Current flag of Montenegro
History
Name and cultural identity
The name Montenegro comes from Italian and means Black Mountain. The local Serbo-Croatian name is an exact translation: Crna Gora. There is some debate about how Montenegrins are different from Serbians. The differences are so small that many people within Montenegro regard themselves as Serbian. It is especially the 'old Montenegro' area around Cetinje where a separate Montenegrin identity is most strongly present. The language spoken is Montenegrin, but one could argue it is a dialect of Serbian.
Map of Montenegro and neighbouring countries
Medieval Montenegro
The area now known as Montenegro was part of the Roman and Byzantine empires until the middle ages. Slavic tribes have inhabited the region since the 7th century. In the 11th century the Kingdom of Duklja was established in present-day Montenegro. It was part of the Serbian Empire from the 12th century and was the last part of Serbia to be conquered by the Ottomans in 1496. The coastal area around Kotor became known as Venetian Albania in 1420 and remained Venetian until 1797. It was during this time that Montenegro got its name.
Ottoman rule (1496-1696)
The Ottomans were never able to really control Montenegro. Local noblemen retained most of their power and were not as restricted as in other parts of the empire. Still the Montenegrins regularly revolted, establishing an independent prince-bishopric in 1696 during the Great Turkish War. The state was tiny but could count on Russian and Venetian support against possible Ottoman aggression.
Venetian Albania / Cattaro
In 1797 Venetian Albania became part of the French Illyrian provinces and in 1815 it became part of the Austrian Empire as part of the Kingdom of Dalmatia along with other territories on the Croatian coast, which had mostly been Venetian before 1797.
Territorial expansion of Montenegro from 1830 to 1944. Venetian Albania was the part around the bay of Kotor (Cattaro).
Principality of Montenegro (1852-1910)
In 1852 Montenegro became a principality, ruled by the same dynasty as the prince-bishopric. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8 saw Montenegro expanding its territory. In 1910 the principality was upgraded to a kingdom. It allied with the other Christian states during the 1911-3 Ottoman Wars further expanding its territory.
Flag of the Kingdom of Montenegro (1910-1918)
WW1 and interwar years
During WW1 Montenegro joined the Allies in attempting to resist an Austro-Hungarian offensive into Serbia, but it was occupied in 1916 to 1918. When the country was liberated, Montenegrin factions agreed to unification with Serbia..Despite protests from Montenegrin separatists, it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes which was renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929. The formerly Austrian territory of what was Venetian Albania was added to Montenegro in 1918, and did not become part of Croatia like the rest of the Dalmatian coast.
Kingdom of Montenegro in 1910
Italian and German occupation (1941-44)
During WW2 Montenegro was occupied by Italy. The former territory of Venetian Albania (the bay of Kotor/Cattaro) was annexed, the rest of the country remained under military occupation. The Montenegrin partisans offered fierce resistance causing a drain on Italian resources. With the Italian fascist regime collapsing in 1943, all of Montenegro was occupied by Nazi Germany. At the end of 1944 Montenegro was liberated by the communist partisans.
Yugoslavia during Axis occupation (1941-1944)
Montenegro in Yugoslavia (1944-2006)
After WW2 Montenegro became a socialist republic within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During the Yugoslav Wars of the early 1990's it remained closely allied to Serbia, but in the latter half of the decade support for independence increased. Yugoslavia was renamed to Serbia & Montenegro in 2003.
Independence (2006-date)
A referendum held in 2006 was very narrowly won by the pro-independence camp, leading to the full independence of Montenegro that same year. It marked another step in the 'Balkanisation', the so-called splintering into mini-states of the region. With a population only twice that of Luxemburg and all the shared history and cultural heritage with Serbia, one could argue whether Montenegrin independence was a positive outcome for a sustainable future in the region.
Currency and coins
Venetian Albania used the Venetian Lira (equal to 20 Soldi = 240 Denari), with a few coins specifically struck for Dalmatia & Albania, or the entire Croatian coastline including and the bay of Kotor (Cattaro) which is now Montenegrin territory.
During the Siege of Cattaro (1813), the French issued siege coinage in denominations of 1, 5 and 10 Francs struck in cast silver. These coins are extremely rare.
After 1815 Austrian currency was used, also within Montenegro itself. It took until 1906 to introduce its own currency at par with the Austro-Hungarian Krone, worth 1.05 French Franc or 4.93/$. The Montenegrin currency was named Perper, after the Serbian Perper used in the middle ages. The name is derived from the Byzantine medieval gold coin named Hyperpyron. One Perper was equal to 100 Para.
Coins were only minted between 1906 and 1914. From 1910 the coins changed their legend to 'kingdom' from 'princedom' that was used before.
From 1918 until 1996 Montenegro used the Yugoslav Dinar. In an early rift with Serbia, it unilaterally adopted the Deutschmark, which was replaced by Euro physically in 2002. Montenegro is not part of the Eurozone but has some agreements in place to be able to use the Euro. There are no modern coins of Montenegro.
Coins of Venetian Dalmatia & Albania 1420-1797):
1 Soldo
2 Soldi
Coins of Montenegro (1906-1914):
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/montenegro-1.html
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But simply put, this will be very bottom of the to-do-list (not mine, I cannot change it) 
