Sava Petrović (; 18 January 1702 – 9 March 1782) was the Metropolitan of Cetinje between 1735 and 1781, ruling what is known in historiography as the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro; the polity in the hands of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty. He succeeded his relative Danilo I as Metropolitan in 1735, having served as Danilo's coadjutor since the 1719, when he was consecrated by Serbian Patriarch Mojsije I. Sava was a lesser memorable figure in Montenegrin history, having served during a period of constant and bitter tribal rivalries and power struggles in tribal leadership. History In 1735 Sava officially became the Metropolitan (vladika, rendered as "prince-bishop") of Cetinje, succeeding Danilo I. He was a contemplative man and not as energetic as his predecessor, and sought to cultivate good relations with both Venice and Russia. That year, a new war broke out between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, with Austria on Russia's side. Tribesmen from Montenegro welcomed this as they saw an opportunity for their struggle for independence. Hajduk (bandit and rebel) activity increased as a result. Sava continued to seek some sort of appeasement with Venice, a policy that suited his conservative nature. His goal was securing more open borders for Montenegro, which was already suffering under blockades imposed by its invading Western and Eastern neighbors on all sides. By October 1739 the Austrians had been forced to sign the Treaty of Belgrade which saw the Kingdom of Serbia (including Belgrade), the southern part of the Banat of Temeswar and northern Bosnia to be ceded to the Ottomans (these were mostly gains in the wars of 1714–1718). In Montenegro, the pattern of raids and counter-attacks continued unabated with Highlander tribes (in Brda) taking the brunt of Ottomans reprisals. In 1740, Highlander tribes sent forty of their chieftains to negotiate with representatives of the new Pasha of Scutari who appeared to be set on an offensive that would make resistance futile. They wound up captured and decapitated, and another 400 of their compatriots taken into slavery on the orders of the Paša himself. Sava sought help from Orthodox Russia, offering to provide troops to serve in the Imperial Russian armies in return for some form of Russian protectorate over Montenegro. At the end of September 1742, Sava set off in person, and on reaching St. Petersburg the following spring he presented Montenegro's case to the newly enthroned Empress Elizabeth. The empress promised financial