How two Montenegrin princesses indirectly brought down the Empire.
Princesses Militza and Anastasia Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro were two of the many children of the first and only King of Montenegro, King Nicholas I. The House of Petrović had ruled Montenegro as princes before Nicholas declared himself King. However, Nicholas became King prior to World War One, so the family’s rule was cut short in the great cull of kingdoms the war created.
King Nicholas promoted Slavic unity, as did the Tsar of Russia. To insure King Nicholas’ submission to Russia, Militza, Anastasia and their younger sister, Elena, were sent to the Russian court to be educated. Tsar Alexander III intended for Elena to marry his son, Nicholas. However, when Nicholas became Tsar, he discarded these plans and married Alix of Hesse instead. As a consolation prize, Elena would go on to marry King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.
Militza and Anastasia, however, would marry into the extended Romanov family. Militza married Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich and together they had four children. Anastasia was married firstly to the Grand Duke of Leuchtenberg. Together, they had two children, however, the Grand Duke was said to be a dour man and after seventeen years, Anastasia sought a divorce. She remarried Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, the brother of her brother-in-law…
