TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties

Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–1853)

Battle · 1852

According to the TDV article on Montenegro, when Danilo II (1852–1860) broke his ties of vassalage with the Ottoman government and movements against the Ottomans began, an army under Ömer Pasha entered Montenegro. When Austria protested against an operation that threatened Montenegro's autonomy, the old borders were restored in March 1853. The Montenegrins then asked for recognition of their independence and for land from Albania and Herzegovina, but no decision was taken. Fighting resumed in 1858, and Hüseyin Pasha's forces were defeated by the Montenegrins at Grahovo; in 1859 the ambassadors meeting in Istanbul agreed that the neutral district of Grahovo should go to the principality of Montenegro. When the Montenegrins backed the revolt that broke out in Herzegovina in 1861, Ottoman forces entered Montenegro in two columns in spring 1862; Prince Nikola II had to come to terms and accept the Ottoman demands.

About the event

Date	1852 – 1862
Location	Montenegro and the Herzegovina border (Grahovo)
Result	Old borders restored in 1853; defeat at Grahovo in 1858; Montenegro accepted Ottoman terms in 1862

Belligerents	Ottoman Empire	Montenegro
Commanders	Ömer Pasha Hüseyin Pasha	Danilo II Nikola II

This event in the atlas

Took place during the reign of Abdulmejid I (1839–1861). Abdulmejid I

Open the reign of Abdulmejid I on the map

Context of the period

By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 3,803,000 km² in 1852; at the start of Abdulmejid I's reign they measured 3,803,000 km², at its end 3,803,000 km².

During Abdulmejid I (1839–1861) the atlas records 0 regions gained and 0 regions lost.

Abdulmejid I in brief

The sultan of the Tanzimat: equality before the law, modern codes, the telegraph, the railway and the decision to found a university all belong to his reign. The Crimean War was won without territorial loss, but the first foreign loan was also taken and financial dependence began.

Other battles and treaties of Abdulmejid I

• London Straits Convention (1841)
• Second Treaty of Erzurum (1847)
• Battle of Sinop (1853)
• Siege of Silistra (1854)
• Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) (1855)
• Treaty of Paris (1856) (1856)
• Kuleli incident (1859)

Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “KARADAĞ” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.

Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–1853): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/montenegrin-ottoman-war-1852-1853/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections