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Brief history
The Croats came to the Balkans as allied forces of Emperor Heraclius in his war against the Avars in 7 c. BC. After the victory over the Avars they remained in the new lands.
The Croats, soon after their settlement on the Balkan Peninsula, adopted Christianity, thanks to the flexible policy of the Holy See, which applied the rules of Pope Gregory I for application of the Christian principles to the pagan rites and temples of the newly-christened people (gradual proselytism).
Several centuries after the settlement the social and political life developed in three Croatian duchies: in Dalmatia, in Panonia and in the River Neretva. The duchies were constantly at war both with one another and with foreign enemies – Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Bulgarians.
In 925 Duke Tomislav was pronounced King of Croatia by Pope John Х. This year is considered the beginning of the Croatian kingdom. King Tomislav’s successors, his younger brother, Trpimir II, and Crešimir I after him, managed to preserve the Croatian kingdom. However, following the early death of King Crešimir I, ban Pribin caused national unrest in the struggle for the throne, in which the heir to the throne was killed.
From 1075 to 1089 the Croatian throne was taken by King Zvonimir, regarded as the most powerful Croatian king. He established strong relations with Pope Gregory VII, whose legate crowned him in 1075 as King of Croatia and Dalmatia, strengthened the church unity, and contributed greatly to the imposition of the Glagolytic alphabet in the written language, which is evidenced by the most important record of the Croatian Glagolytic written language, the Basča tablet.
After Zvonimir the throne was succeeded by the last king of the Trpimirovič Dynasty, Stjepan II, who ruled only two years. Immediately after his death in the beginning of 1091 Croatia was seized with large unrest, which proved fatal for the Croatian state. During this period the Croats repulsed the Tatars, made successful wars on Venetia and Byzantium, and later on the Ottoman Empire, for Dalmatia and for survival. The constant wars strengthened more and more the Croat-Hungarian relations, which were initially personified only by the royal person.
Under these circumstances in 1102 an agreement was reached between the Croats and the Hungarian King Kalman, known as “Pacta Conventa“, according to which the Hungarian king became the king of Croats and Hungarians alike, but the two countries preserved their independence. In Biograd na Moru Kalman was crowned as King of Croatia and Dalmatia, and he promised all state rights to the Croatian kingdom, and recognised the Croatian aristocracy and the additional privileges. In return the Croatian aristocrats were obliged to support the king in times of war.
In this way Croatia practically lost its independence, but this helped its national consolidation. In 1453 the Turks conquered Constantinople and Pope Callixtus III called all Christian peoples to a crusade. A great number of Croats took part in this war.
The 16 and 17 centuries are called in the Croatian history “two centuries of lament“ due to the gory battles which the Croats fought with the greatly outnumbering Ottoman army.
After the battle of Mohacs in 1526, where the last Jagiello, Louis II, King of Hungary and Croatia died, the Habsburgs were already promised the crown, and being the only real power that could organise the defence of Croatia, it was natural for the Croats to choose them for their rulers.
For all these reasons, the Croats, independently from the Hungarians, chose in 1527 Ferdinand I as their King, but under the condition that he would help the Croatian defence and recognise all its former rights and liberties. At that time the Turks continuously attacked from Bosnia and in 1528 they conquered the city of Jajce, which was located at Croatia’s foremost line of defence, and in 1532 their main army started for Vienna.
The Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy
The defeat of the Turks at Sisak in 1593 started a long war between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire. It ended in 1606 and the Croats restored large parts of their lost territories. In 1618 started a new, 30-year war wit the Turks.
In 1683 the Turks besieged Vienna for the last time, but suffered great defeat by the allied European forces. Encouraged by it, the Croats stated a war for liberation of the lands conquered by the Turks. For a period of 15 years they restored the whole of Slavonia, Banovina, Lika, etc. In 1699 the Turks were forced to sign in Sremski Karlovci a peace treaty with the Habsburg and withdraw entirely from Hungary and large part of the Croatian territories.
In the period from 1790 to 1918 the Croats waged wars for territorial sovereignty and independence. In the beginning of this period Venetia lost Dalmatia, which after short French government (1815) became Austrian. The strive of Hungary to seize the Croatian territories led to a war with Hungary in 1848. Due to the constant unrest and conflicts between Catholics and Muslims in Bosnia, Austria-Hungary conquered it in 1878, and in this way the entire Croatian people was located in one country.
In 1881 the border military districts were abolished and their government was restored to Croatia. However, Dalmatia, Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor) and Istria remained under direct Austrian rule, and Rijeka and Međimurje – under Hungarian rule, despite the efforts of the Croatian Sabor to unite all Croatian lands.
At the end of 19 and the beginning of 20 century in Croatia started a movement against the Hungarian influence, and later – against the Serbian nationalism, too. In 1883 in Zagreb and Central Croatia all Hungarian Coat-of-Arms and inscriptions were removed and the anti-Hungarian movement grew to such extents that the army had to intervene. In 1895 the Zagreb students torched Hungarian national flags, which for them were symbols of Magyarisation.
In 1902 in Zagreb anti-Serbian demonstrations broke out, after the local Serbs published in their newspaper “Srbobran“ a pamphlet in which they declared war on the Croats to their extermination. In 1903 a second anti-Hungarian movement arose.
After the Sarajevo Assassination in 1914 World War I started. Most of the Croatian politicians from the opposition fled to Austria-Hungary and founded the so-called “Jugoslav Committee“ for the liberation of the Southern Slavs in Austria-Hungary and collaboration with Serbia.
Austria-Hungary, comprised of a multitude of peoples, dissolved after it lost the war in 1918 and new states emerged on its former territory.
After the war a new state called Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians was formed. The leading part in it belonged to Serbia.
In the period of World War II 1941 – 1945 the Independent State of Croatia emerged, which was a puppet state of Germany. After the end of the war Croatia was again under Yugoslavian rule until its dissolution in 1991.
The Croats, soon after their settlement on the Balkan Peninsula, adopted Christianity, thanks to the flexible policy of the Holy See, which applied the rules of Pope Gregory I for application of the Christian principles to the pagan rites and temples of the newly-christened people (gradual proselytism).
Several centuries after the settlement the social and political life developed in three Croatian duchies: in Dalmatia, in Panonia and in the River Neretva. The duchies were constantly at war both with one another and with foreign enemies – Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Bulgarians.
In 925 Duke Tomislav was pronounced King of Croatia by Pope John Х. This year is considered the beginning of the Croatian kingdom. King Tomislav’s successors, his younger brother, Trpimir II, and Crešimir I after him, managed to preserve the Croatian kingdom. However, following the early death of King Crešimir I, ban Pribin caused national unrest in the struggle for the throne, in which the heir to the throne was killed.
From 1075 to 1089 the Croatian throne was taken by King Zvonimir, regarded as the most powerful Croatian king. He established strong relations with Pope Gregory VII, whose legate crowned him in 1075 as King of Croatia and Dalmatia, strengthened the church unity, and contributed greatly to the imposition of the Glagolytic alphabet in the written language, which is evidenced by the most important record of the Croatian Glagolytic written language, the Basča tablet.
After Zvonimir the throne was succeeded by the last king of the Trpimirovič Dynasty, Stjepan II, who ruled only two years. Immediately after his death in the beginning of 1091 Croatia was seized with large unrest, which proved fatal for the Croatian state. During this period the Croats repulsed the Tatars, made successful wars on Venetia and Byzantium, and later on the Ottoman Empire, for Dalmatia and for survival. The constant wars strengthened more and more the Croat-Hungarian relations, which were initially personified only by the royal person.
Under these circumstances in 1102 an agreement was reached between the Croats and the Hungarian King Kalman, known as “Pacta Conventa“, according to which the Hungarian king became the king of Croats and Hungarians alike, but the two countries preserved their independence. In Biograd na Moru Kalman was crowned as King of Croatia and Dalmatia, and he promised all state rights to the Croatian kingdom, and recognised the Croatian aristocracy and the additional privileges. In return the Croatian aristocrats were obliged to support the king in times of war.
In this way Croatia practically lost its independence, but this helped its national consolidation. In 1453 the Turks conquered Constantinople and Pope Callixtus III called all Christian peoples to a crusade. A great number of Croats took part in this war.
The 16 and 17 centuries are called in the Croatian history “two centuries of lament“ due to the gory battles which the Croats fought with the greatly outnumbering Ottoman army.
After the battle of Mohacs in 1526, where the last Jagiello, Louis II, King of Hungary and Croatia died, the Habsburgs were already promised the crown, and being the only real power that could organise the defence of Croatia, it was natural for the Croats to choose them for their rulers.
For all these reasons, the Croats, independently from the Hungarians, chose in 1527 Ferdinand I as their King, but under the condition that he would help the Croatian defence and recognise all its former rights and liberties. At that time the Turks continuously attacked from Bosnia and in 1528 they conquered the city of Jajce, which was located at Croatia’s foremost line of defence, and in 1532 their main army started for Vienna.
The Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy
The defeat of the Turks at Sisak in 1593 started a long war between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire. It ended in 1606 and the Croats restored large parts of their lost territories. In 1618 started a new, 30-year war wit the Turks.
In 1683 the Turks besieged Vienna for the last time, but suffered great defeat by the allied European forces. Encouraged by it, the Croats stated a war for liberation of the lands conquered by the Turks. For a period of 15 years they restored the whole of Slavonia, Banovina, Lika, etc. In 1699 the Turks were forced to sign in Sremski Karlovci a peace treaty with the Habsburg and withdraw entirely from Hungary and large part of the Croatian territories.
In the period from 1790 to 1918 the Croats waged wars for territorial sovereignty and independence. In the beginning of this period Venetia lost Dalmatia, which after short French government (1815) became Austrian. The strive of Hungary to seize the Croatian territories led to a war with Hungary in 1848. Due to the constant unrest and conflicts between Catholics and Muslims in Bosnia, Austria-Hungary conquered it in 1878, and in this way the entire Croatian people was located in one country.
In 1881 the border military districts were abolished and their government was restored to Croatia. However, Dalmatia, Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor) and Istria remained under direct Austrian rule, and Rijeka and Međimurje – under Hungarian rule, despite the efforts of the Croatian Sabor to unite all Croatian lands.
At the end of 19 and the beginning of 20 century in Croatia started a movement against the Hungarian influence, and later – against the Serbian nationalism, too. In 1883 in Zagreb and Central Croatia all Hungarian Coat-of-Arms and inscriptions were removed and the anti-Hungarian movement grew to such extents that the army had to intervene. In 1895 the Zagreb students torched Hungarian national flags, which for them were symbols of Magyarisation.
In 1902 in Zagreb anti-Serbian demonstrations broke out, after the local Serbs published in their newspaper “Srbobran“ a pamphlet in which they declared war on the Croats to their extermination. In 1903 a second anti-Hungarian movement arose.
After the Sarajevo Assassination in 1914 World War I started. Most of the Croatian politicians from the opposition fled to Austria-Hungary and founded the so-called “Jugoslav Committee“ for the liberation of the Southern Slavs in Austria-Hungary and collaboration with Serbia.
Austria-Hungary, comprised of a multitude of peoples, dissolved after it lost the war in 1918 and new states emerged on its former territory.
After the war a new state called Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians was formed. The leading part in it belonged to Serbia.
In the period of World War II 1941 – 1945 the Independent State of Croatia emerged, which was a puppet state of Germany. After the end of the war Croatia was again under Yugoslavian rule until its dissolution in 1991.
