Vukolaj Radonjić

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Vukolaj Radonjić (1765–29 May 1832) was the last Montenegrin guvernadur, the ruler of Montenegro. He was born in Njeguši and, in 1778, trained at the noble Academy in Shklow (now in Belarus), where he earned the title of kavalijer (knight) and received the Order of Saint Anna. He married Stana Vukova Petrović of Njeguši around 1775.

During his father Jovan Radonjić’s rule, Vukolaj served as acting guvernadur from 1798 to 1799. He later became a member of the Montenegrin National Assembly and worked as a nahija (district) judge from 1799. He was formally elected guvernadur on May 15, 1804, and remained in office until the position was abolished in 1832.

In 1813 he helped sign the union declaration between Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor (Dobrota). He led about 3,000 soldiers in the Battle at the Fortress of Trinity in Kotor, helping to expel Napoleonic troops.

In January 1832 he and his brother Marko were imprisoned in Cetinje; the cave prison became known as Guvernadurica. Vukolaj died in Kotor hospital on May 29, 1832, after suffering from the effects of imprisonment. The Radonjić family was exiled from their homes in the region, many properties were seized, and some family members were killed. A portrait of him by Adam Stefanović exists in the National Museum.