page_title: Šćepan Mali
hierarchical_section_title: Šćepan Mali
caption_attribution_description: English: Šćepan Mali, ruler of Montenegro 1767-1773, who posed as the murdered Russian tsar Peter III. The image is from Stefano Zannowich's 1784 biography of Šćepan Mali (source).
context_page_description: Šćepan Mali, translated as Stephen the Little, Stephen the Small or Stephen the Humble, was the first and only "Tsar" of Montenegro, ruling the country as an absolute monarch from 1768 to his death in 1773. Of unclear origin, Šćepan secured rulership of Montenegro through a rumor that he was actually the deposed Emperor Peter III of Russia, who had died several years before Šćepan surfaced in the Balkans.
  Šćepan arrived in Montenegro in the autumn of 1766. Whether Šćepan was his real name or not is unknown, as is the reason for his epithet Mali. Who started the rumor that Šćepan was Peter III and why is unclear; Šćepan himself never formally proclaimed himself to be Peter III, but he never denied it either. Throughout 1767, he offered vague hints that he was the dead Tsar and as time went on, most of Montenegro became convinced of his supposed true identity. Although Montenegro's legitimate ruler, Prince-Bishop Sava Petrović, who had actually met the real Peter III and had received word from the Russian ambassador in Constantinople that Peter was dead, attempted to expose Šćepan, the Montenegrins preferred the rumors over the Prince-Bishop's proof.
context_section_description: Šćepan Mali, translated as Stephen the Little, Stephen the Small or Stephen the Humble, (c. 1739 – 22 September 1773) was the first and only "Tsar" of Montenegro, ruling the country as an absolute monarch from 1768 to his death in 1773. Of unclear origin, Šćepan secured rulership of Montenegro through a rumor that he was actually the deposed Emperor Peter III of Russia, who had died several years before Šćepan surfaced in the Balkans.
  Šćepan arrived in Montenegro in the autumn of 1766. Whether Šćepan was his real name or not is unknown, as is the reason for his epithet Mali. Who started the rumor that Šćepan was Peter III and why is unclear; Šćepan himself never formally proclaimed himself to be Peter III, but he never denied it either. Throughout 1767, he offered vague hints that he was the dead Tsar and as time went on, most of Montenegro became convinced of his supposed true identity. Although Montenegro's legitimate ruler, Prince-Bishop Sava Petrović, who had actually met the real Peter III and had received word from the Russian ambassador in Constantinople that Peter was dead, attempted to expose Šćepan, the Montenegrins preferred the rumors over the Prince-Bishop's proof. In 1767, Šćepan was proclaimed as the country's ruler and in February 1768, Sava was sidelined and confined to his monastery whereafter Šćepan assumed the powers of an absolute monarch.
  His reign in Montenegro proved to be a surprisingly successful one. Šćepan united the otherwise typically infighting clans of Montenegro, unifying the country for the first time in its history. Social, administrative and religious reforms laid the groundwork for Montenegro's transition into a true state. The sudden appearance of a "Russian Emperor" in the Balkans was a cause of concern and political turmoil in Europe. Many throughout Europe pondered who he was, why he pretended to be Peter III and what his intentions were. The Ottomans feared the development, but failed in an attempted invasion to suppress Montenegro in 1768. Catherine the Great of Russia, Peter III's wife and successor (and probable orchestrator of his murder) was far from enthusiastic and engaged in numerous failed attempts to end Šćepan's rule and pretensions. A Russian delegation finally arrived in Montenegro in 1769, exposed Šćepan as a fraud and briefly imprisoned him, but released him and returned him to power upon realizing that he was the most competent option available to rule Montenegro. Though disappointed at the revelation that Šćepan was not actually Peter III, the Montenegrins nevertheless welcomed his continued rule as he was now supported by Russia and there were few other good choices available. He ruled until he was murdered by one of his servants, bribed by the Ottomans, on 22 September 1773. During the last few years of his reign, Šćepan introduced numerous reforms in Montenegro; among other things introducing the death penalty, strengthening the central government and creating a court of Montenegrin clan leaders to dispense justice.
  Šćepan's bizarre story ensured his immortality; his legacy survives in the cultural memory of modern Montenegro and the surrounding countries in the Balkans. He is paradoxically remembered as both an ideal ruler, and a fraud. Several stories and biographies have been written about him, alongside two theater plays and two feature films. The film Lažni car ("The Fake Tsar"), released in 1955 and based on Šćepan's life, was the first ever Montenegrin feature film.
caption: Šćepan Mali as depicted in Stefano Zannowich's 1784 biography of his life
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