Christmas Uprising

Krsto Zrnov Popović, leader of the Uprising

Date	January 6, 1919
Location	around Cetinje, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Result	Whites/Allied victory, the uprising was put down

Belligerents

Montenegrin Greens

Kingdom of Italy

Montenegrin Whites ()

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Commanders and leaders

Krsto Zrnov Popović
Jovan Plamenac
Petar Gvozdenović

Marko Daković ()

Strength

4,000

10,000

Casualties and losses

98 killed and wounded

16 killed, 63 wounded

The Christmas Uprising or Christmas Rebellion (Montenegrin: Божићна побуна, Božićna pobuna or Божићни устанак, Božićni ustanak) refers to the uprising of Montenegrin guerrilla fighters aimed at overturning the unification of the Kingdom of Montenegro with the Kingdom of Serbia. The uprising occurred in and around the town of Cetinje on 7 January 1919, the day of Orthodox Christmas.

The catalyst for the uprising was the decision of the controversial Grand People's Assembly in Montenegro (The Podgorica Parliament) for unconditional unification of Montenegro with the Kingdom of Serbia. Following a questionable candidate selection process, unionist side (in favor of unification with Serbia) outnumbered the party favouring the preservation of Montenegrin statehood and a unification with the peoples of Yugoslavia in form of a confederation. The uprising was named after the Orthodox Christmas of January 7, 1919, because it erupted on the previous day, on Christmas Eve. The Unionists, with support from the Serbian Army, defeated the Greens near Cetinje. Many homes were destroyed, and a number of participants in the uprising were tried and imprisoned. Part of the rebels fled to Italy, while others retreated to the mountains, continuing a guerrilla resistance under the banner of the Montenegrin Army in Exile which lasted until 1929.

The military leader of the uprising was Krsto Zrnov Popović and its political leader was Jovan S. Plamenac. After it occurred, the dethroned King Nicholas I was forced to issue a call for peace, but several groups of rebels continued to resist until 1929, most notably the militia of Savo Raspopović.

Though the actual rebellion was started by local Montenegrin chieftains, the Kingdom of Italy played an instrumental role in its organizing. Various Italian figures visited prominent Montenegrins who were known to be dissatisfied with the decisions of the Podgorica Assembly in order to spur them on to take up arms and rebel.

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Wikipedia