THE ROYAL HOUSE OF MONTENEGRO belongs to the Orthodox House of Petrović Njegoš, which originally came from Herzegovina and settled around 1400 in Njeguši — a village in Southern Montenegro, located on the slopes of Mount Lovćen.
The House was founded by Danilo Petrović Njegoš (º1675, †1735) who obtained the hereditary dignity of Vladika (Prince-Bishop) of Montenegro [1] [2] in July 1696 when the country became a theocracy. Danilo I Petrović Njegoš (º1826, †1860) was recognised as Sovereign Prince [3] and Heir to Montenegro by the Russian Empire on March 21, 1852, establishing a succession by agnatic primogeniture. His successor, Prince Nikola I Petrović Njegoš (º1841, †1921) assumed the qualification of Royal Highness on December 6/19, 1900, and was proclaimed King [4] on Great St. Mary’s Feast Day August 15/28, 1910.
During the First World War, the Royal Family of Montenegro was forced to flee the country in 1916 [5] after the Montenegrin Royal Army was overwhelmed by the troops of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the end of the war, the Kingdom of Serbia annexed and abolished the Kingdom of Montenegro and deposed the Dynasty Petrović Njegoš [6].
The annexation of Montenegro to the newly-created Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was proclaimed on December 6/19, 1918, but was never recognised by King Nikola I and the successive Royal Governments-in-exile, maintained until the Paris Ambassadors Conference gave international recognition to the integration on July 13, 1921 [7].
King Nikola I was succeeded on his death by his son, Danilo II Aleksandar Petrović Njegoš (º1871, †1939), who abdicated on March 8, 1921, after one week [8], and then by his grandson, Mihajlo I Petrović Njegoš (º1908, †1986), who remained in exile until his death. Mihajlo I was emprisonned in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War after refusing the Crown of Montenegro and a Kingdom [9] under wing of the IIIrd Reich and the Fascist Italy of Mussolini.

I. TITLES, RANKS AND STYLES
—

According to the Proclamation Act of the Kingdom of Montenegro on Great St. Mary’s Feast Day August 15/28, 1910, transposed to the modern status of the Royal House, members of the Family are stricto sensu Prince (Knjaz) and Princess (Kneginjica) Petrović Njegoš of Montenegro for members in the royal succession line, and Prince and Princess of Montenegro for consorts.
The Head of House, his children and their consort have the predicate Royal Highness; grandchildren the predicate Highness.
The Head of House and legitimate pretender to the Throne of Montenegro assumes the style Crown Prince of Montenegro; the Heir Apparent, the one of Hereditary Prince of Montenegro, with the additional title of Grand Voivode (Grand Duke) of Zeta and Grahovo (Veliki Vojvoda Grahova i Zete), in accordance with the dynastic tradition for the Heir to bear this title.

The Proclamation Act of the Kingdom of Montenegro only concerning His late Majesty King Nikola I and his descendants, and not applying to collaterals from ascendant branches, the other living members of the Petrović Njegoš Family have no title and style, and are de facto not seen as dynasts and members of the Royal Family.

II. FAMILY COAT OF ARMS
—

The coat of arms of the Petrović Njegoš Family are as follows:
“Per saltire: on 1 and 4, argent, the head and neck of an eagle contourned sable, beaked and langued gules; on 2 and 3, azure, a wing in lure sable, the dexter one contourned; overall an inescutcheon gules charged with an eagle countourned argent, wings downwards, beaked, tongued, membered and crowned or”.

III. HEREDITARY GRAND MASTERSHIPS
—

The Head of House is Hereditary Grand Master of:
1.— The Independence Order of Danilo I (Orden Danila I. za Nezavisnost), former State Order of Merit instituted on St. George’s Day April 23/May 5, 1852, which became de facto dynastic after 1919;
2.— The Order of Saint Petar of Cetinje (Orden Sveti Petar Cetinjski), family Order of Merit instituted in 1869/1871; and
3.— The Order of the Golden Obilić (Orden Zlatna Obilića), instituted in 1847.

IV. LEGAL TEXTS RULING THE ROYAL FAMILY
—

As Royal House, descendants of His late Majesty King Nikola I are essentially ruled by two legal texts:
1.— The 1905 Montenegrin Constitution issued on St. Luke’s Day October 18/31 and proclaimed on December 6/19, 1905, in which is enacted the special status of the Petrović Njegoš Family; and
2.— The Proclamation Act of the Kingdom of Montenegro dated Great St. Mary’s Feast Day August 15/28, 1910, in which is enacted the Royal status of each member of His Majesty King Nikola I’s Family.

Particularly, the article 19. of the 1905 Constitution enacts the rules of succession in the Sovereign then Royal Family on the concept of agnatic primogeniture: Only male heirs may succeed to the Throne (to the Head of House, by transposition to the modern status of the Royal House) which is offered automatically to the eldest surviving male child in the order of succession [10].

V. POSITION OF THE HEAD OF HOUSE
AS LEGITIMATE PRETENDER TO THE THRONE OF MONTENEGRO
—

Because His late Majesty King Nikola I never abdicated but has been deposed, rights to the Throne of Montenegro for his Dynasty always remain fully legitimate, even considering the political renouncement of H.R.H. Prince Mihajlo Petrović Njegoš in 1929, at the time of his civil majority. Allegiance to his cousins Karađorđević was made in the context of the thought of the time and of former Kingdom of Yugoslavia that definively ceased to exit in November 29, 1945, without any possibility of restoration nowadays after the international recognition of Montenegro as Independant State.
In no case, the past position of H.R.H. Prince Mihajlo in 1929 affects today the rights of the Petrović Njegoš Dynasty to the Throne of Montenegro in the context of an Independent and Sovereign State, if one day the question of the restoration of Monarchy comes to be raised in the country.
Moreover, the dynastic succession through male line has always been continuous from His late Majesty King Nikola I. Any claim suggesting that the succession rights could have been transferred, at one moment or another, on another male line through a legitimate female recipient from the Petrović Njegoš Family is absolutely unfounded.