Old Montenegro

Old Montenegro (Serbian and Montenegrin: Стара Црна Гора / Stara Crna Gora),[1][2][3] also known as Montenegro proper (Serbian: Права Црна Гора; Montenegrin: Prava Crna Gora),[4][5] or True Montenegro (Serbian: Истинска Црна Гора; Montenegrin: Istinska Crna Gora),[6][7] is a term used for the embryonic part of modern Montenegro. In historical context, the term designates the original territory of the Principality of Montenegro, before the territorial expansion, ratified by the Congress of Berlin in 1878, or even more precisely - the territory of the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro prior to its unification with the region of Brda in the first half of the 19th century.[8][4]

Map of the Old Montenegro, and its divisions

During the Ottoman period, from the 16th up to the 18th century, the original (proper) Montenegro was made up of the Montenegrin tribes (Serbian: црногорска племена; Montenegrin: crnogorska plemena), traditionally divided into four territorial units, or nahije: Katun, Rijeka, Lješanska nahija and Crmnica. Their inhabitants were known under the regional demonym Montenegrins (Serbian: Црногорци; Montenegrin: Crnogorci), as opposed to the inhabitants of neighboring regions (Brđani, Hercegovci and Primorci). Since the end of the 18th century, Montenegro started to expand, incorporating the region of Brda in the first half of the 19th century, the region of Old Herzegovina and part of Primorje in 1878, and finally upper and central Polimlje and northern Metohija in 1912.[9]