The Battle of Kolašin triggered the 'Kolašin Affair,' drawing Great Power diplomatic intervention in Balkan Ottoman-Montenegrin tensions.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 28, 1858
- Montenegrin force size
- 5,000 tribesmen
- Tribes involved
- Vasojevići, Morača, Rovca, Drobnjaci, Uskoci, Kuči
- Villages razed
- Trebaljevo, Lipovo, Štitarica
- Diplomatic inquiry location
- Dubrovnik (international commission)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The attack originated from a private vendetta: voivodes Novica Cerović and Miljan Vukov agreed to avenge the ambush killing of Miljan's brother Đorđije by Kolašin's Muslims. Archimandrite Dimitrije Radojević of Morača mobilised additional tribes. There is debate over whether the Montenegrin government authorised the raid, with Prince Danilo reportedly unaware, though his brother Grand Duke Mirko may have sanctioned it.
On July 28, 1858, a Montenegrin force of approximately 5,000 tribesmen from six clans attacked Ottoman-held Kolašin near Sinjajevina mountain. They burned Turkish katuns on the mountain, razed three villages, and nearly completely destroyed the town of Kolašin itself in the assault.
The attack created the 'Kolašin Affair,' prompting diplomatic complications requiring Great Power mediation. Duke Miljan was questioned by an international commission in Dubrovnik and acquitted, while Duke Novica temporarily sheltered in Boka Kotorska. Prince Danilo, though displeased by the unauthorised action, later honoured the participants by constructing a bridge over the Mrtvica river.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Miljan Vukov, Novica Cerović, Dimitrije Radojević.
Side B
1 belligerent