Contribution of A.I. Alexandrov to the study of the secular and church history of Montenegro at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

The history of Montenegro has drawn attention of the Russian scholars for many decades. In the 19th century, E.P. Kovalevsky, V.V. Makushev, P.A. Lavrov, P.A. Rovinsky and many others were engaged in these studies. Modern researchers (N.I. Khitrova, L.P. Lapteva, Yu.P. Anshakov, V.B. Khlebnikova, N.G. Strunina-Borodina, etc.) continued to scrutinize the scientific problems raised at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, preserving the traditions of their predecessors and at the same time developing new concepts and approaches in the national Slavic studies. Among the pre-revolutionary Slavists, A.I. Alexandrov occupied a special place. As the main topic of his scientific research, he chose the history of Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Church in Montenegro. The scholar worked hard in the archives and book depositories of the Balkan states during his repeated trips abroad. A.I. Alexandrov collected extensive material and discovered new documents on the history and culture of Montenegro, which he consequently published. In the scholar’s works, the study of the poetic heritage of Prince Nikola I Petrovich-Njegos had an important place; historical sources characterizing the assistance of the Russian Empire to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church were introduced. The Slavist offered his own periodization of Montenegrin history. The object of his scientific interest were not only historical issues, but also the church life of the Montenegrin principality at the beginning of the 20th century. The article is the first attempt to analyze the scientific works of the scholar and to identify his views on various historical events in the fate of Montenegrins. The original point of view of A.I. Alexandrov is largely explained by his worldview, the analysis of which is also presented in this work.