Entente warns Montenegro

The British chronology of the war records under 29 July 1915 that the Entente governments warned Montenegro that they would not recognise its occupation of Albanian territory. According to Italian diplomatic documents, the ministers of Britain, France, Russia and Italy in Cetinje handed the Montenegrin foreign minister a joint note verbale at the end of July. The Italian minister reported this in a telegram sent on the afternoon of 30 July. The matter had been dragging on for a month, since the Montenegrins had entered Scutari as early as 27 June.

The content of the warning

The text was prepared by the Italian foreign minister Sidney Sonnino on the basis of a draft by the Russian foreign minister Sergey Sazonov, slightly softening its tone. The powers declared that they disapproved of the dispatch of Montenegrin troops to Albania, since these ought to be attacking the Austrians. They did not recognise the Montenegrin occupation of Albanian territory, which was contrary to their earlier advice. Their consuls in Scutari were to confine themselves to current business and not to maintain official relations with the Montenegrin authorities. The powers took note of the assurance that the occupation of Scutari was temporary and did not prejudge the fate of the town, which depended on them alone. They added, however, that this would not change their view of the conduct of the Montenegrins, who ought to turn their forces against the common enemy without delay.

The note waited almost three weeks to be delivered. Russia and Britain quickly accepted the Italian text, but the French minister was long without instructions. France had long sought influence in Cetinje and was the most indulgent towards King Nicholas I. According to the British historian Joseph Swire, it had also not joined the first protest by Britain, Italy and Russia on 28 June. When the French minister finally received his instructions, he still tried to change a few phrases. The Italian objected and gave way at only one point: instead of “permanent” relations with the occupation authorities, the note spoke of “official” ones. The Montenegrin minister reserved his reply for a few days.

The Montenegrins in Albania

In reply to the June protest Montenegro gave assurances that it would undertake no further action in Albania, but its troops went on occupying the lands north of the Drin. In July they fought the Albanian tribes. On 21 July the government in Cetinje announced that after five days of fighting it had put down a rising of about three thousand men, stirred up by foreign agents, at a cost of about ten of its own men killed. The Italian minister noted that the Serbian command gave much higher losses. According to the Italian consul in Scutari, the king told the local notables that Scutari was as necessary to Montenegro as Montenegro was to Scutari, so the Albanians of the occupied lands should regard themselves as his subjects.

In day-to-day life the occupation gave rise to minor conflicts with the powers. On 4 July Montenegrin soldiers in Scutari arrested an Italian merchant who had allegedly refused to accept Montenegrin money, although the capitulations, the judicial privileges of foreigners, were still in force in Albania. On 19 July the ministers of the four powers handed over a separate note on this matter, calling on Montenegro to observe the Hague Convention on the duties of an occupying power. This time the government in Cetinje promptly promised that the Montenegrin authorities would respect local laws.

The warning of late July changed nothing. The Montenegrins stayed in Scutari until their country’s defeat in January 1916. Nor did the powers intend to go any further. As early as the beginning of July Sonnino had advised the Italian minister that, while not recognising the accomplished facts, he should not push matters too far, as too sharp a tone might drive Montenegro towards the enemy.