Croat
Quick Summary
The Croats are a South Slavic people who primarily inhabit Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They speak Croatian, a South Slavic language written in the Latin alphabet. Historically, the Croats settled in the western Balkans in the 6th and 7th centuries CE, merging with the existing population and adopting Roman Catholicism while retaining a Slavonic liturgy.123
An independent Croatian state emerged in the 9th century, becoming a significant power under King Tomislav. After 1102, Croatia entered a dynastic union with Hungary, though it maintained separate institutions. Over centuries, Croatian territory was influenced by various foreign powers, including Venice and the Ottoman Empire, and later the Austrian Habsburgs. The 19th century saw a national revival, the Illyrian movement, which aimed to unify South Slavs and defend Croatian interests against Hungarian nationalism and Habsburg centralization. Croatia became part of Yugoslavia after both World Wars and eventually gained full independence in the 1990s, later joining the European Union.145
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- Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian language
…of speech employed by Serbs, Croats, Montenegrins, and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). The term Serbo-Croatian was coined in 1824 by German dictionary maker and folklorist Jacob Grimm (see Brothers Grimm). In the 21st century, linguists and philologists adopted Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) as a more accurate and comprehensive label
Read More…of speech employed by Serbs, Croats, Montenegrins, and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). The term Serbo-Croatian was coined in 1824 by German dictionary maker and folklorist Jacob Grimm (see Brothers Grimm). In the 21st century, linguists and philologists adopted Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) as a more accurate and comprehensive label
Read More - Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian languageWriting, pronunciation, and spelling
…of “the Serbian language” and Croats of “the Croatian language,” though they ended the century with standard forms much more similar and mutually intelligible than they had had previously. Yet the Croats maintained a favourite cultural practice of purism, seeking to replace foreign words with old or newly coined Croatian…
Read More…of “the Serbian language” and Croats of “the Croatian language,” though they ended the century with standard forms much more similar and mutually intelligible than they had had previously. Yet the Croats maintained a favourite cultural practice of purism, seeking to replace foreign words with old or newly coined Croatian…
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Bosnia and HerzegovinaEthnic groups and religions…Bosniaks, the Serbs, and the Croats. Continuing efforts by the international community to promote the return of persons forcibly displaced during the Bosnian conflict (1992–95) to their original homes, as well as domestic political sensitivities, blocked the conduct of a census well into the 21st century. Nevertheless, it is estimated…
Read More…Bosniaks, the Serbs, and the Croats. Continuing efforts by the international community to promote the return of persons forcibly displaced during the Bosnian conflict (1992–95) to their original homes, as well as domestic political sensitivities, blocked the conduct of a census well into the 21st century. Nevertheless, it is estimated…
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CroatiaEthnic groups and religionsIn addition to the Croats and the Serbs, there are small groups of Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), Hungarians, Italians, and Slovenes as well as a few thousand Albanians, Austrians, Bulgarians, Czechs, Germans, and other nationalities.
Read MoreIn addition to the Croats and the Serbs, there are small groups of Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), Hungarians, Italians, and Slovenes as well as a few thousand Albanians, Austrians, Bulgarians, Czechs, Germans, and other nationalities.
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BalkansProblems of integration…from the formerly subject groups: Croat, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Slovene—though poor Magyar or German peasants were also allowed a share of the redistributed property. The process of redistribution was not equally enforced; it frequently created resentment and perpetrated injustice, and it was perhaps of questionable economic value. Nevertheless, it was…
Read More…from the formerly subject groups: Croat, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Slovene—though poor Magyar or German peasants were also allowed a share of the redistributed property. The process of redistribution was not equally enforced; it frequently created resentment and perpetrated injustice, and it was perhaps of questionable economic value. Nevertheless, it was…
Read More- CroatiaCroatia to the Ottoman conquests
The lands where the Croats would settle and establish their state lay just within the borders of the Western Roman Empire. In the 6th and 7th centuries ce, Slavs arrived in the western Balkans, settling on Byzantine territory along the Adriatic and in the hinterland and gradually merging with…
Read MoreThe lands where the Croats would settle and establish their state lay just within the borders of the Western Roman Empire. In the 6th and 7th centuries ce, Slavs arrived in the western Balkans, settling on Byzantine territory along the Adriatic and in the hinterland and gradually merging with…
Read More - CroatiaCroatia in Yugoslavia, 1945–91
…Spring), was victorious in the Croatian elections of 1990. The Serb minority was deeply alarmed by Croatia’s new constitution (promulgated in December 1990), which omitted Serbs as a “constituent people,” and by the actions of the new government, which purged Serbs from public administration, especially the police. Serbs’ fears also…
Read More…Spring), was victorious in the Croatian elections of 1990. The Serb minority was deeply alarmed by Croatia’s new constitution (promulgated in December 1990), which omitted Serbs as a “constituent people,” and by the actions of the new government, which purged Serbs from public administration, especially the police. Serbs’ fears also…
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Dayton AccordsThe outbreak of warAround the same time, Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) also began fighting each other, largely over territory.
Read MoreAround the same time, Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) also began fighting each other, largely over territory.
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SerbiaThe early Slav states…Bulgarians, Macedonians, and Montenegrins) from Croats and Slovenes.
Read More…Bulgarians, Macedonians, and Montenegrins) from Croats and Slovenes.
Read More- SerbiaThe scramble for the Balkans
In the latter regions Croats were exposed to a regime of Magyarization, which in turn stimulated Croat nationalism. The old Military Frontier, with its large Serb population, was abolished in 1881, bringing the Serbs into an expanded civil Croatia. In an attempt to consolidate their own power, the Magyars…
Read MoreIn the latter regions Croats were exposed to a regime of Magyarization, which in turn stimulated Croat nationalism. The old Military Frontier, with its large Serb population, was abolished in 1881, bringing the Serbs into an expanded civil Croatia. In an attempt to consolidate their own power, the Magyars…
Read More - SerbiaThe third Yugoslavia
Thus, when a Croatian offensive in the spring and summer of 1995 stripped the Krajina of virtually its entire Serb population, Serbia did not intervene (although many of the expelled Serbs were resettled in the Vojvodina). Serbia also failed to go to the aid of Bosnian Serbs when…
Read MoreThus, when a Croatian offensive in the spring and summer of 1995 stripped the Krajina of virtually its entire Serb population, Serbia did not intervene (although many of the expelled Serbs were resettled in the Vojvodina). Serbia also failed to go to the aid of Bosnian Serbs when…
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- Bosnia and HerzegovinaAncient and medieval periods
…included two powerful tribes, the Croats and the Serbs: Croats probably covered most of central, western, and northern Bosnia, while Serbs extended into the Drina River valley and modern Herzegovina. The terms “Serb” and “Croat” were in this period tribal labels; they were subsequently used to refer to the inhabitants…
Read More…included two powerful tribes, the Croats and the Serbs: Croats probably covered most of central, western, and northern Bosnia, while Serbs extended into the Drina River valley and modern Herzegovina. The terms “Serb” and “Croat” were in this period tribal labels; they were subsequently used to refer to the inhabitants…
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Bosnian WarCroats. After years of bitter fighting that involved the three Bosnian groups as well as the Yugoslav army, Western countries with backing by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) imposed a final cease-fire negotiated at Dayton, Ohio, U.S., in 1995.
Read MoreCroats. After years of bitter fighting that involved the three Bosnian groups as well as the Yugoslav army, Western countries with backing by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) imposed a final cease-fire negotiated at Dayton, Ohio, U.S., in 1995.
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