This page was copied verbatim from Patty's old website.
The history of the Croatian peoples follows a complicated route that extends to Eastern Europe and parts of the Middle East. The information here is summarized from several excellent resources I have purchased and from people with whom I have corresponded.
It is believed that the first evidence of Croatian ancestors evolved from the Neanderthal group called Krapinaman. Remains from this earliest hominid tribe have been found in Krapina, which is north of Zagreb, dating back to 30 millennia B.C.
By the 7th millennia B.C., the roaming tribe had become Neolithic farmers, settling near what is now Hvar and Vokovar. Evidence of this stable culture has been documented by 5000 year old painted pottery unearthed in this region.
These peoples became known as the Illyrians by the 1st millennium B.C. They were well regarded for their skills at fortress building, burial mound construction, and maritime power. Settlements have been attributed to locations near current day towns of Nin and Zador.
This region was subject to Greek and Roman encroachment around 229 B.C. and the areas were assigned borders and were renamed the provinces of Dalmatia, Noricum, and Pannonia, extending up into what became the Austria-Hungarian region.
After many years of tumultuous vying for ownership of the geography, Rome eventually lost control of the area to King Teodoric, leader of the Ostrogoths, around 493 A.D.
Years of conflict followed, resulting in the claim to authority by Justinian in 544 A.D. by including this region in his extensive Byzantine empire.
Not to be stopped, the Avars, pushing towards the Mediterranean from Asia, burst into the region. They sacked and pillaged the area near Salona and Epidaurum. The indigenous peoples here fled to what is now Split and Dubrovnik.
The ensuing history becomes complicated... but I have just (5/10/02) found a site that provides an excellent, authoritative, brief summary of this period in Croatian affairs. Thanks to a link suggested by a contact (Diego Vukovich in Argentina) let me direct you (below) to a portion of a lecture b a respected spokesman at the world famous LDS facility in Salt Lake City, Utah:
Croatian Research at the Family History Library
According to Bonifacic & Mihanovich in The Croatian Nation, the period from 1102 to 1918 saw Croatia, although independent, under the sovereignty of the Hungarian empire. This political coalition, called the Pacta conventa, was established to resolve conflict in the regions, but sadly, the years were riddled with turmoil and treaties which involved not only Hungary but also the Tartars, the Turks, the Hapsburgs, the Austrians, the Venetians, the French, and a host of competing claims to authority in the Balkans. On October 29, 1918, amid the devastation of the First World War, the croatian Sabor broke from Austro-Hungarian rule and declared the Croat land an independent nation.
However, local conflict continued, and in 1929 King Alexander outlawed all political parties and proclaimed himself dictator, giving the new state the name Yugoslavia. There was a rebellion afoot, the Ustasha Movement, which found little support from the European nations. King Alexander was assassinated in 1934, the Ustasha was blamed, and oppressive persecution erupted again.
The questionable "elections" that followed, and the efforts to dismantle the Croat culture, lead the region into a regional war which continued until 1942, when another Sabor announced a new independent state.
Although friendly toward America, the association with Tito and the communist allies put Croatia on the losing side of the Second World War. The Yalta Agreement, despite Croatian opposition, incorporated the regions into the hated state of Yugoslavia. In 1945, half a million soldiers and civilians fled the region, but were denied sanctuary and were returned to face unspeakable brutality at the hands of the Communists in power. The suppression of human rights and religion was notorius, and the fortunate Croats who escaped the region prayer with their countrymen for independence and freedom once again.
1945, Yugoslavia was declared a Republic. The economy was in ruin, dissent was quasked, and a Soviet inspired constitution forced the regions six national republics into a fragile unity controlled by the Communist backed Tito. However, efforts to model the government after the USSR failed, and by 1948 Stalin became increasingly irritated with the ideological slant of Yugoslav politics. An attempt to overthrow Tito failed, but served to heighten tensions with the Soviet states.
By 1961, in trying to maintain local power, Tito joined Nehru and Nasser in the Non-Aligned Movement, thus liberalizing Yugoslav Communism and introducing a new period of governmental self-management.
With dreams of independence still alive, in 1967 the voice of growing nationalism and cultural identity took shape in the form of the so-called Croatian Spring, which called for unity and freedom of expression and association.
In the 1970s, Zagreb students were on strike, taking the lead calling for reform. On May 4, 1980, Tito died, leaving no effective leadership in place, and a crippling foreign debt in his wake. Relations between the provinces became ever more strained... and on April 24, 1987 Slobodan Milosevic grabbed the opportunity to realign power and reshape political networks. All was not going well for the citizens of Croatia.
The fall of the Berlin Wall signaled new strife among communist strongholds. The Hrvatska Sutnja (Croatian Silence) reflected the growing sentiment for change. A move toward secession was taken with the creation of the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union), though the area was still subject to conflict and efforts at ethnic cleansing. Political and military sparring followed, but eventually Croatian statehood was proclaimed and recognized by the European community on January 15, 1992.
A rocky road was ahead as the region regained balance after the was in Bosnia. Elections in January 2000 brought a new president, Stipe Mesic, and a new hope for cultural resurrection and revival. Croatia is rebuilding its cities and restoring confidence in its security. Relations in the global community are improving; educational and economic prosperity is returning. Tourism is increasing as the world rediscovers the magnificent natural and national treasures of the region. With this, we hope, our friends and family will join us in recognizing the strength of character and spirit that is the essence of the Croatian experience.
This page was copied verbatim from Patty's old website.