On the Threshold of a Turning Point: Prince-Bishop Njegoš from the Perspective of German Slavists

Abstract

This article explores the contrasting scholarly approaches of the German Slavists Gerhard Gesemann and Alois Schmaus to the life and work of the Montenegrin prince-bishop and poet Petar II Petrović Njegoš (1813–1851). Gesemann analyses Njegoš primarily through the lens of the patriarchal social order and heroic culture of nineteenth-century Montenegro, offering an anthropological and socio-historical interpretation marked by both fascination and critical distance. In contrast, Schmaus focuses on Njegoš’s literary and philosophical oeuvre, particularly Gorski vijenac and Luča mikrokozma, portraying him as a profoundly tragical figure torn between spiritual and secular authority, tradition and modern state-building. After outlining the biographies of both scholars and the personal and historical factors shaping their interest in the Balkans, the article presents Gesemann’s cultural-anthropological perspectives alongside Schmaus’s in-depth textual and ideological analyses. Taken together, their works significantly influenced the reception of Njegoš in the German-speaking world and contributed to a nuanced understanding of his role as poet, thinker, and political leader.