Montenegrins (Montenegrin  : Црногорци / Crnogorci, or , lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Montenegro. Genetic origins According to a triple analysis – autosomal, mitochondrial and paternal — of available data from large-scale studies on Balto-Slavs and their proximal populations, the whole genome SNP data situates Montenegrins  in between two Balkan clusters. Slavs settled in the Balkans during the 6th and 7th centuries. According to De Administrando Imperio, there existed three Slavic polities on the territory of modern Montenegro: Duklja, roughly corresponding to the southern half; Travunia, the west; and Principality of Serbia, the north. Duklja emerged as an independent state during the 11th century, initially held by the Vojislavljević dynasty, later to be annexed into the state of the Nemanjić dynasty.  With the descent of Vojislavljević dynasty, nobleman Zavid Vukanović, from Ribnica near Podgorica, a cousin of Vojislavljević dynasty through a female line, gets four sons. His youngest son, Stefan Nemanja, will later become the Grand Prince of the new Great Serbia  . He moves to the city of Ras, where he overthrows (and kills) his eldest brother, Tihomir, in 1169, and declares himself the Grand Prince of Raška. After his proclamation, the last Prince/King of Duklja, Mihailo Vojislavljević, dies, and Stefan Nemanja joins Duklja and Raška, and soon he returns the rest of the lands from the period of Prince Časlav Klonimirović and King Mihailo Vojislavljević. From the reign of Stefan Nemanja to the fall of the Montenegrin medieval state, Duklja, by this time called Zeta, was a part of the united Great Serbia. Throughout the period of two centruries under the Nemanjić dynasty, Crnojević dynasty became a noble family, and later on the line of Crnojević was replaced by the family of Balšići, believed to be originating from France, who remain on the throne of the Zeta, by then known as Montenegro, until the fall of the Serbian state in 1459. On the sociolinguistic level, the language has been classified as a dialect of Serbo-Croat. The Montenegrin constitution currently defines Montenegrin as the official language.  Most of the young people under 18 in Montenegro, 39.23 percent, say they speak Montenegrin, while 37.47\% call their mother tongue Serbian, as shown in the census held from 1 to 15 April 2011. Religion 
Montenegrins (Montenegrin and Serbian : Црногорци / Crnogorci, or , lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Montenegro. Genetic origins According to a triple analysis – autosomal, mitochondrial and paternal — of available data from large-scale studies on Balto-Slavs and their proximal populations, the whole genome SNP data situates Montenegrins with Serbs in between two Balkan clusters. Slavs settled in the Balkans during the 6th and 7th centuries. According to De Administrando Imperio, there existed three Slavic polities on the territory of modern Montenegro: Duklja, roughly corresponding to the southern half; Travunia, the west; and Principality of Serbia, the north. Duklja emerged as an independent state during the 11th century, initially held by the Vojislavljević dynasty, later to be incorporated into the state of the Nemanjić dynasty. De Administrando Imperio also mentions that the area, along with majority of Roman province of Dalmatia, has been mostly settled by Serbs. With the descent of Vojislavljević dynasty, nobleman Zavid Vukanović, from Ribnica near Podgorica, a cousin of Vojislavljević dynasty through a female line, gets four sons. His youngest son, Stefan Nemanja, will later become the Grand Prince of the new Great Serbia , and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church among all Serbs . He moves to the city of Ras, where he overthrows (and kills) his eldest brother, Tihomir, in 1169, and declares himself the Grand Prince of Raška. After his proclamation, the last Prince/King of Duklja, Mihailo Vojislavljević, dies, and Stefan Nemanja joins Duklja and Raška, and soon he returns the rest of the lands from the period of Prince Časlav Klonimirović and King Mihailo Vojislavljević. From the reign of Stefan Nemanja to the fall of the Montenegrin medieval state, Duklja, by this time called Zeta, was a part of the united Great Serbia. Throughout the period of two centruries under the Nemanjić dynasty, Crnojević dynasty became a noble family, and later on the line of Crnojević was replaced by the family of Balšići, believed to be originating from France, who remain on the throne of the Zeta, by then known as Montenegro, until the fall of the Serbian state in 1459. On the sociolinguistic level, the language has been classified as a dialect of Serbo-Croat. The Montenegrin constitution currently defines Montenegrin as the official language. Since the campaign for independence, a movement for recognition of the Montenegrin language as wholly separate from Serbian and other standard variants of Serbo-Croat (Bosnian, Croatian) has emerged, finding the basis for separate language identity mostly in the above-mentioned dialectal specifics. In the 2011 census, 42.88\% of Montenegrin citizens stated that they speak the Serbian language, while 36.97\% stated that they speak Montenegrin. Most of the young people under 18 in Montenegro, 39.23 percent, say they speak Montenegrin, while 37.47\% call their mother tongue Serbian, as shown in the census held from 1 to 15 April 2011. Religion Most Montenegrins are Serbian Orthodox, predominantly belonging to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church as well as its four other eparchies (dioceses) that are active in parts of Montenegro and neighbouring countries, namely the Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić, the Eparchy of Mileševa, and the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina. A minority are adherents of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, which is not canonically recognised by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
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and Serbian
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with Serbs
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annexed
incorporated
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De Administrando Imperio also mentions that the area, along with majority of Roman province of Dalmatia, has been mostly settled by Serbs.
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, and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church among all Serbs
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Since the campaign for independence, a movement for recognition of the Montenegrin language as wholly separate from Serbian and other standard variants of Serbo-Croat (Bosnian, Croatian) has emerged, finding the basis for separate language identity mostly in the above-mentioned dialectal specifics. In the 2011 census, 42.88\% of Montenegrin citizens stated that they speak the Serbian language, while 36.97\% stated that they speak Montenegrin.
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Most Montenegrins are Serbian Orthodox, predominantly belonging to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church as well as its four other eparchies (dioceses) that are active in parts of Montenegro and neighbouring countries, namely the Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić, the Eparchy of Mileševa, and the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina. A minority are adherents of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, which is not canonically recognised by the Eastern Orthodox Church.