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His Eminence '''Arsenije III Crnojević''' (also ''Arsenius''; Serbian: '''Аесеније III Црнојевић''') was the [[Patriarch]] of Peć (1672-1691). He was one of the most significant figures of Serbian national and Church history. He was also the first [[autonomous]] Metropolitans [[metropolitan]] of the Serbian people in Austria-Hungary (1690-1706).

He was born in [[w:Cetinje, c. |Cetinje]] (in modern-day Montenegro) in about 1633. He was a member of a minor branch of the famous Crnojevići noble family. In the past his surname has been written and pronounced ''Čarnojević'', from Russian use.

Arsenije came to [[w:Peć|Peć ]] as a boy and later was [[tonsure]]d, and [[ordination|ordain]]ed a [[deacon]] and then a [[priest]]. In his early years he was elected [[archimandrite]] of Peć [[Monastery ]] in 1665. When Patriarch [[Maximus I of Pec|Maksim]] suffered a stroke, Arsenije was elected for as [[Metropolitan]] of Hvosno and as the coadjutor of the patriarch. He was [[Consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] [[bishop ]] by the metropolitans of a patriarchal [[synod]] on the [[Feast]] of the [[Ascension]], 1669. In the same year, he visited Dečani Monastery in the patriarch's name. When it was clear that the patriarch's condition would not improve, Arsenije was elected patriarch in 1672, probably between [[Easter]] and Ascension.

The next year, the new patriarch visited the Serbs in the coastlands coast lands who were under the control of Venice. He met the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] archbishop of Bar , Andrija Zmajević, who was SerbianSerb, and also member of Crnojevici family, in order to contact European powers for the protection of Christians under Turkish rule. He also visited his flock in Bosnia in 1674, and in Braničevo and Srem in 1676. The following year he was in went to Žiča Monastery, than then to Braničevo; again, he also visited Smederevo in 1680. All these visitations visits were in order to give spiritual support to the Serbian people. In 1682 Arsenije decided to make a [[pilgrim]]age to Jerusalem. Before leaving , he visited Metropolitan Teofan of Skoplje Teofan and bishop Bishop Ananija of Karatovo.

When he arrived in Jerusalem, Arsenije was the guest of the famous [[Patriarch of Jerusalem]], Dositeus [[Dositheus II Notarius of Jerusalem|Dositheos Notarios ]] (1669-1707). When While he was in the [[Holy Land]], Arsenije kept a journal.

After arriving home, he found his people in the middle of the [[w:Great Turkish War|Great Turkish War]]. The Turks arrested him, and he had to pay 10000 talirs (6000 pounds of sterling) for his freedom. He was soon forced to leave Peć because the Turks tried to kill him. He came back returned after the Austrians captured Peć. Under great presure of pressure from the Austrians , he was forced to call all Serbs to join the Austrian army. About 20,000 Serbs joined the Austrian army, but the Serbs and Austrians were defeated near Skoplje in the winter of 1689. The patriarch, along with 90,000 people , started retreating.

Arsenije called a popular-church an assembly of both Church and [[laity|lay]] leaders in Belgrade in July 1690. In this assembly were participating Serbian noblemen, officers, popular leaders, metropolitans, bishops, archimandrites, [[igumen]]s, and [[protopresbyter]]sall participated. They decided to continue in the war as Austrian allies, but they demanded freedom of religion and freedom from serfdom. The Serbs sent an envoy led by Bishop Isaija of Jenopolje, who was fluent in German. Emperor [[w:Leopold_I%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor|Leopold I]] proclaimed an edict on [[August 21]] in which he gave the Serbian people and their Church special privileges. After this , Serbs populated soutern part of southern Hungary, todays today Vojvodina in Serbia, and the military frontier in Croatia as Austrian soldiers.

Serbs also participated in the decisive battle of Senta , in which the Turks were defeated. After this, a peace treaty was signed , and the Austrians recaptured Hungary and Transylvania.

From the beginning he , Patr. Arsenije had many problems under Austrian rule. Hungarian nobility, Catholic [[clergy]], and German officers were all hostile toward the Serbs, but the wise patriarch saved his people from Catholic [[proselytism]]. He managed to negotiate with bishops who had signed the signed Union. After this, those bishops reembraced re-embraced Orthodoxy. Yet he failed in trying to reestablish re-establish an Orthodox bishopric in Transylvania (the Metropolitan of Transylvania signed the Union in 1699.). He established relations with the Russian court. He also started to negotiate with the Turks in order to return to Peć. His greatest enemy was Cardinal Leopold Kolonić, state chancellor of Hungary. Arsenije established five new dioceses [[diocese]]s in Hungary and Croatia, and with these and three from previously established ones, he established the old Metropolitanate of Karlovci, established as an autonomous unit of the Peć Patriarchate.

Patriarch Arsenije died in Vienna on [[October 27]]and was burried in Krušedol Monastery in grave of Saint Maxim of Srem and Belgrade. He advised his bishops to reestablish broken re-establish relations with the Patriarch of Peć. Soon the Metropolitanate of Karlovci was formed as the autonomous unit of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

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