Maximus Tzrnoyevitch

Also known as: Maximus / Prince Maximus / Scander-beg / Scander-beg Ivanbegovitch · Family: Montenegrins · Role: son of Ivan · First appears: Chapter VII · The Marriage of Maximus Tzrnoyevitch · Part 1

In Chapter VII · The Marriage of Maximus Tzrnoyevitch, while Ivan Tzrnoyevitch was away, his son Maximus was stricken with small-pox, which left his face badly scarred. Ivan had promised Maximus in marriage to the doge's daughter, and nine years passed before the wedding journey. To conceal Maximus’s changed appearance, Ivan and the svats agreed that Milosh Obrenbegovitch would wear the bridegroom’s ornaments and impersonate him. At Venice, the elder Venetian prince presented the bride, a black steed and a grey falcon to Milosh, whom he took for Maximus; the festivities lasted three days.

When Ivan revealed the stratagem, the bride refused to continue unless the presents were given to Maximus. Milosh returned the bride, steed and other gifts, but would not yield the golden shirt she had made for Maximus. Maximus struck Milosh down and killed him, then took the bride into the castle; a fight between their followers followed, and few returned home. Maximus was so disgusted by what had happened that he wrote to the Doge of Venice (father of the bride), inviting him to invade Zablak and conquer Montenegro.

Maximus went to Istamboul and embraced Islamism. He and Yovan Obrenbegovitch adopted the Mohammedan religion, and Maximus became “Prince Maximus, Scander-beg Ivanbegovitch”. After they had served as faithful Turks for nine years, the Sultan (whom Maximus served) granted them vizirates and gave Maximus Scutari on the River Boyana.