The Washington herald., 1913-01-28
Foreign Gossip.

Copyright. 1913. by Court Gossip syndicatel
King Nicholas of Montenegro and hi;
dynasty are in danger 'of losing the
| throne. strong anti-dynastic feeling
prevails in the little mountain country
against the Njegust family, and at the
same time. it is given out from Belgrade
| that the Servian (karageOrgevItcn) fam.
lily are reconsidering the contingency oi
united sway over the Servlan nation
NATURALLY Under a Karageorgevitch dy-
nasty.
The Njegust and Karageorgeyitch fam
ilies long have been rivals for ultimate
predomnence in United Servia and Mon
teneGro, the latter a small mountainous
country. being, after all, a purely Servian
nationality. King Peter Karageorgevitch
is son-in-Iaw to King Nicholas of
Montenegro. whose late daughter was
Peters wife. But for years DItter hatred
had prevailed between son and father
in-law.
Only a few years ago nigh treason
trials were conducted at Cettinje with a
view of showing 10 the world that at
tempts on the life of King Nicholas were
instigsted by persons connected with the
Belgrade royal court. But shortly be-
fore the outbreak OF the present war
reconciliation had been effected between
King Peter and King Nicholas.
For some time the chances of conquer
ing the leadership over the Servian ma
ton were in favor of the Njegust dy-
nasty. particularly otter King Nicholas,
giving way TO the radical movement in
his country against his despotic rule
was forced to grant a constitution. But
lack of any essential success in this war
caused a sudden turn Montenegro was
the only Balkan state that scored no big
success, although she was the first to
open hostilities.
To face the growing unpopularity and
to tie the fall OF Scutari with his name,
King Nicholas recently assumed supreme
command over the besieging army but
the result of nearly two months siege
is that the condition of the beleaguered
Turks is better than that of the Monte
negrins. The Kings army has been more
than decimated. 1t counts now only
1900 men, while the war was begun with
5000 men. There is famine. and the
economical condition of the country is
described as deplorable. King Nicholas
again has become unpopular. and all
sorts of hostile runors are current
against the hereditary Prince DaniIo. In
the face of all this, Crown Prince Alex
ander of Servia gained victories, and his
father. King Peter, triumphs
King Nicholas of late has pardoned a
considerable number of Montenegro dig
nitaries imprisoned for conspiracy against
his dynasty. evidently with a view 10
reconcile the anti-dynastic movement,
but the unlucky course of the war thus
far and the desolate state of affairs in
Montenegro itself appear to have fos-
tered 1t as never before.
had been under the impression that
I had chronlcled all the historical events
leading up to the present Balkan war.
But as reader in Albany asks for still
more detailed information. 1t is here
with appended:
The Slavs, who originally settled north
east of the Carpathians, began their in
vasions Of the Balkan peninsula in the
sixth century, and by the end OF the
eighth their hordes had overrtn the
whole country from the Alps to Greece,
the ancient Illyian and
Thracian inhabitants of the greater part
of their territory. Toward the end of
the seventh century, the Bulgars, a tribe
OF Finnish stock. left their home be-
tween the Urals and the Volga, and
crossed the Danube. conquering the
Slavs, recently settled in ancient Moesia,
they penetrated to ConstantinopIe and
and forced the decaying Eastern
Roman Empire to cede Moseia
Although the conquering race, the Bull
gars were rapidly absorbed by the SIav
population and their extensive dominions
OF the tenth century rapidly declined
before the advancing power OF Servia. |
Finally, In 1886 Bulgaria became trib- |
utary to the Turks. Servia reached her
greatest extent under her warrior and
King, Car Stephen Dushan
Q336-1S6). His dominions broke I'D un-
der his feeble successors, and Servian !
was extinguished for more
than four centuries by the great Turkish |
victory of Kossovo; in 1889. From this
fatal battle the Slav prince of the Zeta
escaped TO the mountain principally of |
which heroically has main
tanned its independence to the present
day.
The eliminating period OF Ottoman
,lory began under Suleiman. the Magni-
icent. Q5eo-15e6). 1t Is to be remembered !,
hat Turkey always has been the empire
If one small wariike tribe. whose armies /
we're uecessarily recruited frorn rfrr,onsr \