Croatia Culture & history

Croatia’s past is long, turbulent and very complicated. Rulers, wars, significant events, great and small people and their fates have formed its history from the 7th century until the present day. Before the 7th century, this area was first inhabited by Palaeolithic people. In 1000 B.C, it was colonized by the Illyrians, Celts and Greeks, and the Illyrians were defeated by the Romans between 200 - 100 B.C.
The Croats and other Slavs arrived in Croatia in the 7th century and founded a number of Dukedoms in these parts. Between the 9th and the 12th centuries, it was ruled by a number of Dukes and Kings. The Dukes’ Trpimir and Branimir ruled in the 9th century when Croatia got independence, and in the 10th century, during the time of the King Tomislav, the Pannonian and Dalmatian Duchies were united. In the 11th century, Croatian was under the rule of the Hungarian Arpadović dynasty, and in the 12th century this area was ruled by mighty feudal families (Krk Dukes, Vinodol, Cetina, Omiš...).
The period between the 12th and the 16th centuries was notable because of the union between Croatia and Hungary, followed by the increased influence of noble families (Frankopans, Šubići) and the dynastic wars. In 1409, Ludovik Anžuvinac sold Dalmatia to Venice that ruled it until 1797. The 15th century was the time of the Ottoman conquest, and since Croatia was located on the border with the Empire it lost an increasing amount of territory. The historic Battle of Sisak occurred in 1593, which was a milestone in the wars against the Ottomans.
Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, a large part of what is today Croatia was ruled by the Hapsburgs. In the 19th century, there was a Croatian national revival, and the Illyrian movement against German, Hungarian and Italian influences in Croatia which included many notable individuals. In 1848, the Croatian Ban, Josip Jelačić, led a revolution in order to protect Croatian interests. After the creation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Croatia lost its autonomy, which it got back in 1868.
In 1918, Croatia broke off relations with Austro-Hungary and became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, whilst Istria, Rijeka and Zadar were under Italian control. The Banovina of Croatia was created in 1939.
After the first elections and referendum in 1990, Croatia declared independence. In 1991, war broke out after the attack by military JNA units in almost all parts of Croatia. The aggressors occupied almost a third of Croatia, which was returned under the protection of the Republic of Croatia in 1995 after the military activities of the Croatian army.
In 1998, after peaceful reintegration and the return of the remaining occupied areas, Croatia has continued its economic recovery and the renovation of the war-torn areas. Today Croatia is a country that will soon join the European Union.