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Conclusion In the decade before World War I, Montenegro exercised political influence far out of proportion to her small size and meager resources . This stemmed, in part, from the ambitions of her sovereign ; from her location in the volatile Balkans, a region of conflicting nationalist aspirations and Great-Power rivalries; and from her threatening position at Austria's back door. Cetinje, her unimposing mountain capital, was the site of constant diplomatic activity. Nicholas, her prince and later king, used his country's critical position to great advantage and became an important figure in European politics. The monarchs of Europe vied with one another to court his favor and to conclude matrimonial alliances with his numerous offspring. Nicholas's policies alternately helped and harmed his country, and ultimately affected all the European Powers. His country was often a bone of contention between Austria-Hungary and Russia, a source of discomfort for the Triple Entente, and a wedge that threatened to split the Triple Alliance. On more than one occasion, especially during the Scutari crisis, he led Europe to the brink of war in the Balkans. On the eve of the First World War, some diplomats believed that Montenegro would provide the spark to set Europe ablaze. At the heart of Montenegro's foreign policy was a burning desire, some said a compelling need, for more money and land. A proud but impoverished country, she did not have the means to support herself. Her rulers had long relied on external financial assistance to make ends meet. To alleviate this embarrassing plight, they sought salvation in territorial growth, hoping that physical expansion would provide the economic wherewithal to sustain political independence. This economic imperative was but one component of an age-old Serbo-Montenegrin aspiration: to resurrect the medieval Serbian empire of Stephen Dusan. Ambitious for his dynasty as well as his country and incited by the nationalism of his people, Nicholas dreamed of uniting all Serbs under his aegis and of sitting upon Dusan's throne in Prizren. The European Power most responsible for impeding the realization of Montenegrin aspirations was Austria-Hungary. A multi201 202 Conclusion national empire with a large South Slav population, she looked with apprehension upon the growth of a Serb state along her borders . Although she occasionally tolerated and even fostered Montenegrin growth when her own interests seemed to dictate it, she always sought to direct Cetinje's expansionism and subordinate it to her own imperial designs. The divergent policies of Vienna and Cetinje-their respective quests for gold, glory, influence, and Lebensraum-caused a succession of diplomatic crises and skirmishes in the years before World War I. O':le of the most serious crises erupted in the fall of 1908 when Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Hercegovina. Although in return Vienna agreed to withdraw her troops from the Sandzak of Novi Pazar and surrender her rights under the Treaty of Berlin to patrol Montenegrin waters, Montenegro felt threatened by the formal extension of Habsburg sovereignty over her neighboring provinces . Nicholas regarded this land as his patrimony; his countrymen felt it was part of their greater Serb homeland. They rose in protest , along with their Serbian cousins, but were unable to reverse the fait accompli. Austria firmly rejected all demands for territorial compensation. The annexation brought Austro-Montenegrin relations close to the breaking point and clouded efforts at reconciliation in years to come. It confirmed that any future Montenegrin expansion would have to be in the direction of the Sandzak or Albania-in either case against the wobbly Ottoman Empire. Yet here, too, the Austrians and their allies interposed themselves. That Serbia and Montenegro should not establish a common frontier in the Sandzak long remained a basic tenet of Habsburg policy. In northern Albania, Austria sought to preserve a sphere of influence whose foundation was a centuries-old cultural protectorate over Albanian Catholics. Despite Austria's influence, Nicholas made an unsuccessful bid to extend his own authority in northern Albania in 1910 and 1911. By supporting the neighboring Catholic tribesmen in one of their periodic struggles against their Turkish overlord, he hoped to undermine Vienna's moral presence, present himself as their friend, and offer his rule as an attractive alternative to the sultan's. Austria and Russia, however, opposed any disruption of the status quo and forced the rebels to come to terms with Constantinople and Nicholas to withdraw his support for Albanian refugees. Despite this GreatPower chastisement, Nicholas soon took advantage of the oppor- [18...

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