Petar II. became Vladika and Gospodar of Montenegro at the age of seventeen. At the time of his accession he was scarcely more than a Montenegrin peasant lad, accustomed to dealing with attacks from the Turks, but otherwise without education. The young ruler knew nothing whatever of system or the deeper meaning of learning and education, when he took the helm. Times were troubled and difficult, for, even in Montenegro opinions were divided. There were several other pretenders—not so much because of internal dissensions as in consequence of foreign intrigue. It was not a matter of indifference for the neighbouring states whether the ruler of Montenegro was their friend and tool, or whether he was a man of independent personality and inclined to follow Montenegrin tradition in considering Russia. The Sandjaks of Skutari and Hercegovina (at that time still the Sandjak Novipazar) were Montenegro’s vulnerable point. For nearly a century Montenegro had already sought ways and means of extending her territory as far as the frontier of modern Serbia. Moreover, from the days of Peter the Great an idea had existed that, with the help of the Serbs of Old Serbia, and the Serbs and Croats of Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro should prepare the way for the emancipation of her kindred from the Turkish yoke. Poverty, however, lack of numbers on the part of Montenegro, and the vacillations of Russian diplomacy frustrated these plans, and Vladika Petar I. did not feel strong enough to embark on this enterprise. Petar II. realized that, before Montenegro could hope to attempt this task, she would have to strengthen her hands—and those of her brothers awaiting liberation—by a thorough-going pro-Russian policy, which would secure them the protection of the Russian Empire. She must also provide her children with the means of education. He knew well that nothing can be done with an unlettered people. The lines laid down by him were quite correct. Russian society understood the Prince’s aims and gave him sufficient financial assistance for the foundation of schools, etc., and Russian diplomacy supported him strongly in his politics. Petar II. set about his educational mission with devotion and perseverance, and even found time to complete his own studies. When he attained to man’s estate he was already famous as one of the finest of the Southern Slav poets, and as one of the patrons of culture among the oppressed Slav peoples.[16] But his path was by no means strewn with roses. The very strength of his independent personality laid him open to insidious intrigues. True, he followed Russia’s advice, but, while he was still a youth, full of the healthy, impetuous ardour of his mountain home, he often transgressed the rules of European diplomacy. Diplomacy failed to understand his actions, and he, being a true Montenegrin, could not wait with his hands folded to see what diplomacy might achieve, while the Turks were harrying his borders. Even the Russian Consul in