Jovan Radonjic

Jovan Radonjić
guvernadur of Montenegro
In office 1764 – 8 July 1803

Jovan Radonjić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Радоњић, 1748 – 8 July 1803), commonly known as Jovo (Јово) or Joko, was the guvernadur of Montenegro between 1764 and 1803.

Jovan was born in Njeguši, the son of vojvoda and serdar Stanislav Radonjić (1690–1758), the first guvernadur (s. 1756–58). The family belonged to the Radonjić-Rajičević brotherhood of Njeguši.

It is possible that he had an older brother, Vukale, who had served as the guvernadur following Stanislav's death.

Jovan was elected guvernadur by the assembly in Cetinje in 1764. The young Jovan had the final word in that period in Montenegro; the Venetians, the Vizier of Scutari and surrounding Ottoman pashas and beys turned to him when something needed to be arranged.

The fact that the Republic of Venice, the traditional ally of the Montenegrins, saw negatively on the relations between Russia and Montenegro is evident from a letter sent by Montenegrin chieftains to the provveditore of Kotor Gaetan Molino dated 1 April 1770, which condemns the antagonistic approach by the Venetians to the Montenegrin-Russian relations. The letter was signed by guvernadur Jovan Radonjić, serdar Vukale Vukotić, serdar J. Đurašković, serdar Jovo Petrović, and serdar M. Plamenac. In February 1769, Russian Empress Catherine issued the order to count Aleksije Orlov to organize the planning of an uprising on the Balkans; his assistant was Georgije Dolgorukov, which was sent to Montenegro. Orlov was during this Russo-Turkish war mostly in Italy, so that he was unable to assist Dolgorukov.

In 1773, in the same month of the death of Šćepan Mali,Kara Mahmud Pasha attacked the Kuči and Bjelopavlići, but was decisively defeated and returned to Scutari.

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