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Description: | obverse design: Parcae, the Roman goddesses of fate, represented by the three daughters of King Nikita of Montenegro. From
left to right respectively, Militza holding a flaming torch in her right hand, Stana holding a large key with both hands and Elena holding
a serpent in her left hand
obverse text: "NIKITAS SCHICKSALS TOECHTER"
reverse design: serpents, three, their intertwined bodies coiled around the blade of a horizontally positioned sword, hilt to right, blood
dripping from its point
reverse text: "DER SCHWARZEN BERGE NIEDER-LAGE WELT = KRIEG 1916"
exergue: "MILITZA.STANA.ELENA" & "1914"
In this obscure satirical piece it is likely that Goetz offers an ironic comment on the decision of King Nikita (or
'Nikola') of Montenegro to side with Serbia at the outset of the First World War. A decision which ultimately resulted in the abandonment
of his country and the loss of his throne. The obverse text is translated as 'Nikita's daughters of fate' and the reverse text as 'The
Black Mountain defeat'. Montenegro, after much vacillation on the part of Nikita, eventually declared war on Austria-Hungary on 8 August
1914 and with its small ill-equipped army offered limited support to Serbian military operations in 1914 and also covered the retreat of
the Serbian Army across the Albanian Alps during November and December 1915. Following the fall of the Montenegrin capital, Cetinje, on 13
January 1916 Nikita with his family fled to Italy. Austro-Hungarian forces remained in occupation until the end of the war. Although Nikita
spent his years in exile plotting his return he never regained the Montenegrin throne. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | Eastern Front & Montenegro satirical Defeat of & 13/1/1916 commemorative First World War | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Goetz, Karl | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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