Danilo I

Danilo I (born c. 1670, Njeguši, Montenegro—died January 11, 1735) was the first ruler of Montenegro of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, which lasted from 1697 to 1918, when Montenegro was absorbed into the new Yugoslav state. In 1696 Danilo was nominated vladika, or prince-bishop, with power to select his successor from among his relatives—thus confirming the hereditary principle in the nation’s theocratic system. The succession was henceforth regularly from uncle to nephew, owing to the rule...