Breakup in the Balkans: The Tragedy of Yugoslavia

The Croats were a migratory group that, like the Serbs, moved into the Balkans early in the first millenium AD (630 AD), after leaving the Ukraine area of Europe. To make room for themselves, the Croats forced out the natives of Dalmatia, which lays along the Adriatic Sea, west of present day Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In the 700s, the Croats were closely associated with, but not ruled by, the Byzantine Empire. They assisted the Byzantines in driving out the Avars from the region.

At the end of the 700s, northern Croatia was conquered by the Franks. By 924, they had forced out the Franks, and Croatia became totally independent. The first king of Croatia was King Tomislav, a tribal leader. Another invasion, this time by the Normans, was defeated in 1054, and in 1075 Dmitrije Zvonimir was named as king. After Zvonimir died the Hungarian Laszlo I was offered the throne, and he accepted in 1091. In 1102, Kalman succeeded Zvonimir.

Kalman was a Hungarian as well. This linking of monarchies linked Croatia and Hungary until the end of World War One. There are different interpretations of this long history. The Croats say that they were essentially a partner state with Hungary, therefore having always been free and independent. Hungary insists that Croatia was subservent, and was a vassal state.

As a result of the Hungarian expansion, Hungary and Venice (a country in present north-east Italy) became increasingly competitive in the region. Both had interests in Dalmatia: the Hungarians wanted to use the ports on the Adriatic Sea that Dalmatia offered, while the Venetians, who controlled Slovenia and therefore had ports, wanted to use valuable Dalmatian lumber for creating a bigger navy.

As a result of the tensions building over this relatively small piece of land, Venetia and Hungary fought 21 wars over Dalmatia between 1115 and 1420 AD. Serbia and Bosnia also tried to gain a foothold in Dalmatia, as both countries were landlocked and needed the ports. Serbia was successful, and held all land south of the Gulf of Kotor from 1196 to 1346. In the late 17th century, Bosnia controlled central Dalmatia. Dalmatia survived the hostile takeovers by playing off the various countries against each other.

In 1409, Dalmatia was sold by the Hungarians to Venice. This marked the begnning of a dark time for the Dalmatians. While they had been treated well by the Hungarians, the Venetians exploited the region and Dalamtia was left in ruins. Not content to destroy the land, the Venetians also tried to destroy the minds of the Dalmatians. Education was restricted, but the Dalmatians still managed to produce many gifted contributors to society.

In the 16th century, Ottoman Imperial armies went on the offensive in the Balkans. The European forces were driven back to the Sava River. To protect Hungary and Austria, Croatia was made into a military zone. Germans, Hungarians, and Serbs were hired to man this military zone. This is how the ethnic pockets originated. Later on, this zone was named the "Military Frontier Province." Croats who cooperated and did not object to the militarization of their land were given special privileges.

In the late 1500s/early 1600s, Croatia converted from Catholic to Protestant, then back to Catholic. Language was affected too. In the 1780s Joseph II of Austria tried to convert his empire from Latin to German. Hungary and Croatia both opposed this move. As language became more and more of a problem, the next two emperors, Leopold II and Francis I, either ignored the problem or stifled it so it was no longer an issue. The differences over language resurfaced in 1830. The Illyric Croatian language re-emerged, even though Hungary tried to ban it, out of fear that lingual divisions would weaken the empire.

In the revolutions of 1848, Hungary fought a war with Austria. Croatia sided with Austria in this war. The Croats launched an attack on the Hungarians, and when it bogged down, the Russians swept in from the east and finished the job. Austria then betrayed Croatia's trust by stripping them of their language and constitutional autonomy. In 1860, the autonomy was restored.

In 1867, the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary was formed, creating the Hapsburg Empire. Croatia and Slavonia were placed under Hungarian jurisdiction, and Dalmatia was retained by Austria. In 1868, the Sabor (Croatian version of Congress) ratified the Nagodba, which affirmed that Croatia and Hungary were not the same political entity. The Croats handled internal affairs, but external affairs were decided by the Hapsburgs.

Croats felt that Croatia did not have enough power, while the Hungarians felt it had more than enough. As a reprisal for Hungarian domination, no matter at what degree, the Croat politicians did what they could to limit Hungarian influence. At this time, Croatia had reached a crossroads. Croatia had three choices:
1. Remain part of the Hapsburg Empire.
2. Split off to join a South Slav State, an idea that resulted in the formation of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia means "South Slav")
3. Unite Dalmatia, Slavonia, and Croatia to form a "Greater Croatia".

In 1881 the Empire added the military border back into Croatia. This was a mixed blessing, as it made 25% of the country Serbian. The two sides formed a tenuous alliance in 1908 to defend against their mutual enemy: Austria-Hungary.

In 1914, ethnic Serb assasin Gavrilo Princip murdered Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in a parade in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Within 2 months, World War One had erupted in all its fury. As part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Croatia was required to support the war effort against fellow Slavs in Montenegro and Serbia. In 1917, the representatives of Croatia met with representatives from Serbia and Slovenia to create a democratic federation known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. After the close of the war in November 1918, and the dismemberment of the Empire at the Treaty of Versailles, the Allied countries recognized The Kingdom as a sovereign entity.