The Politics of Kara Mahmud Pasha Bushati Towards Montenegro in the 1780s

Kara Mahmud Pasha Bushati was the son of the Vizier of Shkodra, Mehmed Pasha, from whom he inherited the title of Vizier of Scutari. The second half of the eighteenth century and the first decade of the nineteenth century was a period of weakening of the Ottoman state because of the appearance of renegades rebelling against the state. During the last two decades of the eighteenth century, one of the most famous renegades was Kara Mahmud Pasha Bushati. The centre of his movement was in the north of modern-day Albania. This movement spread to parts of modern-day Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Montenegro. It was logical that his desire was to gain control over eternally rebellious Montenegro where elements of statehood were already beginning to be formed. Since Montenegro was territorially closest to him, he wanted to have the Lake Shkodra basin under his control. His first attack on Montenegro in 1785 was successful, when he broke through to the capital Cetinje and burnt down the seat of the Metropolitanate, the Cetinje Monastery. However, he did not consolidate his power in Montenegro. The politics of Kara Mahmud Pasha Bushati towards Montenegro involved his relations with the central government in Constantinople, with Austria, Russia and the Venetian and Dubrovnik Republics.