North America
166-517: South America Oceania The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Croatian : Hrvati Bosne i Hercegovine ), often referred to as Bosnian Croats ( Croatian : bosanski Hrvati ) or Herzegovinian Croats ( Croatian : hercegovački Hrvati ), are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and constitute the third most populous ethnic group, after Bosniaks and Serbs . They are also one of the constitutive nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina have made significant contributions to
332-656: A confederation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, but Izetbegović denied this since he tried to represent Serbian interests as well as those of Bosniaks and Croats. The Bosnian Croat leadership was irritated by Izetbegović's neutrality, so Mate Boban threatened to pull back the HVO from actions in Bosnia. Since the UN implemented an embargo on Bosnia and Herzegovina on the import of arms, Bosniak and Croat forces had difficulties fighting Serbian units, which were supplied with arms from
498-596: A lector in Peter's Đakovo residence were discovered. The Bosnian Church, meanwhile, survived throughout Tvrtko's reign but only became prominent in state affairs after his death. One hostile source even tried to link Tvrtko himself to the Church due to his tolerance of all local faiths, including Hum's Eastern Orthodoxy . At the start of his personal rule, the young Ban somehow considerably increased his power. Although he constantly emphasized his subservience and loyalty to
664-529: A Croatian majority. The creation of Banovina of Croatia was one of the solutions to the " Croatian issue ". After the collapse of Yugoslavia amidst German and Italian invasion in April 1941, the Axis puppet state which encompassed the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, Independent State of Croatia (NDH) under the radical Croatian nationalist Ustaše regime was established. Bosnian Croats were divided, as some supported
830-511: A Serbian hegemony in this region. Bosnian Croats constituted around a quarter of the total Bosnian population, but they did not have a single municipality president. The regime of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was characterized by limited parliamentarism, drastic elective manipulations and later King Alexander 's 6 January Dictatorship , state robbery present outside Serbia and political killings ( Milan Šufflay , Ivo Pilar ) and corruption. Yugoslavia
996-461: A common polycentric standard language is used, consisting of several standard varieties , similar to the existing varieties of German , English or Spanish . The aim of the new Declaration is to stimulate discussion on language without the nationalistic baggage and to counter nationalistic divisions. The terms "Serbo-Croatian", "Serbo-Croat", or "Croato-Serbian", are still used as a cover term for all these forms by foreign scholars, even though
1162-593: A common South Slavic literary language. Specifically, three major groups of dialects were spoken on Croatian territory, and there had been several literary languages over four centuries. The leader of the Illyrian movement Ljudevit Gaj standardized the Latin alphabet in 1830–1850 and worked to bring about a standardized orthography. Although based in Kajkavian-speaking Zagreb , Gaj supported using
1328-534: A majority of Bosnia's medieval population were Catholics who, according to Zlopaša, accounted for 700,000 of 900,000 of the total Bosnian population. Some 100,000 were members of the Bosnian Church and other 100,000 were Orthodox Christians. In the middle of the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire started to conquer Bosnia. In 1451 they took Vrhbosna province and conquered Bosnia in 1463. Herzegovina
1494-517: A mixture of all three principal dialects (Chakavian, Kajkavian and Shtokavian), and calling it "Croatian", "Dalmatian", or "Slavonian". Historically, several other names were used as synonyms for Croatian, in addition to Dalmatian and Slavonian, and these were Illyrian (ilirski) and Slavic (slovinski) . It is still used now in parts of Istria , which became a crossroads of various mixtures of Chakavian with Ekavian, Ijekavian and Ikavian isoglosses . The most standardised form (Kajkavian–Ikavian) became
1660-595: A part of the country by the end of the month, including the areas of Donji Kraji, Rama (where he then resided), Hum, and Usora. In order to secure the loyalty of the noblemen he had subjugated, as well as to win over those still supporting Vuk, Tvrtko bestowed a number of grants; in August he invested Vukac Hrvatinić with the entire župa of Pliva for his part in the 1363 war with Hungary. After initially rapid success, Tvrtko's campaign slowed. Sanko Miltenović , ruler of eastern Hum, defected to Vuk in late 1366. Throughout
1826-865: A part of their territory in Neum to the Ottomans in order to protect themselves from the Republic of Venice . The activity of the Catholic Church was limited, while the Ottomans preferred the Orthodox Church because Catholicism was the faith of Austria, the Ottoman enemies, while Orthodoxy was common in Bosnia, and thus it was more acceptable to the Ottomans. In the first 50 years of Ottoman rule, many Catholics fled from Bosnia. A number of Catholics also converted to Orthodox Christianity. Franciscans were
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#17327810689731992-580: A quarter in Glamoč and Donji Žabar . In Bosansko Grahovo , Croats make up around 15% of the population. In addition to that, 762 Croats form the plurality (40.4%) in the ethnically diverse small town of Glamoč. There are 4 Croat-majority cantons and in total 6 cantons in which Croats form more than 10% of the population. In 1624, there were around 450,000 Muslims (67%), 150,000 Catholics (22%) and 75,000 Orthodox Christians (11%). In 1776, according to Klaić, there were around 50,000 Catholics in Bosnia. However,
2158-502: A religious pretext for invading Bosnia. The death of the bishop of Bosnia — Peregrin Saxon , a supporter of both Stephen II and Tvrtko I and acknowledged by the latter as his "spiritual father" —led to the appointment of Peter Siklósi to the episcopal throne. Peter actively promoted the idea of launching a new crusade against Bosnia , earning him Tvrtko's hostility. Tvrtko even attempted to plot against Peter but failed when his letters to
2324-585: A seat in Sarajevo, Banja Luka diocese with a seat in Banja Luka and Mostar-Duvno diocese with a seat in Mostar. At the time, Bosnia and Herzegovina were facing a Habsburg attempt at modernization. Between 180,000 and 200,000 people inhabited Bosnia and Herzegovina, the majority were Croats, Serbs, Muslims, and in smaller percentages Slovenes , Czechs and others. During this period, the most significant event
2490-523: A separate language that is considered key to national identity, in the sense that the term Croatian language includes all language forms from the earliest times to the present, in all areas where Croats live, as realized in the speeches of Croatian dialects, in city speeches and jargons, and in the Croatian standard language. The issue is sensitive in Croatia as the notion of a separate language being
2656-529: A significant expansion on the coast, but it was of great importance to the Bosnian economy and the King's finances. The capture of Kotor earned Tvrtko the enmity of George I of Zeta's brother and successor, Balša II , who also desired the city. Nothing is known about Balša's military conflict with Tvrtko except that the latter asked Venice, whose trading opportunities were threatened by the clashes, to mediate with
2822-419: A sovereign and independent Bosnia-Herzegovina, a state of equal citizens and nations of Muslims, Serbs, Croats, and others who live in it?" Independence was strongly favoured by Bosniak and Bosnian Croat voters, but the referendum was largely boycotted by Bosnian Serbs . The total turnout of voters was 63.6% of which 99.7% voted for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 5 April 1992, Serb forces started
2988-507: A union with the Kingdom of Hungary . After this, Bosnia, which was earlier part of the Kingdom of Croatia, started to disassociate with Croatia. At first, Bosnia became a separate principality under Ban Kulin who managed to solidify Bosnian autonomy at the expense of more powerful neighbours, but only in the 14th century did Bosnia become a formidable state. In the 14th century, King Tvrtko I conquered part of western Serbia and later parts of
3154-761: Is controversial for native speakers, and names such as "Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian" (BCMS) are used by linguists and philologists in the 21st century. In 1997, the Croatian Parliament established the Days of the Croatian Language from March 11 to 17. Since 2013, the Institute of Croatian language has been celebrating the Month of the Croatian Language , from February 21 ( International Mother Language Day ) to March 17 (the day of signing
3320-429: Is 23,00% of the total population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 1961 census, Croats made up 21.7% of the total population, and their number was 711,660. After that, districts were divided into smaller municipalities. According to the 1971 census, Croats were 20.6% of the total population, and their number was 772,491. According to the 1981 census, Croats made up 18.60% of the total population, and their number
3486-472: Is Bosnian entry into European political life and the shaping of ethnic Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina into a modern nation. At the end of the 19th century, Bosnian Croats founded various reading, cultural and singing societies, and at the beginning of the 20th century, a new Bosnian Croat intelligentsia played a major role in the political life of Croats. The Croatian Support Society for Needs of Students of Middle Schools and High Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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#17327810689733652-447: Is also official in the regions of Burgenland (Austria), Molise (Italy) and Vojvodina (Serbia). Additionally, it has co-official status alongside Romanian in the communes of Carașova and Lupac , Romania . In these localities, Croats or Krashovani make up the majority of the population, and education, signage and access to public administration and the justice system are provided in Croatian, alongside Romanian. Croatian
3818-558: Is buried in Mile alongside his uncle Stephen II. Tvrtko I left at least one son, Tvrtko II , whose legitimacy is debated, and who was a minor and apparently not considered fit to succeed his father. Dabiša , a relative (possibly illegitimate half-brother) exiled by Tvrtko I for his part in the 1366 rebellion and reconciled with him in 1390, was elected king instead. Ostoja , the next king, may have been Tvrtko I's illegitimate son (or more likely another illegitimate half-brother). Tvrtko I
3984-424: Is clearly a single language with a single grammatical system." Croatian, although technically a form of Serbo-Croatian , is sometimes considered a distinct language by itself. This is at odds with purely linguistic classifications of languages based on mutual intelligibility ( abstand and ausbau languages ), which do not allow varieties that are mutually intelligible to be considered separate languages. "There
4150-426: Is commonly characterized by the ijekavian pronunciation (see an explanation of yat reflexes ), the sole use of the Latin alphabet, and a number of lexical differences in common words that set it apart from standard Serbian. Some differences are absolute, while some appear mainly in the frequency of use. However, as professor John F. Bailyn states, "an examination of all the major 'levels' of language shows that BCS
4316-597: Is considered one of the greatest medieval rulers of Bosnia, having "left behind a country larger, stronger, politically more influential and militarily more capable than the one he inherited." His political achievements were aided by the feudal anarchy in Serbia and Croatia, while the Ottomans were still not close enough to threaten him seriously. The Bosnian economy flourished, new settlements and trade centres appeared, and his subjects' living standards improved. Vladimir Ćorović noted that, compared with Dušan, who had also left
4482-683: Is elected in the Republika Srpska . The current Croat member of the Presidency is Željko Komšić of the DF . The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina has two chambers, House of Representatives and House of Peoples . House of Peoples has 15 members, five Bosniaks, five Croats, and five Serbs. Bosniak and Croat members of the House of Peoples are elected in the Parliament of
4648-399: Is no doubt of the near 100% mutual intelligibility of (standard) Croatian and (standard) Serbian, as is obvious from the ability of all groups to enjoy each others' films, TV and sports broadcasts, newspapers, rock lyrics etc.", writes Bailyn. Differences between various standard forms of Serbo-Croatian are often exaggerated for political reasons. Most Croatian linguists regard Croatian as
4814-640: Is no regulatory body that determines the proper usage of Croatian. However, in January 2023, the Croatian Parliament passed a law that prescribes the official use of the Croatian language, regulates the establishment of the Council for the Croatian language as a coordinating advisory body whose work will be focused on the protection and development of the Croatian language. State authorities, local and regional self-government entities are obliged to use
4980-450: Is not known. Already in the spring of 1383, Tvrtko started building a navy: he bought a galley from Venice, ordered two more to be built, and employed a Venetian patrician as his admiral with the consent of the republic. Around the same time, he erected a new town, Brštanik , near present-day Opuzen . In 1385, Tvrtko still formally recognized Hungarian supremacy, although it no longer had any practical meaning. He emphasized his loyalty to
5146-1046: Is officially used and taught at all universities in Croatia and at the University of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Studies of Croatian language are held in Hungary (Institute of Philosophy at the ELTE Faculty of Humanities in Budapest ), Slovakia (Faculty of Philosophy of the Comenius University in Bratislava ), Poland ( University of Warsaw , Jagiellonian University , University of Silesia in Katowice , University of Wroclaw , Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan ), Germany ( University of Regensburg ), Australia (Center for Croatian Studies at
Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Misplaced Pages Continue
5312-595: Is the standardised variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language mainly used by Croats . It is the national official language and literary standard of Croatia , one of the official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina , Montenegro , the Serbian province of Vojvodina , the European Union and a recognized minority language elsewhere in Serbia and other neighbouring countries. In
5478-410: Is widely considered one of Bosnia's greatest medieval rulers, having enlarged the country's borders to their greatest extent, left a strong economy, and improved the living standards of his subjects. He was survived by at least one son, Tvrtko II , but was succeeded by Dabiša , under whom Tvrtko's burgeoning realm began to decay. Tvrtko was the elder son of Vladislav Kotromanić and Jelena Šubić and
5644-704: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Croatian (2009 Croatian government official translation): Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in English: Tvrtko I of Bosnia Stephen Tvrtko I ( Serbo-Croatian : Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko / Стјепан/Стефан Твртко ; c. 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the first king of Bosnia . A member of the House of Kotromanić , he succeeded his uncle Stephen II as
5810-594: The Adriatic coast , from the river Neretva to the Bay of Kotor , which lacked any major settlements. The three major cities in the area were all controlled by Hungary: Drijeva (which Tvrtko was forced to cede to Louis in 1357), Ragusa , and Kotor . The War of Chioggia erupted between the old-time rival Republics of Venice and Genoa in 1378, and it soon involved Venice's neighbours. King Louis took Genoa's side, and Ragusa—subordinate to Hungary, and Venice's competitor in
5976-572: The Battle of Kosovo in 1389, his tenuous claim to Serbia became a mere fiction, as the Serbian rulers he sought to subdue became vassals of the victorious Ottoman Empire . The Ottoman Turks also launched their first attacks on Bosnia during Tvrtko's reign, but his army was able to repel them. Tvrtko's sudden death in 1391 prevented him from solidifying the Kotromanić hold on Croatian lands. Tvrtko
6142-500: The Croatian Defence Council (HVO) on 8 April 1992. HVO consisted of 20 to 30% of Bosniaks who joined HVO because local Muslim militias were unable to arm themselves. Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia was founded on 18 November 1991 as a community of municipalities where the majority of the population were Croats. In its founding acts, Herzeg-Bosnia had no separatist character. The Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia
6308-715: The Declaration on the Name and Status of the Croatian Literary Language ). In the late medieval period up to the 17th century, the majority of semi-autonomous Croatia was ruled by two domestic dynasties of princes ( banovi ), the Zrinski and the Frankopan , which were linked by inter-marriage. Toward the 17th century, both of them attempted to unify Croatia both culturally and linguistically, writing in
6474-622: The Latin alphabet and are living in parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina , different parts of Croatia , southern parts (inc. Budapest ) of Hungary as well in the autonomous province Vojvodina of Serbia . The Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics added the Bunjevac dialect to the List of Protected Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia on 8 October 2021. Article 1 of
6640-478: The Lord of Zeta , Đurađ I , Nicholas intended to attack Ragusa and Kotor . Tvrtko and Lazar Hrebljanović , lord of Moravian Serbia , both backed by Louis of Hungary, acted to protect the cities. Lazar, too, swore fealty to Louis, after which he and Tvrtko were given 1,000 horsemen to counter Nicholas, who was completely defeated in the autumn of 1373, his lands being divided between the victorious allies. Tvrtko took
6806-982: The Macquarie University ), Northern Macedonia (Faculty of Philology in Skopje ) etc. Croatian embassies hold courses for learning Croatian in Poland, United Kingdom and a few other countries. Extracurricular education of Croatian is hold in Germany in Baden-Württemberg , Berlin , Hamburg and Saarland , as well as in North Macedonia in Skopje , Bitola , Štip and Kumanovo . Some Croatian Catholic Missions also hold Croatian language courses (for. ex. CCM in Buenos Aires ). There
Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Misplaced Pages Continue
6972-481: The Republic of Venice , an honour that guaranteed them sanctuary in Venice in case of necessity but also obligated Tvrtko to protect Venetian merchants. Various charters issued by the previous bans of Bosnia, and confirmed by Tvrtko on his accession, promised the same protection to Ragusan merchants. In late 1365, however, both republics complained to Tvrtko about the treatment of their merchants by his vassals. Evidently,
7138-608: The Siege of Sarajevo . On 12 May, Yugoslav People's Army left Bosnia and Herzegovina and left most of the arms to the Army of Republika Srpska , headed by Ratko Mladić . The first unit to oppose Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the Croatian Defence Forces (HOS) founded by Croatian Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1991. The Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia established its own force,
7304-700: The Travunians the takeover of Trebinje , Konavli , and Dračevica , making his final conquests of the Serbian lands. By that time, Serbia had been reduced to a patchwork of independent lordships. Uroš the Weak, the last of the Nemanjić dynasty , died in December 1371. His chosen co-ruler, Vukašin Mrnjavčević , left a son, Marko , who took up the royal title. Having been forced to accept Ottoman suzerainty, Marko
7470-701: The Washington agreement , according to which, the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH)-controlled and HVO-controlled areas were united into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina . After the Washington agreement was signed, the Croatian Army , HVO and ARBiH liberated southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina in seven military operations. In December 1995, the Bosnian War ended with
7636-544: The ban of Bosnia in 1353. As he was a minor at the time, Tvrtko's father, Vladislav , briefly ruled as regent , followed by Tvrtko's mother, Jelena . Early in his personal rule, Tvrtko quarrelled with his country's Roman Catholic clergy but later enjoyed cordial relations with all the religious communities in his realm. After initial difficulties—the loss of large parts of Bosnia to his overlord, King Louis I of Hungary , and being briefly deposed by his magnates —Tvrtko's power grew considerably. He conquered some remnants of
7802-623: The culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Most Croats declare themselves Catholics and speakers of the Croatian language . From the 15th to the 19th century, Catholics in Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina were often persecuted by the Ottoman Empire , causing many of them to flee the area. In the 20th century, political turmoil and poor economic conditions caused more to emigrate . Ethnic cleansing within Bosnia and Herzegovina in
7968-426: The dowry of Stephen's daughter Elizabeth , who had been married to Louis since 1353. In July, King Louis confirmed Tvrtko and his younger brother Vuk as rulers of Bosnia and Usora . Donji Kraji and Hum were purposely omitted from their title, with Usora likely having been granted as compensation. Two conditions were forced upon the Bosnians: one of the two Kotromanić brothers would be at Louis's court whenever
8134-436: The feast day of Saint Demetrius ). However, there is still no full consensus as to where, and by whom it was performed. The opinion that the Ragusan chronicler Mavro Orbini , when he wrote in 1601 that the coronation was performed by metropolitan bishop in the monastery of "Mileševa in town with the same name", meant the monastery was Mileševa and the person who performed coronation was its Orthodox metropolitan bishop ,
8300-407: The great migration of the Slavs . The Croats adopted Christianity and began to develop their own culture, art, and political institutions, culminating in their own kingdom , which consisted of two principalities : Lower Pannonia ("Pannonian Croatia") in the north, and Dalmatian Croatia in the south. Red Croatia , to the south, was land of a few minor states. One of the most important events of
8466-570: The 1990s saw Croats forced to go to different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite having lived in numerous regions prior to the Bosnian War . The 2013 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded 544,780 residents registering as of Croat ethnicity. Croats settled the areas of modern Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 7th century. Constantine VII in De Administrando Imperio writes that Croats settled Dalmatia and from there they settled Illyricum and Pannonia There, they assimilated with native Illyrians and Romans during
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#17327810689738632-441: The 50th anniversary of the Declaration, at the beginning of 2017, a two-day meeting of experts from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro was organized in Zagreb, at which the text of the Declaration on the Common Language of Croats, Bosniaks, Serbs and Montenegrins was drafted. The new Declaration has received more than ten thousand signatures . It states that in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro
8798-440: The Adriatic—did so as well. The Venetians, having taken Kotor in August 1378, made an effort to have Tvrtko join the war on their side, which caused panic in Ragusa. Tvrtko, however, offered the Ragusans help in fighting Venice, which they initially refused. The death of George I of Zeta warranted Tvrtko's involvement in Serbian affairs, which reduced his ability to take an active part in the conflict. The Ragusans started calling for
8964-676: The Austrian Empire, as the rest of the European countries, gained them. From 1815 to 1878 the Ottoman authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina was decreasing. After the reorganization of the Ottoman army and abolition of the Janissaries , Bosnian nobility revolted, led by Husein Gradaščević , who wanted to establish autonomy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and stop any further social reforms. During the 19th century, various reforms were made in order to increase freedom of religion which sharpened relations between Catholics and Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Soon, economic decay would happen and nationalist influence from Europe came to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since
9130-424: The Austrian-Hungarian administration's downplaying of ethnic differences and nationalism while trying to keep Croatian and Serbian influence on the country at bay, on the other hand, make it difficult to assess the actual ethnic allegiance at this period. According to the 1931 census, Bosnia and Herzegovina had 2,323,787 inhabitants of which Serbs made 44.25%, Muslims 30.90%, Croats 23.58% and others made 1.02% of
9296-460: The Ban had lost control over his feudatories. The anarchy escalated, and in February of the following year, the magnates revolted against Tvrtko and dethroned him. Little is known about the circumstances under which Tvrtko was deposed. Accusing the magnates of treachery against "foremostly God" and himself, Tvrtko fled Bosnia with his mother. He was replaced by his younger brother, who had hitherto functioned as "junior ban". Vuk's personal role in
9462-451: The Bosnian Church, whose members apparently converted to Islam en masse . The present-day boundaries of Bosnia and Herzegovina were made in 1699 when the Treaty of Karlowitz was signed in order to establish peace between the Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Another significant event for Bosnian Croats is the boundary established by an agreement between the Republic of Ragusa and the Ottoman Empire, where Ragusans promised to give in
9628-403: The Bosnian claim to the Serbian throne was merely nominal. Tvrtko's engagement in the east allowed Sigismund's forces to reverse some of his gains in Dalmatia. Klis was briefly lost in July, the Dalmatian cities again refused to surrender, and Tvrtko was forced to relaunch raids. A series of battles and skirmishes from November to December resulted in a decisive Bosnian victory and the retreat of
9794-506: The Bosnian state. Louis posed a more direct threat as well; he was determined to enlarge his royal domain , and throughout his realm he ardently reclaimed all lands that once belonged to the monarch. Taking advantage of the precarious situation early in Tvrtko's reign, Louis moved to claim most of Donji Kraji and western Hum up to the river Neretva , including the prosperous customs town of Drijeva . In 1357, he succeeded in compelling Tvrtko to come to Hungary and surrender these territories as
9960-442: The Bosnian town of Mile . This place is certainly the undisputed location of the coronations of Tvrtko I's successors, as well as the burial place of some of his predecessors. Writing to Ragusa shortly after his coronation, Tvrtko successfully claimed Saint Demetrius' income , which had been paid to the kings of Serbia since the 13th century. Although he presented himself as the heir to the Nemanjić crown, Tvrtko decided to assume
10126-429: The British-occupied zone in Austria. Many of them were killed in the Bleiburg repatriations . In the closing stages of the war and the immediate aftermath, some Bosnian Croats who previously supported the Ustaše regime or were merely perceived as potential opponents of the new communist Yugoslavia were persecuted or executed (notably, Herzegovina friars ). Total casualties and losses of Bosnian Croats in World War II and
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#173278106897310292-411: The Croat population is 6%. Other Croat-majority or -plurality municipalities are enclaves in Central Bosnia and around Zenica ( Dobretići , Vitez , Busovača , Kiseljak , Usora , Kreševo , Žepče ). In ethnically mixed Jajce and Novi Travnik in Central Bosnia, Croats form 46% of the population. In Mostar area, Croats comprise the plurality of the population both in the municipality (48.4%) and
10458-419: The Croatian elite. In the 1860s, the Zagreb Philological School dominated the Croatian cultural life, drawing upon linguistic and ideological conceptions advocated by the members of the Illyrian movement. While it was dominant over the rival Rijeka Philological School and Zadar Philological Schools , its influence waned with the rise of the Croatian Vukovians (at the end of the 19th century). Croatian
10624-433: The Croatian language. The current standard language is generally laid out in the grammar books and dictionaries used in education, such as the school curriculum prescribed by the Ministry of Education and the university programmes of the Faculty of Philosophy at the four main universities . In 2013, a Hrvatski pravopis by the Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics received an official sole seal of approval from
10790-531: The Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early Middle Ages is the First Croatian Assembly held in 753 in Županjac (present-day Tomislavgrad). The second major event was the coronation of Tomislav , the first King of Croatia, in ca. 925, in the fields of Županjac. By this act, Pannonian Croatia and Dalmatian Croatia formed a united Croatian kingdom, which included Dalmatia, Bosnia and Pannonia (eastern Slavonia and eastern Bosnia), and Savia (western Slavonia). According to The New Cambridge Medieval History , "at
10956-487: The Croats. On 24 August 1939, the president of the Croatian Peasant Party , Vladko Maček and Dragiša Cvetković made an agreement ( Cvetković-Maček agreement ) according to which Banovina of Croatia was created on territory of Sava and Littoral Banovina and on districts of Dubrovnik , Šid , Brčko , Ilok , Gradačac , Derventa , Travnik and Fojnica. Around 30% of the present-day territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes part of Banovina of Croatia. Those parts had
11122-503: The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , while five Serb members are elected in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska . The 42 members of the House of Representatives are elected directly by voters, two-thirds are from the Federation while one-third is from the Republika Srpska. The Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists also of two chambers, House of Representatives , which consists of 98 members, and House of Peoples that consists of 58 members. Members of
11288-542: The Holy Widow Judith Composed in Croatian Verses ". The Croatian–Hungarian Agreement designated Croatian as one of its official languages. Croatian became an official EU language upon accession of Croatia to the European Union on 1 July 2013. In 2013, the EU started publishing a Croatian-language version of its official gazette. Standard Croatian is the official language of the Republic of Croatia and, along with Standard Bosnian and Standard Serbian , one of three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina . It
11454-523: The House of Representatives are elected directly by the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while members of the House of Peoples are selected by the cantonal assemblies. There are 17 representatives in the House of Peoples of each constitutive nation, Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. Other 7 representatives are those of national minorities. Croatian language North America South America Oceania Croatian ( / k r oʊ ˈ eɪ ʃ ən / ; hrvatski [xř̩ʋaːtskiː] )
11620-409: The Hungarian army. In May 1390, the cities and the Dalmatian islands finally surrendered to Tvrtko, who then started calling himself "by the grace of God king of Rascia, Bosnia, Dalmatia, Croatia, and Pomorje". Acting as king of Dalmatia and Croatia, Tvrtko appointed his supporters John of Palisna and John Horvat as his bans and hosted the Archbishop of Split Andrea Gualdo in Sutjeska . In
11786-476: The Hungarians to retreat. In Usora, the Srebrenik Fortress held out against a "massive attack" by the royal army, which suffered the embarrassment of losing the King's seal. The successful defense of Srebrenik marked Tvrtko's first victory against Hungary. The unity of the Bosnian magnates waned as soon as the Hungarians were defeated, weakening Tvrtko's position and that of a united Bosnia. In 1364, Tvrtko, his mother, and his brother were granted citizenship of
11952-505: The Institute for Education in Mostar. Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina speak Croatian , a standardized variety of Serbo-Croatian . Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as other two constitutive nations, have their representative in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The Presidency has three members, one Bosniak, one Croat, and one Serb. Bosniak and Croat are elected in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , while Serb
12118-602: The King, Tvrtko started regarding the loyalty of the Donji Kraji noblemen to Louis as treachery against himself. In 1363, a conflict broke out between the two men. The cause is not clear, although Louis stated that his intention was to eradicate the Bosnian heretics. By April, the King had begun amassing an army; and in May, officials of the Republic of Ragusa ordered their merchants to leave Bosnia due to an imminent clash. An army led by Louis himself attacked Donji Kraji, where
12284-547: The Kingdom of Croatia, which he accomplished by defeating various Croatian nobles and supporting Hungary. Thus, the Kingdom of Bosnia emerged, but part of the present territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina remained in the Kingdom of Croatia . Regarding culture and religion, Bosnia was closer to Croatia than the Orthodox lands to the east, and the Diocese of Bosnia is mentioned as Catholic in the 11th century, and later fell under
12450-401: The Kingdom of Serbia as Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes ,which was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. This new state was characterized by Serbian nationalism , and was a form of " Greater Serbia ". Serbs held control over the armed forces and the politics of the state. With around 40% of Serbs living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian leadership of the state wanted to implement
12616-470: The Lord of Zeta. The mediation was thwarted by Balša's death in the 1385 Battle of Savra against the invading Ottomans. Balša's nephew and successor, George II , maintained Zeta's hostility toward Bosnia. The revolt against Elizabeth and Mary culminated in late 1385 when Mary was deposed in favour of her kinsman, King Charles III of Naples . Elizabeth had Charles assassinated the following February, and Mary
12782-595: The Middle East, just before the outbreak of war. However, after Croat and Bosniak forces reorganized in late May 1992, the Serbian advance was halted and their forces mostly remained in their positions during the war. The tensions between Croats and Bosniaks started on 19 June 1992, but the real war began in October. The Croat-Bosniak War was at its peak in 1993. In March 1994, the Bosniak and Croat leadership signed
12948-475: The Mighty and the accession of his son Uroš the Weak in December 1355 was soon followed by the breakup of the once-powerful and threatening Serbian Empire . It disintegrated into autonomous lordships that could not resist Bosnia by themselves. This paved the way for Tvrtko to expand towards the east, but internal problems prevented him from seizing the opportunity immediately. A lordship on Bosnia's eastern border
13114-580: The Milanese ruler, Gian Galeazzo Visconti , for selling weaponry to the Ottomans in wake of the battle. The highest ranking among the casualties, which also included Bosnian noblemen, were Lazar and the Ottoman ruler Murad I . The outcome of the battle was difficult to ascertain, but Vlatko's letters from the battlefield convinced Tvrtko that the Christian alliance came out victorious. Tvrtko, in turn, informed various Christian states of his great triumph;
13280-600: The Ministry of Education. The most prominent recent editions describing the Croatian standard language are: Also notable are the recommendations of Matica hrvatska , the national publisher and promoter of Croatian heritage, and the Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography , as well as the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts . Numerous representative Croatian linguistic works were published since
13446-803: The NDH, some actively opposed it by joining or supporting the Yugoslav Partisans , while others chose to wait, not attracted either by fascist Ustaše or communist-led resistance. After the Ustaše campaign of genocide and terror, targeting Serbs , Jews , and Roma , a brutal civil war ensued. At the same time, a parallel genocide against Croats and Bosniaks was carried out by the Yugoslav Royalist and Serbian nationalist Chetniks . The Ustaše regime also persecuted any opponents or dissidents among Bosnian Croats, especially communists , pre-war members of
13612-500: The Ottomans conquered Jajce and Banja Luka , thus destroying the Croatian defence line on Vrbas river. After that conquest, Croatia reduced to around 37,000 km. During the 18th century, Turkish rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina started to weaken, and after the Napoleonic Wars their rule rapidly decreased; the Ottoman Empire lost its demographic, civilization, and other reserves for military and territorial expansion, while
13778-449: The Serbian advance, and in some places, they repelled the enemy. On 16 June 1992, the president of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman , and the president of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović , signed an alliance according to which, Bosnia and Herzegovina legalized the activity of Croatian Army and Croatian Defence Council on its territory. Bosnian Croat political leadership and the leadership of Croatia urged Izetbegović to form
13944-801: The Serbian regional lords were not considered suitable. They had only recently risen to prominence and lacked illustrious family backgrounds and formal titles to their lands; they were mere "lords". Tvrtko not only controlled a significant portion of Serbia but was a member of the dynasty which had ruled as bans of Bosnia from time immemorial and—most importantly—could boast descent from the Nemanjić dynasty. A genealogy published in Tvrtko's newly conquered Serbian lands emphasized his Nemanjić ancestry, derived from his paternal grandmother, Elizabeth , daughter of King Dragutin . A Serbian logothete named Blagoje, having found refuge at Tvrtko's court, attributed to Tvrtko
14110-537: The Turkish censuses were biased, and they only numbered the houses and later exclusively included the male population. Throughout this period, the Catholic majority persisted in the southwest of the country (western Herzegovina), parts of central Bosnia, and Posavina, mostly in rural areas. During Austro-Hungarian rule (1878–1918), the number and share of Croats started to slowly increase. Croats from Croatia moved to
14276-613: The Western world. Officeholders usually rotated among the three ethnic communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 1980s, many Bosnian Croat politicians were in high positions - for instance, Ante Marković , Branko Mikulić , and Mato Andrić . Citizens of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the referendum that was held between 29 February and 1 March 1992. The referendum question was: "Are you in favor of
14442-508: The aftermath are estimated at 64–79,000. According to the statistician Bogoljub Kočović , the relative war losses of Bosnian Croats, compared to their expected population in 1948, was 11.4%. According to the demographer Vladimir Žerjavić , 17,000 Bosnian Croats died in partisan ranks, 22,000 in NDH forces, while 25,000 lost their lives as civilians; of civilians, almost ¾ or 19,000 died as a result of Axis terror or in Ustaše concentration camps . At
14608-657: The annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, the Croat People's Union (HNZ) become a political party; its ideology was very similar to that of the Croatian-Serbian Coalition in Croatia. In 1909, Stadler opposed such a policy and founded a new political party, the Croat Catholic Association (HKU), an opponent of the secular HNZ. HKU emphasized clerical ideals and religious exclusivity. However, Bosnian Croats mostly supported
14774-473: The authorities of the Republic of Florence responded praising both the Kingdom of Bosnia and its king for achieving a "victory so glorious that the memory of it would never fade". The triumph, however, was hollow. Tvrtko's Serbian title lost what little actual significance it had when Lazar's successors accepted Ottoman suzerainty, while Vuk Branković turned to Tvrtko's enemy Sigismund. Since the Battle of Kosovo,
14940-600: The backbone of the Bosnian economy. These goods were transported over the Dinaric Alps to the seashore, where they were bought chiefly by the Republics of Ragusa and Venice. The maritime cities of Ragusa and Kotor also depended on Tvrtko's realm for food, a dependency the King leveraged to increase the initially low and, for the Bosnians, disadvantageous prices. Yet, Bosnia could not make economical use of its share of
15106-606: The basis of a new salt trading center. Initially named after Saint Stephen , the city came to be known as Novi (meaning "new"). Commerce started in August, when the first ships carrying salt arrived, but so did trouble. Kotor and the merchants from Dalmatia and the Italian Peninsula looked favourably on the development, but the Ragusans were very displeased at the prospect of losing their salt trade monopoly. They argued that Tvrtko, as king of Serbia, should respect
15272-604: The beginning of the 20th century, in addition to designing a phonological orthography. Croatian is written in Gaj's Latin alphabet . Besides the Shtokavian dialect, on which Standard Croatian is based, there are two other main supradialects spoken on the territory of Croatia, Chakavian and Kajkavian . These supradialects, and the four national standards, are usually subsumed under the term "Serbo-Croatian" in English; this term
15438-471: The beginning of the eleventh century the Croats lived in two more or less clearly defined regions" of the "Croatian lands" which "were now divided into three districts" including Slavonia/Pannonian Croatia (between rivers Sava and Drava) on one side and Croatia/Dalmatian littoral (between Gulf of Kvarner and rivers Vrbas and Neretva) and Bosnia (around river Bosna ) on other side. In 1102 Croatia entered into
15604-651: The cantons. In municipalities with a Croat majority or significant minority, schools with Croatian as an official language also exist, while in the territories where there is only a small number of Croats, Catholic centres perform education. Other education institutes are HKD Napredak , the Scientific Research Institute of the University of Mostar, the Croatian Lexicographic Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
15770-580: The city itself (49%). Mostar is the largest city in Herzegovina and the city with the largest Croat population in the country (51,216 in the area and 29,475 in the urban district). Croats comprise an overwhelming majority in the western part of both the city and the entire municipality. Croats comprise 41% of the population in Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje , a third in Vareš and Pelagićevo , and
15936-688: The country (14.57%). In the territory of the Herzeg-Bosnia , the percentage of Croats slightly changed, although, their total number was reduced. The first educational institutions of Bosnian Croats were monasteries, of which the most significant were those in Kreševo , Fojnica , Kraljeva Sutjeska and Tolisa , and later monasteries in Herzegovina, of which most significant are those in Humac and Široki Brijeg . The most significant people working for
16102-684: The country to work in the Austro-Hungarian administration or as teachers, doctors and officers. According to the Croatian author Vjekoslav Klaić , at the beginning of the period, in 1878, there were 646,678 Orthodox Christians (respectively Serbs, 48.4%), 480,596 Muslims (35.9%), 207,199 Catholics (respectively Croats, 15.5%) and 3,000 Jews (0.2%). In 1895, Bosnia and Herzegovina had 1,336,091 inhabitants, of which there were 571,250 Orthodox Christians (42.76%), 492,710 Muslims (36,88%), 265,788 Catholics (19.89%), 5,805 Jews (0.43%) and 53 others (0.04%). The slow process of nation-building on one hand and
16268-535: The country's population. Currently, according to the 2013 census , 91% of them live in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , while just 5.4% and 3.2% live in Republika Srpska and Brčko District , respectively. In Republika Srpska, Croat share in the entity population is just 2% (29,645), while in Brčko it stands at 20.7% (17,252). On the other hand, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croats form 22.4% of
16434-466: The country, along the border with Croatia, from Kupres and Livno in the northwest along West Herzegovina to Ravno in the southeast ( Široki Brijeg , Ljubuški , Livno , Čitluk , Tomislavgrad , Čapljina , Posušje , Grude , Prozor-Rama , Stolac , Neum , Kupres , Ravno ). Around 40% of the country's and 45% of the Federation's Croats live here. The second is Posavina Canton in the north ( Orašje , Odžak , Domaljevac-Šamac ). This canton's share of
16600-916: The couple's alliance with Venice. A notable exception was Klis , which supported the rebellious nobleman John of Palisna . Tvrtko took control of the Klis Fortress in July 1387, which enabled him to launch attacks on Split . Although the Bosnian army laid waste to Split and Zadar areas, the cities refused to capitulate. Their officials were willing to honour King Tvrtko but insisted that Queen Mary and King Sigismund were their legitimate sovereigns. Ostrovica Fortress submitted to Tvrtko in November, followed by Trogir . The military forces of Tvrtko and his vassal Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić campaigned in Slavonia together with John and Paul Horvat . By 1388,
16766-698: The cultivated language of administration and intellectuals from the Istrian peninsula along the Croatian coast, across central Croatia up into the northern valleys of the Drava and the Mura . The cultural apex of this 17th century idiom is represented by the editions of " Adrianskoga mora sirena " ("The Siren of the Adriatic Sea") by Petar Zrinski and " Putni tovaruš " ("Traveling escort") by Katarina Zrinska . However, this first linguistic renaissance in Croatia
16932-538: The death of King Louis I on 11 September 1382. Without a male heir, the Hungarian crown passed to Louis's 13-year-old daughter Mary and the reins of government to his widow, Tvrtko's cousin Elizabeth. The great unpopularity of the queens led to rebellions and presented an opportunity for Tvrtko, not only to reclaim Drijeva and other lands lost to Louis in 1357 but also to seize Kotor. When exactly or how this took place
17098-422: The destruction of Kotor, whose officials promised to renounce fealty to Venice and return to Louis. Kotor failed to fulfil this promise but instead promised fealty to Tvrtko, who laid claim to the city as part of his Nemanjić ancestors' heritage. The political climate was ideal since he was to take Kotor from his overlord's enemy. The Ragusans were furious, and an embargo ensued. Tvrtko defended Kotor from Ragusa but
17264-541: The devastation of Dalmatia by the Bosnian army had become so severe that the authorities of the cities pleaded with Sigismund to either help them or to allow them to save themselves by submitting without being labelled as traitors. Neither Sigismund's army nor an alliance of Dalmatian cities and noblemen was able to counter Tvrtko's advances. Split , Zadar , and Šibenik having lost all hope, Tvrtko called upon them to negotiate their surrender in March 1389. Each city asked to be
17430-453: The elementary education of Bosnian Croats in the 19th century were Ivan Franjo Jukić and Grgo Martić , who founded and organized elementary schools throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1887, many elementary schools were founded in Bosnia and Herzegovina along with the Order of Sisters of St. Francis , whose classes were led methodologically and professionally, so Bosnian Croat schools were, at
17596-642: The end of 1977, 8.8% of Bosnian recipients of veteran's pensions were Croats, while during the WWII Croats composed around 23% of the country's population. After the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina became one of the 6 constitutive republics of Socialist Yugoslavia. Intensive state campaigns of nationalization of property, followed by industrialization and urbanization variously affected Bosnian Croats. While some centers and areas prospered, other rural areas underwent depopulation and urban flight, as well as (most notably in western Herzegovina) high rates of emigration to
17762-471: The end of the Ottoman era and beginning of Austrian-Hungarian occupation, the same as elementary schools in rest of Europe. The educational system of Bosnia and Herzegovina during communism was based on a mixture of nationalities and the suppression of Croat identity. With the foundation of the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia, Bosnian Croat schools took the educational system from Croatia. At
17928-468: The entity's population. Four out of ten Federal cantons have a Croat majority. All Croat-majority municipalities are located in this entity as well. According to the Croatian Ministry of Interior, 384,631 Croatian citizens had registered residence in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 2019. Most of the municipalities with a clear Croat majority form two compact regions. One is in the southwest of
18094-426: The exclusive rights to salt trade granted by his Nemanjić predecessors to Ragusa, Kotor, Drijeva, and Sveti Srđ . During the dispute, Ragusa hindered Novi's commerce and assembled an alliance of Dalmatian cities against Bosnia and Venice. Tvrtko relented by November, and his new city failed to achieve his purpose. Tvrtko's yielding in the legal dispute with Ragusa may have been brought about by another major change:
18260-485: The following year, Tvrtko forced Vuk southwards, eventually compelling him to flee to Ragusa. Sanko, Vuk's last supporter, submitted to Tvrtko in late summer and was allowed to retain his holdings. Ragusan officials made an effort to procure peace between the feuding brothers, and in 1368, Vuk asked Pope Urban V to intervene with King Louis I on his behalf. Those efforts were futile; but by 1374, Tvrtko had reconciled with Vuk on very generous terms. The death of Dušan
18426-557: The honorific. Tvrtko's right to kingship was derived from his right to the Serbian throne, and was likely recognized by Lazar Hrebljanović and Vuk Branković. Still, Tvrtko never established authority over the regional lords of Serbia. Tvrtko's new title was also approved by Louis and by his successor Mary . Venice and Ragusa consistently referred to Tvrtko as king of Rascia , Ragusa even complaining, in 1378, about Tvrtko's preoccupation with his new kingdom. Despite his cordial relations with its clergy, Tvrtko's claim to Serbia did not enjoy
18592-564: The independence of Croatia, among them three voluminous monolingual dictionaries of contemporary Croatian. In 2021, Croatia introduced a new model of linguistic categorisation of the Bunjevac dialect (as part of New-Shtokavian Ikavian dialects of the Shtokavian dialect of the Croatian language) in three sub-branches: Dalmatian (also called Bosnian-Dalmatian), Danubian (also called Bunjevac), and Littoral-Lika. Its speakers largely use
18758-532: The jurisdiction of the Croatian Archdiocese of Split and in the 12th century under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dubrovnik. Another connection of Bosnia with Croatia is that Bosnian rulers always used the political title " Ban Kulin " in similarity to their Croatian counterparts. Due to the scarcity of historical records, there are no definite figures dealing with the religious composition of medieval Bosnia. However, some Croat scholars suggest that
18924-480: The last months of his reign, Tvrtko devoted himself to solidifying his position in Dalmatia and to plans for taking Zadar, the only Dalmatian city that had evaded his rule. He offered an extensive alliance to Venice, but it did not suit the republic's interests. Meanwhile, Tvrtko was also fostering relations with Albert III, Duke of Austria . By the late summer of 1390, a marriage was expected to be contracted between
19090-415: The last one to submit and even to be allowed to request Sigismund's assistance. Tvrtko granted their wish and decided that Split should be the last to submit by 15 June 1389. During his campaign in Dalmatia and Croatia , Tvrtko was also engaged in skirmishes in the east of his realm, preventing him from focusing all of his manpower on expansion westwards. The Kingdom of Bosnia was believed to be far from
19256-523: The major maritime cities of the area, established new settlements and started building a navy, but never succeeded in subjugating the lords of the independent Serbian territories. The death of King Louis and the accession of Queen Mary in 1382 allowed Tvrtko to take advantage of the ensuing succession crisis in Hungary and Croatia. After bitter fighting, from 1385 to 1390, Tvrtko succeeded in conquering large parts of Dalmatia , and Croatia proper . Following
19422-474: The mid-18th century, the first attempts to provide a Croatian literary standard began on the basis of the Neo-Shtokavian dialect that served as a supraregional lingua franca – pushing back regional Chakavian , Kajkavian , and Shtokavian vernaculars . The decisive role was played by Croatian Vukovians , who cemented the usage of Ijekavian Neo-Shtokavian as the literary standard in the late 19th and
19588-534: The more populous Neo-Shtokavian – a version of Shtokavian that eventually became the predominant dialectal basis of both Croatian and Serbian literary language from the 19th century on. Supported by various South Slavic proponents, Neo-Shtokavian was adopted after an Austrian initiative at the Vienna Literary Agreement of 1850, laying the foundation for the unified Serbo-Croatian literary language. The uniform Neo-Shtokavian then became common in
19754-458: The most important characteristic of a nation is widely accepted, stemming from the 19th-century history of Europe. The 1967 Declaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Literary Language , in which a group of Croatian authors and linguists demanded greater autonomy for Croatian, is viewed in Croatia as a linguistic policy milestone that was also a general milestone in national politics. On
19920-400: The neighbouring Serbian Empire in 1373, after the death of its last ruler and his distant relative, Uroš the Weak . In 1377, he had himself crowned king of Bosnia and Serbia , claiming to be the heir of Serbia's extinct Nemanjić dynasty . As the Kingdom of Bosnia continued to expand, Tvrtko's attention shifted to the Adriatic coast. He gained control of the entire Primorje region and
20086-468: The nobility was divided in its loyalties between Tvrtko and Louis. A month later an army led by the palatine of Hungary , Nicholas Kont , and the archbishop of Esztergom , Nicholas Apáti , struck Usora. Vlatko Vukoslavić deserted to Louis and surrendered to him the important fortress of Ključ , but Vukac Hrvatinić succeeded in defending the Soko Grad fortress in the župa of Pliva , forcing
20252-492: The now-banned Croatian Peasant Party , and those connected with the partisan resistance. The Ustaše executed many Bosnian Croats, for instance, resistance fighters and supporters Jakov Dugandžić, Mostar's Ljubo Brešan and 19-year old Mostar gymnasium student Ante Zuanić, as well as a prominent Mostar CPP member Blaž Slišković (in Jasenovac concentration camp ). Prominent Croat communist intellectual from Bosnia, Ognjen Prica ,
20418-477: The only Catholic priests to be active in Bosnia. Before the Ottomans arrived in Bosnia, there were 35 Franciscan monasteries in Bosnia and four in Herzegovina. Some monasteries were destroyed and some were converted to mosques. In the 1680s there were only 10 Franciscan monasteries left in Bosnia. The Catholic Church in Bosnia divided its administration into two dioceses, one was the Croatian Bosnia diocese,
20584-557: The other was in Bosnia, and they would make an effort to suppress the "heretical" Bosnian Church . Little is known about internal affairs in Bosnia between 1357 when Tvrtko started ruling on his own and 1363. His religious policy came into focus in this period, as the Avignon papacy became more insistent on curbing the Bosnian Church. This endangered Tvrtko, for although he was a Roman Catholic throughout his life, Louis now had
20750-545: The part which was not conquered by the Ottomans, and the other was Bosna Srebrena diocese. Between 1516 and 1524, planned persecution and forced Islamization of Catholics occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In that year, Franciscan monasteries in Kraljeva Sutjeska , Visoko , Fojnica , Kreševo and Konjic , and later in Mostar . It is believed that during that time, some 100,000 Croats converted to Islam. In 1528
20916-467: The population. According to the 1991 census, Croats were 17.3% of the total population, and their number was 755,895. The total number of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to fall, especially after the Bosnian War broke out in 1992. Soon, an exodus of Bosnian Croats occurred when a large number of Croats were expelled from central Bosnia and Posavina. According to the 1996 census, made by UNHCR and officially unrecognized, there were 571,317 Croats in
21082-450: The possessions and privileges of the noblemen of "all of Bosnia , Donji Kraji , Zagorje , and the Hum land ". The death of Tvrtko's maternal uncle Mladen III Šubić in 1348 led to a decline of the Šubić noble family and a long conflict over their lands. In May 1355, Jelena and Tvrtko marched with an army to Duvno in order to claim Tvrtko's share of her brother's patrimony. An agreement
21248-421: The queens, "his dearest sisters", and cited his oath of fealty to them. Mary and Elizabeth, however, had no power to enforce their suzerainty over him. In fact, they so respected his strength that they made concessions to win his favour: one of the concessions being their recognition of Tvrtko's possession of Kotor in the spring of 1385. The incorporation of the trade centres of Drijeva and Kotor did not result in
21414-543: The reach of the Ottomans during Tvrtko I's reign, shielded by a belt of independent Serbian statelets. George II of Zeta, however, purposely enabled the Turks to launch raids against Bosnia, first in 1386 (of which little is known) and again in 1388. In the second instance, the Ottoman and Zetan invaders, led by Lala Şahin Pasha , penetrated as far as Bileća . The Battle of Bileća , which took place in late August 1388, ended with
21580-403: The rebellion is uncertain. Tvrtko acted resolutely and efficiently. He and Jelena took refuge at the Hungarian royal court, where they were welcomed by Tvrtko's former enemy and overlord, King Louis. Apparently dissatisfied with the turn of events in Bosnia, Louis provided Tvrtko with aid (likely military) in reclaiming Bosnia. Tvrtko returned to Bosnia in March and reestablished control over
21746-661: The recently widowed Tvrtko and a member of the Austrian ruling family, the Habsburgs . Hungary remained the focus of Tvrtko's foreign policy, however. Although they did not recognize each other as kings, Tvrtko and Sigismund started negotiating peace in September. Sigismund was in a weaker position and likely ready to make concessions to Tvrtko when his ambassadors arrived at Tvrtko's court in January 1391. The negotiations were probably never concluded, as Tvrtko died on 10 March. He
21912-602: The revolt, for the first time, Bosnian Croats used the flag of Croatia. Soon after, the Orthodox population in East Herzegovina also revolted, which led to the Herzegovina Uprising . The Ottoman authorities were unable to defeat the rebels, so Serbia and Montenegro took advantage of this weakness and attacked the Ottoman Empire in 1876, soon after the Russian Empire did the same. The Turks lost
22078-425: The right to a "double crown": one for Bosnia, which his family had ruled since its foundation, and the other for the Serbian lands of his Nemanjić ancestors, who had "left the earthly realm for the heavenly kingdom". Arguing that Serbia had been "left without its pastor", Tvrtko set out to be crowned as its king. Tvrtko's coronation as king of Bosnia and Serbia was held in the fall of 1377 (probably 26 October,
22244-605: The royal title of his great-grandfather, rather than continue Dušan's unpopular claim to an imperial style, thus becoming " by the Grace of God king of the Serbs, Bosnia, Pomorje and the Western Areas ". In addition to the royal title, Tvrtko also adopted the symbolic name Stephen in order to associate himself with the Nemanjić kings; his successors followed suit. Tvrtko, at times, completely omitted his birth name and used only
22410-591: The same time, University Džemal Bijedić of Mostar was renamed to University of Mostar with Croatian as the official language. This university is the only one in Bosnia and Herzegovina to use Croatian as the official language. After signing the Dayton accords, jurisdiction over education in Republika Srpska was given to the RS Government, while in the Federation, jurisdiction over education was given to
22576-455: The secular nationalist policy of the HNZ. HNZ and Muslim Nation Organization formed a coalition that ruled the country from 1911 until the dissolution of the Bosnian parliament in 1914. After World War I, Bosnia and Herzegovina became part of the internationally unrecognized State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs which existed between October and December 1918. In December 1918, this state united with
22742-570: The signing of the Dayton agreement . However, the same agreement caused problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was largely ineffective. According to the information published by the Research and Documentation Centre in Sarajevo, 7,762 Croats were killed or missing. From the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 230,000 Croats were expelled, while from the territory of Republika Srpska , 152,856 Croats were expelled. Comprising 15.43% of
22908-426: The speakers themselves largely do not use it. Within ex-Yugoslavia, the term has largely been replaced by the ethnopolitical terms Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian. The use of the name "Croatian" for a language has historically been attested to, though not always distinctively. The first printed Croatian literary work is a vernacular Chakavian poem written in 1501 by Marko Marulić , titled " The History of
23074-406: The state administration was very disorganized and the national conscience was very strong among the Christian population, the Ottoman Empire lost control over Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 19 June 1875 Catholic Croats, led by Don Ivan Musić , revolted because of high taxes in West Herzegovina. Their goal was to subordinate Bosnia to the rule of the Emperor of Austria, respectively King of Croatia. During
23240-516: The statehood of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the equality of Muslims, Croats, and Serbs in the country in its historic session in 1943. The first government of People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1945 included several prominent Croats - Jakov Grgurić (deputy prime minister), Cvitan Spužević (minister of construction), Ante Babić ( education ), and Ante Martinović (forestry). After the partisans liberated most of Yugoslavia and NDH collapsed in May 1945, some NDH soldiers and civilians retreated to
23406-424: The support of the Orthodox Church, severely hindering Tvrtko's efforts. Having taken as much Serbian land as he could, King Tvrtko turned his attention to the coast. The rapid economic growth of Bosnia, having begun during the reign of Tvrtko's uncle, continued unabated even during the political upheavals that followed Tvrtko's accession. The export of metal ores and metalwork (mainly silver, copper and lead) formed
23572-402: The total population. The first Yugoslav census recorded a decreasing number of Croats; from the first census in 1948 to the last one in 1991, the percentage of Croatians decreased from 23% to 17.3%, even though the total number increased. According to the 1953 census, Croats were in the majority in territories which became part of Banovina of Croatia in 1939. Their total number was 654,229, which
23738-468: The upper Podrinje , Gacko , and a part of Polimlje with the Mileševa Monastery . This was the first significant expansion of Bosnia during Tvrtko's reign and gave him substantial influence over Serbian affairs. In 1374, Tvrtko married Dorothea , daughter of Tsar Ivan Stratsimir of Bulgaria . The marriage was likely arranged by Louis, who had kept Dorothea and her sister as honored hostages at his court to ensure Ivan Stratsimir's loyalty. The bride
23904-550: The very beginning of the uprising against the Axis, many Bosnian Croats became commanders of partisan units (e.g., Josip Mažar-Šoša, Ivica Marušić-Ratko etc.), even though the units themselves were predominantly composed of Serbs. The territory that partisans liberated and managed to keep under their control from November 1942 to January 1943 (dubbed the Republic of Bihać ) included all of rural Western Herzegovina west of Neretva and Široki Brijeg, including Livno. Livno and its area, under partisan control from August to October 1942,
24070-432: The victory of the Bosnian army, led by Duke Vlatko Vuković . 15 June 1389, the date by which Tvrtko had intended to complete his conquest of Dalmatia, was also the day when the Ottoman army met the forces of a coalition of Serbian states at the Battle of Kosovo . Tvrtko, feeling it is his duty as king of Serbia, ordered his army to leave Dalmatia and assist the lord's Lazar Hrebljanović and Vuk Branković . He resented
24236-475: The war in 1878, and this resulted in over 150,000 refugees who went to Croatia. After the Congress of Berlin was held in the same year, Bosnia and Herzegovina was transferred to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Even after the fall of Ottoman rule, the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided. In the Habsburg Kingdom of Croatia , Croatian politicians strived for the unification of the Kingdom of Dalmatia with Croatia. Another ambition of Croatian politicians
24402-401: Was 767,247. In comparison to the 1971 census, for the first time, the percentage of Croats was below 20%, and after 1981, their percentage continued to fall. From 1971 to 1991, the percentage of Croats fell due to emigration into Croatia and Western Europe. Nevertheless, the fall in population percentage is only absent in western Herzegovina municipalities where Croats account for more than 98% of
24568-508: Was Orthodox, but the marriage was celebrated in the Catholic rite by Tvrtko's old enemy Peter, bishop of Bosnia, to whom Tvrtko then awarded large tracts of land. Tvrtko thereby solidified his relations with the Roman Catholic Church and earned recognition from Pope Gregory XI . The division of Nicholas Altomanović's lands created friction between Tvrtko and Đurađ I Balšić since the latter seized coastal župas , which Tvrtko had expected to annex. In early 1377, Tvrtko successfully plotted with
24734-417: Was adopted among historians like Jiriček (in 1923), Ćorović (1925), Dinić (1932), Solovjev (1933). Such an opinion, still perpetuated only in Serbian historiography , contradict recent researches based on modern methodology elsewhere. Citing more recent archaeological and historical researches, Croatian and Bosnian historians agree that the coronation took place in the Franciscan Church of Saint Nicholas in
24900-430: Was betrayed in June 1379, when the city overthrew its Venetian governor and submitted again directly to Louis. The failure to seize Kotor, the damage to the Bosnian economy from the Ragusan embargo, and the need for easier access to maritime trade led Tvrtko to found the youngest medieval town on the eastern Adriatic coast. In early 1382, Tvrtko constructed a new fortress in the Bay of Kotor and decided that it should form
25066-417: Was conquered in 1481, while northern Bosnia was still under Hungary and Croatia until 1527 when it was conquered by the Ottomans. After the Turkish conquest, many Catholic Bosnians converted to Islam, and their numbers in some areas shrank as many fled from fear of conversion and persecution. The Ottoman conquest changed the demographics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reducing the number of Catholics, and eliminating
25232-478: Was declared by the Bosnian Croat leadership as a temporary region, which after the war ended, would again become part of a united Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the beginning of the Bosnian War , Bosnian Croats were first to organize themselves, especially Croats in western Herzegovina who were already armed. At the end of May 1992, Croats launched a counter-offensive, liberating Mostar after a month of fighting. Also, in central Bosnia and Posavina, Croatian forces stopped
25398-508: Was founded in 1902, and in 1907 it was merged with the Croatian Society for Education of Children in Craft and Trade, also founded in 1902, into Croatian Cultural Society Napredak (Progress). Napredak educated and gave scholarships to more than 20,000 students. Students of Napredak were not only Bosnian Croats but also Croats from other regions. Kallay tried to unify all Bosnians into a single nation of Bosniaks, but he failed to do so after Bosnians created their national political parties. Before
25564-513: Was halted by the political execution of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan by the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I in Vienna in 1671. Subsequently, the Croatian elite in the 18th century gradually abandoned this combined Croatian standard. The Illyrian movement was a 19th-century pan- South Slavic political and cultural movement in Croatia that had the goal to standardise the regionally differentiated and orthographically inconsistent literary languages in Croatia, and finally merge them into
25730-402: Was help the dispossessed widow safely reach her native Albania. The ambitious Nicholas soon started inciting rebellions against Tvrtko; Sanko Miltenović rose against his lord again and was once more defeated and pardoned in 1369. Tvrtko and Nicholas made peace in August 1370, but the latter's belligerence soon earned him the enmity of all his neighbours. Entering into a coalition with Venice and
25896-399: Was likely born within a year of their marriage, which was celebrated in 1337. His father was the brother of the Bosnian ban , Stephen II , and his mother the daughter of the Croatian lord George II Šubić of Bribir . Although Vladislav was still alive, Stephen's title passed directly to Tvrtko; the reason for Vladislav's exclusion from the Kotromanić succession is unclear. Tvrtko, however,
26062-415: Was not recognized as king by any of the Serbian magnates, effectively leaving the throne vacant. Serbia was divided between Marko (whose small realm extended no further than western Macedonia ), Lazar (the greatest lord), Vuk Branković (Lazar's son-in-law), George of Zeta, and Tvrtko of Bosnia. The idea of restoring the Serbian Empire nevertheless persisted. George discussed it in one of his charters, but
26228-479: Was only about fifteen years old at the time, so his father governed as regent . Soon after his accession, Tvrtko travelled with his father throughout the realm to settle relations with his vassals . Jelena replaced Vladislav as regent upon his death in 1354. She immediately travelled to Hungary to obtain consent to Tvrtko's accession from King Louis I , his overlord. Following her return, Jelena held an assembly ( stanak ) in Mile , with mother and son confirming
26394-412: Was preoccupied with political struggles, which led to the collapse of the state after Dušan Simović organized a coup in March 1941 and after which Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia. King Alexander was killed in 1934, which led to the end of the dictatorship. In 1939, faced with killings, corruption scandals, violence, and the failure of centralized policy, the Serbian leadership agreed on a compromise with
26560-541: Was reached with the vice- ban of Dalmatia by which Tvrtko was to inherit all the cities held by his maternal grandfather and a city which belonged to his aunt Katarina. Still, it is unknown whether he actually took possession of them. The state assembled by Tvrtko's uncle Stephen broke apart on Tvrtko's accession, much to the satisfaction of his overlord King Louis. The Hungarians were keen to encourage Stephen's vassals to act independently from Tvrtko, forcing Tvrtko to compete with Louis for their loyalty in order to rebuild
26726-556: Was restored to the throne. On 25 July, however, both women ended up imprisoned by the supporters of the murdered monarch's son, King Ladislaus of Naples . Civil war engulfed Mary's realm. Her betrothed, Sigismund , invaded Bohemia with the intent to liberate her and ascend her throne. The neighbouring countries took sides: Venice opted for the queens and Sigismund, but Tvrtko chose to support their opponents and Ladislaus's claim to Hungary, thus tacitly renouncing vassalage that had in any case been only nominal since c. 1370. Elizabeth
26892-451: Was shot by Ustaše in Kerestinec prison . Families of Bosnian Croats who left to join the partisan resistance were usually interned or sent to concentration camps by Ustaše authorities. Numerous Bosnian Croats joined the partisan movement, fighting against the Axis forces and the Ustaše regime. Some of them included people's heroes such as Franjo Kluz , Ivan Marković Irac, Stipe Đerek, Karlo Batko, Ante Šarić "Rade Španac" and others. From
27058-437: Was strangled in prison, while Sigismund's coronation as King of Hungary in March 1387 and subsequent liberation of Mary prompted Tvrtko to act more resolutely. From Ragusa, still loyal to Queen Mary, exacted a promise of support against everyone but the Queen. From then on, he was free to attack Dalmatia , ostensibly in the name of the king of Naples. Dalmatian cities remained loyal to Mary and Sigismund, not least thanks to
27224-479: Was that of Vojislav Vojinović . When Vojislav attacked Ragusa in 1361, the republic appealed to Tvrtko for help, but to no avail. Vojislav's widow Gojislava, ruling on behalf of their minor sons, provided Tvrtko with passage through the family's land during his struggle with Vuk, and Tvrtko remained cordial with the family. He was, however, unable to defend her from her nephew Nicholas Altomanović , who, by November 1368, had seized her sons' lands. All Tvrtko could do
27390-488: Was to incorporate the Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Kingdom of Croatia. The Habsburg Governor Béni Kállay resorted to co-opting religious institutions. Soon, the Austrian Emperor gained support to name Orthodox metropolitans and Catholic bishops and to choose the Muslim hierarchy. The first Catholic archbishop was Josip Stadler . Both apostolic vicariates, Bosnian and Herzegovinian, were abolished, and instead, three dioceses were founded; Vrhbosna diocese with
27556-420: Was very important for Bosnian Croat resistance, as key CPP members Florijan Sučić and Ivan Pelivan joined the resistance and mobilized many other Croats. Bosnian Croats' representatives, among which Mostar lawyer Cvitan Spužević , also actively participated in the provisional assembly of the country, ZAVNOBiH (State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina). ZAVNOBiH proclaimed
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