Darinka, Princess of Montenegro: Difference between revisions

 

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At first, Darinka led an opulent life, hosting lavish receptions and banquets. Her expenses were covered by her father’s dowry, a pension from the [[Emperor of Russia]], and a personal allowance from [[Napoleon III]], who were Olga’s godfathers. Over time, however, her circumstances worsened: a brother mismanaged the family estate of the once-wealthy Kvekić family, and the fall of [[Napoleon III]] temporarily ended her pension; it was later restored during the [[French Republic]], though reduced to half. During this time, she relied solely on the pension provided by [[Alexander II of Russia]] and her daughter’s allowance from Montenegro. Even this support proved inadequate to meet their expenses, sustain their extravagant way of life and lavish spending habits.

At first, Darinka led an opulent life, hosting lavish receptions and banquets. Her expenses were covered by her father’s dowry, a pension from the [[Emperor of Russia]], and a personal allowance from [[Napoleon III]], who were Olga’s godfathers. Over time, however, her circumstances worsened: a brother mismanaged the family estate of the once-wealthy Kvekić family, and the fall of [[Napoleon III]] temporarily ended her pension; it was later restored during the [[French Republic]], though reduced to half. During this time, she relied solely on the pension provided by [[Alexander II of Russia]] and her daughter’s allowance from Montenegro. Even this support proved inadequate to meet their expenses, sustain their extravagant way of life and lavish spending habits.

Just as the romantic escapades that propelled the young Darinka to the throne are well known, so too are the trials of her final years in Venice. From the grandeur of the Tiepolo Palace on the [[Grand Canal (Venice)|Grand Canal]], she withdrew to a more modest ”Pallazzo Molin” in San Stin Square, where she lived with her unmarried daughter, her old, blind and ailing mother, and her spinster sister Aspasia, all of whom outlived her. The humiliations she endured amid financial turmoil are almost unimaginable. Not long before, the lofty title of Princess of Montenegro had become virtually synonymous with poverty. One could say that all of Venice was her creditor. Gondoliers, servants, and suppliers would swarm her antechamber, vocally demanding payment for services rendered. It was said that on one occasion a baker even barred the palace door, refusing to let her leave until he was paid. Few have known poverty so intimately as Princess Darinka.<ref>https://archive.org/details/RAV0070589_1892_00009/mode/2up</ref>

Just as the romantic escapades that propelled the young Darinka to the throne are well known, so too are the trials of her final years in Venice. From the grandeur of the Tiepolo Palace on the [[Grand Canal (Venice)|Grand Canal]], she withdrew to a more modest ”Pallazzo Molin” in San Stin Square, where she lived with her unmarried daughter, her old, blind and ailing mother, and her spinster sister Aspasia, all of whom outlived her. The humiliations she endured amid financial turmoil are almost unimaginable. Not long before, the lofty title of Princess of Montenegro had become virtually synonymous with poverty. One could say that all of Venice was her creditor. Gondoliers, servants, and suppliers would swarm her antechamber, vocally demanding payment for services rendered. It was said that on one occasion a baker even barred the palace door, refusing to let her leave until he was paid. Few have known poverty so intimately as Princess Darinka.<ref>https://archive.org/details/RAV0070589_1892_00009/mode/2up</ref>

Yet the very next day could bring ease and gaiety—a visit, a banquet, a flicker of the life she once commanded—an almost providential reprieve from hardship. Her last residence in Venice was ”Palazzo Molin”, where she lived until her death.<ref>{{cite web | title=Thursday. 18th February &#91;1892&#93;—Ca’ Capello, Venice | url=https://pops.baylor.edu/layard/xml.php?fn=18920218.xml&h=Montenegro% }}</ref>

Yet the very next day could bring ease and gaiety—a visit, a banquet, a flicker of the life she once commanded—an almost providential reprieve from hardship. Her last residence in Venice was ”Palazzo Molin”, where she lived until her death.<ref>{{cite web | title=Thursday. 18th February &#91;1892&#93;—Ca’ Capello, Venice | url=https://pops.baylor.edu/layard/xml.php?fn=18920218.xml&h=Montenegro% }}</ref>

Montenegrin princess (1838–1892)

Darinka Petrović-Njegoš (Serbian Cyrillic: Даринка Петровић-Његош; 19 December 1838 – 2 February 1892) was the first Princess Consort of Montenegro by her marriage to Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro.^[1]

Born into the Kvekić family, one of the leading Serbian families in Trieste, Darinka was younger daughter of the opulent Serbian merchant, shipowner and banker Marko Kvekić (1786-1855) and his wife, Contessa Elisabetta Cattarina de Mircovich (1807-1892) of Venice, niece of Conte Demetrio de Mircovich, owner of the Villa Farsetti.^[2][3][4] Her mother descended from an old Venetian noble family of Serbian origin, which settled on the island of Pag in 1482 and was granted the title of Count Palatine by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, dating back to 1503.^[5] Darinka was one of seven children. Their mother, bearing her losses with quiet dignity, outlived them all—save for the youngest, Aspasia, who remained unmarried and by her side.^[6] At birth, she was named Donatella, but after marriage she was known as Darinka, the Serbian equivalent of Donatella, both names meaning ‘gift.’^[7]

Her siblings included brothers; Nikola and Jovan Kvekić, and their sisters. Elder, Adelaide Adele Kvekić, married in 1852 to Camillo, Conte De Roma (1825-1868), a Venetian nobleman from Ionian Islands, grandson of Dionysios, Conte De Roma and brother of the Diamantina, Lady Bowen, wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland. Younger, Aspasia Kvekić; after the death of their mother and niece Olga, served as lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena.^[8] Princess Darinka grew up in Trieste, and was educated to become a French style high society lady.^[9]

Her father, Marko, held an important post managing Russian financial aid to Montenegro. He thus had contact with Danilo I, who was introduced to Darinka at a dinner in Palazzo Gopcevich, home of her cousin, Spiridione Gopcevich.

Danilo I had initially planned to marry Princess Kleopatra Karađorđević (1835-1855), second eldest daughter of Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia, but the negotiations with Alexander were protracted, and before any formal response from the House of Karadjordjevic, Danilo I fell in love with Darinka.^[1][10]

She married Danilo I on 12 January 1855 at Njeguši. They had one daughter, Princess Olga. Since Montenegro had been a principality ruled exclusively by the Prince-Bishops, Darinka was the first Montenegrin Princess consort, dating back to the time of the Crnojević dynasty.^[12]

The marriage took place after he had made the theocracy Montenegro into a monarchy by renouncing his title as Prince Bishop of Montenegro for the title and position of Sovereign Prince of Montenegro. Darinka thus became the first Princess Consort of Montenegro, and the hostess of the first modern genuine princely court formed in Cetinje, named the Biljarda palace, after its central room with a billiard table, the favorite game of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, Montenegro’s former ruler.^[13]

Darinka are known to have introduced many Western European customs in Montenegro, which was a very traditional society at this time period. She could speak Latin, French, Russian, German, Serbian and Italian, and encouraged Danilo to communicate with her in French and Russian. She dressed in French fashion, brought her own Western European staff and furniture to the Princely Residence in Cetinje, and arranged court functions to which her guests were invited to dance the waltz to foreign music, and she entertained them playing the piano.^[1][10] This was normal in the upper class life of Western Europe but new in Montenegro, and Darinka was both admired for the glamour she brought, as well as resented as vain and accused of draining the state treasury with her extravagance.^[1][10]

She is said to have introduced the umbrella to Montenegro.^[1][10] She gave Montenegro a cosmetic polish of Western Europe by convincing Danilo to abolish traditional Medieval customs such as displaying the severed heads of enemies on the city square.^[14]

The marriage was described as happy but full of jealousy. Danilo was described as deeply in love with Darinka and affected by a jealous temperament, and there were rumours that Danilo challenged and killed men who were rumoured to be the lovers of Darinka, among them his own personal friend Savo Đurašković.^[15][10] Danilo respected Darinka’s diplomatic ability and asked her for advice in state affairs, and she was kept under watch by Russia, who was the biggest financial contributor to Montenegro and suspected her for influencing his policy toward Russia because she was a Francophile.^[15][10]

On 13 August 1860, Danilo was murdered and succeeded by his nephew Nicholas I of Montenegro. Darinka initially kept her dominant position at court also after the death of Danilo and during his successor, Nicholas, with whom she was close. Her successor, Princess Milena, was not able to consolidate her position until after Princess Darinka left Montenegro.^[15] Darinka left Montenegro as a widow, but returned to advice Nicholas during the peace negotiations after the Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–1862).^[16] She built her own palace in Cetinje 1863-1867 and made several trips to Western Europe, and the fact that Nicholas paid her expenses from the state treasury, allowed her political influence and neglected his wife Milena for Darinka, resulted in opposition to her presence in Montenegro. There were rumours that Darinka and Nicholas had a love affair, and the Serbian ambassador wrote in his diplomatic report that the relationship between Darinka and Nicholas “exceeded the border of friendship”.^[16]

Princess Darinka had long hoped to see her daughter married into the Obrenović dynasty, citing provisions of the secret Serbian-Montenegrin treaty from 1866 as justification, or to a member of the cadet branch of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty; Glas Crnogorca even linked Olga’s name with Prince Đorđe Karađorđević (1856–1889), yet their financial circumstances and waning political influence ultimately made such a match impossible, leaving Olga’s prospects unfulfilled.^[17]

At the beginning 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 Colonel Ljubomir Ivanović (1836-1879), his aide-de-camp, pledged himself in marriage to Princess Darinka. The envisioned union, however, was not merely personal; its deeper purpose was the political consolidation of Serbia and Montenegro under a single sovereign authority.^[18]

From 1864 onward, Nicholas’ wife Milena started to give birth to children, which raised her popularity and improved her relationship with Nicholas, while his relationship with Darinka deteriorated. In 1867, Darinka saw herself obliged to leave Montenegro because of the public opposition to her presence.^[16]

In 1867, Princess Darinka relocated to Venice with her daughter Olga, taking up residence in the grand Palazzo Tiepolo, joining the many deposed minor sovereigns who had made the city their refuge.^[19] They lived the rest of their life in Venice and were never again given permission from Nicholas to return to live permanently in Montenegro, despite their visits in 1881, 1884, 1886, and 1889. During these visits, Darinka and her daughter have taken part in public life and court functions, continuing to formally receive members of the diplomatic corps, but their role within the Principality of Montenegro remained purely ceremonial, and they were regarded only as an honored guests.^[20]

Known for her intelligence and grace, she was a distinguished figure in Venice high society, admired for both her refined manners and engaging conversation. Even at fifty-five, she retained the traces of the striking beauty that had once captivated the late Prince Danilo I.

At first, Darinka led an opulent life, hosting lavish receptions and banquets. Her expenses were covered by her father’s dowry, a pension from the Emperor of Russia, and a personal allowance from Napoleon III, who were Olga’s godfathers. Over time, however, her circumstances worsened: a brother mismanaged the family estate of the once-wealthy Kvekić family, and the fall of Napoleon III temporarily ended her pension; it was later restored during the French Republic, though reduced to half. During this time, she relied solely on the pension provided by Alexander II of Russia and her daughter’s allowance from Montenegro. Even this support proved inadequate to meet their expenses, sustain their extravagant way of life and lavish spending habits.

Just as the romantic escapades that propelled the young Darinka to the throne are well known, so too are the trials of her final years in Venice. From the grandeur of the Tiepolo Palace on the Grand Canal, she withdrew to a more modest Pallazzo Molin in San Stin Square, where she lived with her unmarried daughter, her old, blind and ailing mother, and her spinster sister Aspasia Kvekich, all of whom outlived her. The humiliations she endured amid financial turmoil are almost unimaginable. Not long before, the lofty title of Princess of Montenegro had become virtually synonymous with poverty. One could say that all of Venice was her creditor. Gondoliers, servants, and suppliers would swarm her antechamber, vocally demanding payment for services rendered. It was said that on one occasion a baker even barred the palace door, refusing to let her leave until he was paid. Few have known poverty so intimately as Princess Darinka.^[21]

Yet the very next day could bring ease and gaiety—a visit, a banquet, a flicker of the life she once commanded—an almost providential reprieve from hardship. Her last residence in Venice was Palazzo Molin, where she lived until her death.^[22]

To restore the luster of her name and the memory of her past, Princess Darinka could only achieve it in death.

After contracting pneumonia following a lecture by Giosuè Carducci at the Liceo—which she attended late and where she was seated in a draughty doorway—Princess Darinka fell gravely ill. According to the detailed account recorded in the journal of her Venetian neighbour and friend, Lady Layard, Darinka remained conscious until the very end and repeatedly pleaded with the doctors to save her, saying she could not leave her daughter Olga alone. As her condition worsened, even the gondoliers were permitted to enter the room to pay their respects to the dying princess.^[24]

Princess Darinka of Montenegro died of pneumonia on 2 February 1892 in Venice, Kingdom of Italy. As soon as Prince Nicholas learned of Princess Darinka’s death, he sent a delegation to Venice, headed by Ministers Gavro Vuković and Nikola Matanović, who took charge of her remains and accompanied them back to Cetinje. From there, her funeral procession was conducted with the highest honors. Italian King Umberto and Queen Margherita were both represented by the Duke of Genoa, who was simultaneously the king’s cousin and the queen’s brother, while the Italian government was represented by the prefect and politician Vincenzo Colmayer.

For her mother’s funeral in Montenegro, her daughter, Princess Olga was accompanied by her distant cousin, Marina Pavlovna Ionina (1837-1900) née Petrović-Njegoš, the graceful wife of Alexander Semenovich Ionin, the Russian consul in Dubrovnik.^[25] She wanted to fulfill her mother’s last desire—to be laid to rest in her homeland, among her people, “the Serbs“.^[26][27]

When the cortège arrived in Kotor, a period of deep mourning was declared; all ships in the harbor lowered their flags to half-mast, and funeral salutes were fired.^[28] Her remains were received with wreaths by representatives of both military and civil authorities, and at the Austro-Hungarian border with Montenegro, she was personally welcomed by Prince Nicholas. Darinka’s funeral took place in Cetinje on Wednesday, 12 February (24 February by the Gregorian calendar observed in Venice).

On the occasion of Darinka’s death, the Montenegrin magazine The Voice of a Montenegrin published the following tribute:

“Many were mistaken in believing that Princess Darinka pursued Western interests in politics. But such a view did her great injustice. Princess Darinka was a devoted Serbian woman, whose sentiments were always in harmony with those of her chivalrous husband, the foremost Serb of his time.”^[29]

She was buried, alongside her husband and their daughter, Princess Olga, in the Cetinje Monastery, Montenegro.^[30]

• Dvor kralja Nikole, Milan Jovićević, Anđe Kapičić i Tatjana Jović, Narodni muzej Crne Gore i Presmedij, Novi Sad, 1999.
• Ljubavi srpskih vladara i političara, Radoš Ljušić, IP Zograf, Niš 2000.