ELIZABETH ROBERTS is a former diplomat who has taught Balkan history at universities in Ireland and the United States.

'A fascinating book. It is the history of Montenegro from its origins as Zeta to its emergence in early modern times as a defiant, violent and romantic principality ruled by elected Prince-Bishops until, in the eighteenth century, the throne became hereditary. The centuries of warfare against the Ottomans are described in gripping detail. ... This is an extraordinary book, plainly written, scholarly yet gripping, that presents, through the lens of a tiny, almost forgotten country, a new way of seeing and understanding the great events of modern history.'

ELIZABETH ROBERTS is a former diplomat who has taught Balkan history at universities in Ireland and the United States.

'A fascinating book. It is the history of Montenegro from its origins as Zeta to its emergence in early modern times as a defiant, violent and romantic principality ruled by elected Prince-Bishops until, in the eighteenth century, the throne became hereditary. The centuries of warfare against the Ottomans are described in gripping detail. ... This is an extraordinary book, plainly written, scholarly yet gripping, that presents, through the lens of a tiny, almost forgotten country, a new way of seeing and understanding the great events of modern history.'

ELIZABETH ROBERTS is a former diplomat who has taught Balkan history at universities in Ireland and the United States.

'A fascinating book. It is the history of Montenegro from its origins as Zeta to its emergence in early modern times as a defiant, violent and romantic principality ruled by elected Prince-Bishops until, in the eighteenth century, the throne became hereditary. The centuries of warfare against the Ottomans are described in gripping detail. ... This is an extraordinary book, plainly written, scholarly yet gripping, that presents, through the lens of a tiny, almost forgotten country, a new way of seeing and understanding the great events of modern history.'