A brief Croatian History from different viewpoints

There is documentary evidence of Croats in areas of Dalmatia and Pannonia, etc. (regions defined by Dalmatian-born Roman Emperor Diocletian, born in Split) from the early 7th century, although a few historians point to a much earlier settlement of Croats in Dalmatia.

King Tomislav was crowned king of Croatia at a Coronation in the year 925. His reign lasted until his death in 928. From 1075 to 1089 King Zvonimir’s throne was in Knin, but several locations have been documented as the Croatian capital, with Biograd, Zadar, Bihac, Nin or Varazdin amongst them, before the Croatian capital was in Zagreb in 1557. At the height of the ancient Croatian Kingdom in the 10th century its territory included all of Dalmatia, Pannonia, Bosnia & Hercegovina and Montenegro. Montenegro was known as ‘red Croatia’ for example. During the middle ages there are Frankish invasions, and Byzantine influence in Croatia declines.

Croatian dynasty ends and Croatian kingdom goes under Hungarian monarch with coronation at Biograd, near Zadar. Venice loses Zadar after Croatian uprisings, from time to time, but in 1409, 100,000 gold ducats, Zadar & parts of Dalmatian & some islands are sold to Venice by the Hungarian king Ladislus [ of the Anjou dynasty faction ] before he loses his right to the Hungarian Crown.

Austro-Hungarian Habsburgs rule Croatia except territory occupied by Ottomans or Venetians. Austria administers the so-called ‘Vojna Krajina’ in Lika.

Croatian territory and power is reduced after many Ottoman Turkish invasions, famous battles, such as at Krbavsko Polje in 1493 (Krbavsko Field), occupation, and retreat

Forces under Napoleon’s ‘Army of Italy’ briefly occupy former Venetian-occupied or Austrian-occupied territory, later calling it the ‘Illyrian’ province.

Dubrovnik is part of Red Croatia (today’s Montenegro) but then under Venetian occupation until 1358. From 1358 until 1409 Dubrovnik is independent, until united with the rest of Croatia, under Hungarian rule. In 1526 when Croatian alliance with Hungary ended, Dubrovnik was independent, and trade developed with Turkish empire. Until its defeat by Napoleon Dubrovnik is the literary, cultural and scientific heartland of Croatia.

Dubrovnik comes under Austro-Hungarian rule, who in turn give it, along with other parts of Dalmatia, to Italian administrators.

Zadar, Dubrovnik, Vukovar and the rest of Croatia, are severely bombed by the Serbian-led Yugoslav National Army, and in 1992 Croatian independence is recognized.

Zagreb becomes capital of Croatia, although first parliament was in 1533 there. After WWI Croatia’s fate is again to change after the Peace Conference in Versailles France, following defeat of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

With Zagreb as the capital, The State of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes is created, without any referendum of constituent peoples in Croatia and Slovenia. Belgrade joins this new state a month after and it becomes a Kingdom, but parts of Dalmatia were handed to Italy at Versailles Conference. This union of nations, against the will of the people, had been the product of artificially-created ‘south slav’ culture through institutions such as a Yugoslav Academy of Arts & Sciences in Zagreb.

Five ‘front bench’ Croatian Members of Parliament are shot by a Serbian Member of Parliament (Punisa Racic) during a political debate in a full session of the Belgrade parliament. The Racic revolver shots instantly killed Palve Radic, Dr Juro Basaricek, and Stjepan Radic (Croatian leader who died two months later from wounds); and critically wounded Ivan Grandja and Dr Ivan Pernar. These assassinations forever turn the majority of Croatian people against political union with Serbia, and as a result all future artificial Yugoslav states were enforced by a Serbian-dominated secret police and army terror, until the early 1990s.

A dictatorship is declared by the Serbian king in 1929, and royalist kingdom becomes known as Yugoslavia for first time.

During WWII, Croatia declares its independence from Royalist Yugoslavia; however, it is occupied by Hitler’s Nazi Germany, fascist Serbian Cetniks, and Fascist Mussolini’s Italy

Zadar was severely bombed in 1944 by the Allies contributing to the end of Italian occupation. After the defeat of the Italians, Germans, then 'Yugoslav' Partisans moved into the evacuated territory.

The Nazi and Fascist occupation result in political division and ultimate defeat of short-lived Croatian independence and half a million Croatian civilian refugees and the retreating army are slaughtered [ some on Austrian territory ] under orders from Tito, in massacres known as the ‘Bleiburg Genocide’.

Yugoslav Communist Party seized power after WWII and this so-called “second Yugoslavia” lasted until the break-up of the rotating presidency, and declaration of independence by Croatia and Slovenia. Communist Yugoslavia boasted the greatest number of political prisoners per capita, ahead of the Soviet Union (according to Amnesty International), and the highest inflation in the West. During this period there was a massive Croatian refugee exodus.

The ‘Croatian Spring’ occurred when 32,000 Croatian intellectuals, academics, and so-called ‘enemies of the state’ were imprisoned, sacked, or assassinated under former communist Yugoslav regime. The ‘Zadar Group’ was part of this political opposition to communist Yugoslavia, which contributed to another massive wave of Croatian emigration, which had been legal since 1966. 

During this period Serbia attacks, bombs and occupies a third of Croatia, most of Bosnia & Hercegovina, and Kosovo, and for a brief period, Slovenia. The UN issues an arms embargo and creates zones, with its headquarters at Sarajevo.

Zagreb is the capital of the Republic of Croatia, which is recognized internationally as an independent state, following defeat of Serbian terrorists in August 1995 and Dayton Treaty. The Croatian flag is raised in government ceremony at Knin following Operation Storm (Oluja).

A sense of disbelief descends upon the Croatian people everywhere when the Croatian homeland defense against Serbian-led siege on Croatian civilians is criminalized by the Hague ad hoc tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.