Pressure from French authorities on the Orthodox clergy in Boka Kotorska in 1810
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: French rule was established in the Adriatic region of Boka Kotorska following the Peace of Tilsit in 1807. In this context, the French authorities perceived the close ties between the Orthodox clergy and the Montenegrin metropolitan as a potential political threat. This article examines the pressure exerted on the Orthodox clergy to sign oaths of allegiance to the French state in 1810, based on archival material from the State Archives in Dubrovnik. Rather than interpreting these measures in confessional terms, the paper argues that they should be understood within a broader political framework. The loyalty declarations, written in Serbian (Cyrillic script) with Italian translations, are analyzed as instruments of political control aimed at limiting pro-Montenegrin and pro-Russian influence. The article offers a reinterpretation of these documents, highlighting the interaction between religious structures and imperial governance in a contested borderland shaped by the competing interests of Austria, Russia, and France.
DOI: 10.15581/007.36.005
Authors: Dalibor Elezović, Ivan Radulović
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204995779