Montenegro: King Nick of the black mountains

Started by Figleaf, November 15, 2012, 12:03:47 AM

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Figleaf

Just got this coin in today (thank you Alan!) I ought to sleep, but I want to show it.

Imagine doing everything right, getting everyone's support and losing. That's what happened to Nicholas the first, only and last king of Montenegro, or Crna Gora, as it says on the coin. Just in time he was given a hereditary title of nobility, just in time, he arranged the support of the Russian czar for a rebellion against the Ottoman empire, so he got the credit for driving out the Turks. He supported a constitution and liberal reforms, supported the Allies in the first world war, went out of his way to protect Serbia and ... saw himself banished and his lands attached to Serbia. Only Italy acted for him (Nick's daughter was married to the Italian king) and it was called off by the other victors of the first world war.

The coin shows Russian influence, from the use of (a version of) Cyrillic to the crowned double-headed eagle, complete with globe and scepter, but the denomination perper (from the Byzantine hyperpyron) was medieval Serbian. The denomination died with the country in 1918, only 12 years after its creation. Montenegro was a member of the Latin Monetary Union, so this piece was on par with 2 french francs.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

Part of the edge inscription on this coin reads р(?)ог чува. The first letter is damaged. Can anyone give a translation?

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

translateltd

Nothing in my little pocket Serbo-Croatian dictionary, but if the first letter were a (Cyrillic) B, that would give you the Russian word for 'God', which is a likely starter ...


translateltd

A little bit of help from Google Translate: Bog chuva => God save the ...

... so it depends what comes next.  "Prince", I suspect.


Figleaf

The country name, Crny Gory, comes next. Excellent sleuthing Martin. Thank you.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

translateltd

A pleasure.  A straight borrowing from "Dieu protège la France", doubtless.

Query - is that "y" in Crny Gory a Cyrillic "u"?


Figleaf

Full edge inscription is ***бог*чува*црну*гопу, so yes, that should have been Us.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

FosseWay

Quote from: Figleaf on November 21, 2012, 08:45:22 PM
Full edge inscription is ***бог*чува*црну*гопу, so yes, that should have been Us.

Peter

Shouldn't it be гору at the end, with a Cyrillic R?

(FWIW -u is a common accusative ending for feminine nouns ending in -a in many Slavic languages.)

ciscoins

КРАЛЬЕВИНА ЦРНА ГОРА - Kingdom of Montenegro

(in Russian it would be КОРОЛЕВСТВО)

НИКОЛА I Б.М. КРАЛЬ И ГОСПОДАР ЦРНЕ ГОРЕ - Nikola I D.G. (Dei Gratia) King and Ruler of Montenegro
Ivan
Moscow, Russia

ciscoins

#9
Oh, I've found the edge inscription:

БОГ ЧУВА ЦРНУ ГОРУ - God save Montenegro
Ivan
Moscow, Russia