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At the end of the 19th century, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was known as the "grandmother of Europe" because of her large number of children and marriage with European royal families, so that the descendants of her grandchildren spread throughout Europe. At the same time, King Nicholas I of Montenegro was known as the "father-in-law of Europe". Why did Nicholas I receive the title of father-in-law of Europe, the captain will tell you in detail.
One, children of Nicholas I
In 1841 , Nicholas I was born into a noble family in the Diocese of Ceev Montenegro , the son of Mirko Petrovich-Negos and Anastasia Martinovich. Nicholas I's family was the most prominent Petrović-Negosh dynasty in Montenegro, and since Montenegro was the only country in the Balkans that was not conquered by the Ottoman Empire, his family had been committed to resisting the Ottoman conquests.
In 1852, Nicholas I's uncle, Bishop Danilo II of Montenegro, secularized the Diocese of Ceyp in Montenegro and established the Duchy of Montenegro, which became Duke Danilo I of Montenegro. In 1860, Danilo I was assassinated and Nicholas I succeeded him as Duke of Montenegro. Nicholas I then married Milena Vukotić and devoted himself to the anti-Ottoman cause.
Together with Milena Vukotic, Nicholas I had 12 children, which became a strong guarantee for him to win over the monarchs of Europe against the Ottomans through marriage. Of his 12 children, 3 sons and 9 daughters, all but two of them died young, and the other 10 children are adults. The marriage of the youngest of the seven grown daughters remained unmarried for life, and the marriage of the other five daughters became the basis for his European father-in-law nickname.
Two, son-in-law of Nicholas I
Zóka of Montenegro, the eldest daughter of Nicholas I and the eldest sister of 11 other siblings, married in 1883 to the nobleman Peter I of the Kingdom of Serbia. In 1903, Peter I was crowned King of Serbia, but Zóka had died before and thus failed to become Queen of Serbia.
Milica of Montenegro was the second daughter, second only to her eldest sister Zoka , and became Grand Duchess in 1889 by marrying Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Tsarist Russia. Pyotr Nikolaevich was a cousin of the Russian monarch Alexander III, so the couple were very influential in the Russian court. Later, Milicsa's third sister, Anastasia, also married into Tsarist Russia, and together the two sisters became the most powerful women in the Tsarist court.
Anastasia of Montenegro is the third daughter, only a few months younger than the second sister Milicsa, and has a close relationship. She became a duchess in 1889 by marrying Georgi Massimilianovich Duke of Leughtenberg of the Kingdom of Bavaria (the German Empire). Pyotr Nikolaevich and Georgy Massimilianovich are cousins, so the Anastasia and Milica sisters are also half-concubines. Later, Anastasia remarried Grand Duke Nikolaevich (brother of Peter Nikolaevich), and the sisters became real concubines.
Elena of Montenegro was the fifth daughter, and due to the early death of her sister Marika, she was the fourth daughter to marry, married to Crown Prince Victor Emmanuel III of Italy in 1896. In 1900, Victor Emmanuel III succeeded his father as King of Italy, and Elena became Queen of Italy.
Anna of Montenegro was the sixth daughter and married in 1897 to Francis Joseph, a nobleman of the Grand Duchy of Hesse (a state of the German Empire). Since Francis Joseph was only the cousin of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse, Anna and his wife did not have much influence in Hesse, and their status was not as prominent as that of the other four sisters. In addition, Anna is the only princess of the five married sisters who has not conceived children.
Xenia of Montenegro and Fergela of Montenegro were the youngest daughters of Nicholas I, the two closest sisters, who moved to France with their father Nicholas I during World War I, and both remained unmarried. Sophia of Montenegro was the sister of Xenia and Fergela, but died at birth.
Third, the European father-in-law
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Nicholas I, with the support of several sons-in-law, formed a close alliance with Italy, Serbia, and Tsarist Russia, and participated in many Balkan wars against the Ottoman countries with their support, not only greatly expanding the territory of Montenegro, but also gaining access to the Adriatic Sea, and was crowned King of Montenegro in 1910.
Through the marriage of five daughters, Nicholas I formed close ties with the royal families of various European countries, and was awarded the title of "Beau-père de l'Europe" with his contemporary, King Christian IX of Denmark.
Ironically, during World War I, Nicholas I and his son-in-law Peter I joined the Allies against the Allies in Austria-Hungary, resulting in Montenegro being occupied by Austria-Hungary and forcing him to go into exile in France. However, after the end of World War I, Montenegro was annexed by Serbia to form the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Peter I became King of Yugoslavia, and Nicholas I had to stay in France and never return to his native Montenegro.