and from there take a steamer down the Adriatic. Olga’s father was a prince [or king, as sometimes said]. After his death, his nephew inherited the throne, and the widow and her little girl came to Venice. The elder princess died last year, and Olga now spends her time with relatives—sometimes here, sometimes in Russia, sometimes with her cousin, the current ruler of Montenegro.”

“Like all Russians [!], she is marvelous in languages,” the Benedict continued. “She speaks English perfectly in all she says, though with a light foreign accent. It is a very sweet accent. She speaks half a dozen languages equally well. She is about twenty-eight years old; small, dark-complexioned, not ‘beautiful’ by some standards [?], but very interesting. She asked whether she might visit ‘very soon’ again, so I believe she intends to continue the acquaintance. The Emperor has granted her a pension.”^[18]

During her years in exile, Olga moved in artistic circles and became acquainted with several renowned painters and artists; among them was the Italian painter Cherubino Kirchmayr, who is known to have sketched a portrait of her.^[19] She also became acquainted with the painter John Singer Sargent while attending tea with her mother in the renowned Red salon of Contessa Andriana Marcello (1839–1893), widow of Conte Alessandro Marcello (1813-1871), who served as a Podestà of Venice and member of the Italian Parliament.^[20] Olga formed a close friendship and maintained lifelong correspondence with their daughter, Contessa Teresa Agostini (1862–1946), a distinguished figure in Venice’s salon society, remembered for her refined intellect and extensive literary correspondence preserved in the Agostini–Marcello family archives.^[21]

In Venice, Princess Olga became acquainted with Lady Layard (1843-1912), famous for her Journals, and her husband, Sir Austen Henry Layard, who were her neighbors at their sixteenth-century Palazzo Cappello Layard on the Grand Canal. Olga often visited them for tea, shared dinners, enjoyed wine, and played the piano in the evenings.^[22][23] Lady Layard often sent her thoughtful gifts of port wine—intended both to ease the suffering of her ailing mother Princess Darinka, who battled pneumonia, and to fortify her own strength during the pleuropneumonia Olga endured in later years. Notably, all three—mother, daughter, and Lady Layard herself—were under the attentive care of the same trusted Italian physician, Dr. Cini.^[24] Following her mother’s death in 1892, Princess Olga made her residence in a palazzo she owned in San Stino di Livenza, located in the Veneto region, where she remained until her death four years later.^[25]

Despite her ongoing financial difficulties and life in exile, Princess Olga maintained a deep devotion for her homeland and returned to Montenegro whenever circumstances allowed. She made several visits over the years—most notably in 1881, 1884, 1886, 1888, 1889, and 1892—demonstrating her enduring attachment to the land of her birth and to her Montenegrin heritage.^[26]

Endowed with a fine voice and a deep affection for music, she frequently performed during her visits to her homeland. Her appearances at musical soirées held at the Court were especially well-received, where she often sang alongside Princess Zorka, the eldest daughter of Prince Nicholas. These refined gatherings were sometimes further enlivened by the participation of the children of foreign diplomats, creating a harmonious blend of local tradition and international charm.^[27] In addition to her love of music, Olga held a deep affection for the theatre. During a visit to Montenegro in 1881, she demonstrated her support for the performing arts by presenting the Zetski dom (Montenegrin Royal Theater) with a fine piano.^[28] In the autumn of 1888, Princess Olga arrived in Cetinje from Venice with her mother, and in their honor, Prince Nicholas arranged an exclusive court performance of his romantic-patriotic drama The Balkan Empress, originally staged in 1886, now revived before a select circle of distinguished guests.^[29] Her final visit to Montenegro came in February 1892, when she led the funeral procession of her mother, who had succumbed to pneumonia.^[30]

During all these visits, Olga and her mother have taken part in public life and court functions, continuing to formally receive members of the diplomatic corps, a privilege reserved exclusively for the members of the ruling family, but their role within the Principality of Montenegro remained purely ceremonial, and they were regarded only as an honored guests.^[31]

Montenegrin press frequently reported on Olga’s health, which had become increasingly fragile two years after the passing of her mother. According to the Lady Layard’s Journal, Dr. Cini informed her that Princess Olga fell ill with an incurable disease (lung cancer), despite having had an operation in 1895.^[34] That illness necessitated a winter spent in Cairo, but by summer it had grown overwhelming and ultimately claimed her life. In the final days of her life, Prince Tommaso, Duke of Genoa, received daily telegrams concerning her condition, while Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin, paid frequent visits to her palace upon his return from military maneuvers in the German Empire.^[35] The Italian press reported that the abjuration of Princess Elena of Montenegro, who was converting from Orthodoxy to Catholicism on the occasion of her wedding to the Prince of Naples, scheduled for the second fortnight of October 1896, might face further delays due to the serious illness of Princess Olga in Venice.^[36]

On the morning of 21 September 1896, at 7:45 a.m., Princess Olga died at her palazzo in San Stino, Venice, aged 37. According to reports in the Italian press, she had endured a long and painful illness. Feeling her strength fading, she summoned Dr. Cini to her bedside shortly after 7:00 a.m. and quietly dictated the names of those with whom she wished to share her final moments.^[37]

When the news of Olga’s death reached Cetinje, the Court Church bells tolled. Later that same day, a memorial service was held in the monastery church, attended by the ruling family, Russian, French, and Greek diplomatic representatives, dignitaries with their ladies, and a large gathering of citizens in mourning attire. Her death was announced in the Montenegrin press with a following article:

“From the sea to the Tara, Montenegrins truly share the sorrow of the House of Petrović-Njegoš. Her Serenity, Princess Olga—the only child of the immortal Prince Danilo and the last dear sister of His Highness, our sovereign Prince Nicholas—after a long, incurable illness, departed this life in Venice on 21 September 1896.”

In Venice, the funeral began with local Greek clergy at the Orthodox Church of St. George, followed by members of the Greek colony, friendly families, and the Venetian nobility. With gondolas, wreaths, and flowers, her body was placed aboard the Austro-Hungarian steamer Crkvenica, accompanied by Montenegrin adjutants Slavko Slava Đurković and Niko Pejanović, as well as Olga’s aunt Aspasia Kvekić. The latter, in turn, would become a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena.^[38]

When the ship arrived in Cattaro, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the body was received by Montenegrin government officials and clergy of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro, along with priests from the Bukovina-Dalmatian Metropolitanate. Two local priests—Jovan Radonjić from Njeguši and Ilija Jovićević from Rijeka Crnojevića—were noted as receiving the coffin. Authorities from the Principality of Montenegro also journeyed to Cattaro (Kotor) to greet the procession: Minister Niko Matanović, Deputy Foreign Minister, Commander Mitar Boškov Martinović, Officer Stevo Jovićević, and the Montenegrin agent in Kotor, Pero Ramadanović.

At the Montenegrin-Austro-Hungarian border, the funeral cortege was met by Olga’s cousins; Crown Prince Danilo and Duke Božo Petrović-Njegoš, the former contender for the Bulgarian throne in 1879, and now Prime Minister of Montenegro, accompanied by a detachment of the princely guard.^[39] The Crown Prince reviewed the Austro-Hungarian troops accompanying the funeral and exchanged greetings with their commander.

The procession carried the coffin along the main route, where local congregations also joined. In Cetinje, the whole population came out to join the mournful procession. The coffin draped in white silk with gilded trim under a canopy and surrounded by wreaths, then the royal family, diplomats, relatives, dignitaries, and clergy. Upon arrival at the Cetinje Monastery, the coffin was carried solemnly into the church by the sovereign, the heir, relatives, and dignitaries. A brief memorial service was conducted, followed by final prayers and the burial in a new tomb adjacent to that of Princess Darinka. Gunnery salutes accompanied the burial, concluding the funeral ceremonies.^[40] Princess Olga’s funeral was also attended by every member of the Montenegrin royal family and the whole diplomatic corps. Special, big wreath of fresh flowers was sent by Queen Margherita of Italy, soon to be mother-in-law of her paternal cousin, Pricness Elena.^[41]

During her lifetime, Princess Olga devoted herself to the humanitarian activities of the Montenegrin Red Cross, extending assistance to the sick and wounded, supporting relief efforts, and taking part in sanitary and medical aid work.^[42] In 1890, a hospital in Podgorica, named Knjaginja Olga Danilova (Princess Olga Danilova), was established in her honor.^[43]