Princess Olga of Montenegro

Olga Petrović Njegoš (Cetinje, March 19, 1859 – Venice, September 21, 1896), was a Montenegrin princess and a member of the House of Petrović-Njegoš.

Biography

Princess Olga as a child

She was the daughter and the only child of Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro and his wife, Darinka, Princess of Montenegro.

In 1860, her father died, and was succeeded by Nicholas I.^[1] In 1867, she left Montenegro with her mother and settled in Venice.

Princess Olga was described as quite pretty, and as a timid and sweet tempered personality. In accordance with the will of her father, Olga was placed under the guardianship of her mother until she reached the age of eighteen, and after that she was to come in to the inheritance and lands of her father. However, Nicholas I did not give permission to her or her mother to return to Montenegro again once they had left, so she was never able to take control of her inheritance. Reportedly, she had no recollection of Montenegro. Having no real property but still of royal birth, she remained unmarried, since she was expected to marry a royal but her lack of dynastic importance or property never made her a valuable on the royal marriage market. She excelled in languages, spoke them perfectly, but with the same foreign accent. Although she lived in Venice, she frequently visited Russia.

Death

With the Russian pension, granted to her by Alexander II, she lived her life in Venice, where she died unmarried and childless. During the last days of her long illness, Prince Tommaso, Duke of Genoa was telegraphed on a daily basis about her health, while Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin visited her frequently when he returned from his military maneuvers in Germany. Her funeral was attended by the whole Montenegrin royal family and special wreath of fresh flowers was sent by the Queen Margherita. Her remains were buried in Montenegro.^[2]

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