452 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
The last Croatian king died childless in
1091, and the crown was claimed by
the Hungarians. Hungarian monarchs
ruled over Croatia until 1526, when
their armies were destroyed by the
Ottoman Turks. Croatia turned to the
Habsburg Empire for protection, and
became a front line state in the
Habsburgs’ wars against the Ottomans.
The Ottoman threat had receded by
the 19th century, and patriotic Croats
began to demand political and cul-
tural autonomy from the Habsburgs.
These calls were left unanswered untilthe end of World War I, when the
Habsburgs were defeated and began
to disintegrate. Croatia declared its
independence in October 1918, and
entered into a political union with
the neighbouring kingdom of Serbia,
creating the kingdom of Serbs, Croats
and Slovenes. The kingdom was
renamed Yugoslavia in 1929.
However, the Croats and Serbs could
not agree on how power was to be
shared in the new state, and
Yugoslavia remained an unstable unit
with frequent political crises.
Yugoslavia was invaded by Germany
and Italy in 1941, breaking up the
coun try and re-establishing Croatia as
a pro-Nazi puppet state. Resistance to
the Nazis was led by the partisan
movement created by local Commu nist
leader Josip Broz Tito. At the end of
World War II, Tito re-established
Yugoslavia as a Com mu nist fed er-
ation composed of six equal
republics. Following Tito’s death in
1980, ten sions between Yugoslavia’s
republics re-emerged, leading to a
disintegration of central author ity.
Slovenia and Croatia declared their
independence in 1991. Serbs living in
Croatia launched a rebellion, sup-
ported by the Yugoslav People’s Army.
Fighting continued for four years, and
was finally brought to an end by
Croatian military victories in August- Croatia has since developed
into a modern European democracy,
becom ing a member of the EU in
2004 and of NATO in 2009.
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
The official language of Croatia is
Croatian, although many dialects are
spoken in its regions. Croatia is a
devoutly Catholic country and
colourful religious festivals take place
throughout the year. During the
summer, traditional songs and dances
are performed at folk festivals.Marshal Josip Tito, the first president of YugoslaviaKEY DATES IN CROATIAN HISTORY1200 BC Illyrian settlement in the Balkans
229 BC The Roman Army destroys Illyrian forts,
and rules Illyria for the next three centuries
AD 7 Croats settle in Pannonia and Dalmatia
899 Hungarians enter the Balkans but are
pushed back by the Croats
901 Prince Tomislav defeats the Hungarians and
forces them beyond Sava river
1091 Hungarian King Ladislas seizes the
Croatian crown
1526 Hungary is defeated by the Ottomans;
Croatia turns to the Habsburg Empire for support
1918 Croatia proclaims independence after the
fall of the Habsburg Empire
1945 The Yugoslav Federal State is founded
with Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro,
Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as
members
1980 Yugoslavia’s President Tito dies, leaving
the state without a firm leader
1991 Croatia declares independence; Serb
forces occupy large parts of the country
1995 Croatian forces recapture occupied territory
2009 Croatia joins NATO