Croatia & Austria: A Historical Union

Yes, Croatia was ruled by Austria for several centuries. The Kingdom of Croatia was part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1527, following the Election in Cetin, and was part of the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, it became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918. During this time, Croatia was subject to direct Imperial Austrian rule for significant periods.

Croatia was ruled by the Habsburgs from 1527 to 1918

Croatia was ruled by the Habsburg monarchy from 1527 to 1918.

In 1526, the Hungarian king Louis II was killed in battle against the Ottomans, and the Hungarian parliament elected János Szapolyai as the new king of Hungary. However, another Hungarian parliament elected Ferdinand Habsburg as King of Hungary in December 1526. The following year, Croatian nobles assembled in Cetingrad and chose Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg as their ruler, marking the start of Habsburg rule in Croatia.

During the period of Habsburg rule, Croatia experienced territorial losses and gains, as well as changes in administration and governance. In the 16th century, the Kingdom of Croatia suffered large territorial losses in wars with the Ottoman Empire. By the 18th century, the kingdom included only a small north-western part of present-day Croatia around Zagreb and a strip of coastland around Rijeka. The Ottoman Empire expanded to include most of Slavonia, western Bosnia, and Lika.

In the 18th century, the Habsburgs began to regain Croatian crown lands from the Ottomans and Venice. The territory recovered from the Ottomans was formed into the Kingdom of Slavonia, subordinate to the Croatian Kingdom. In 1744, these territories were merged to create the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. In 1767, Empress Maria Theresa founded the Croatian Royal Council as the royal government of Croatia and Slavonia, with its seat in Varaždin. However, the council was abolished in 1779, and Croatia was relegated to a single seat in the governing council of Hungary.

In the 19th century, Croatian romantic nationalism emerged to counteract the non-violent Germanization and Magyarization of the region. The Croatian national revival, known as the Illyrian movement, began in the 1830s and led to important advances in the Croatian language and culture. The official language in Croatia was changed from Latin to Croatian in 1847.

In the revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire, the Croatian Ban Josip Jelačić cooperated with the Austrians against the Hungarian Revolution. Despite this contribution, Croatia later became subject to Baron Alexander von Bach's absolutism and Hungarian hegemony when the Austrian Empire was transformed into the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.

In 1868, the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement was negotiated, combining Croatia and Slavonia into the autonomous Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. However, the governor was still appointed by Hungary, and Hungary retained authority over the sea port of Rijeka and a significant portion of tax revenue.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Croatian politics was marked by the rise of nationalist movements, such as the Party of Rights led by Ante Starčević, which advocated for Croatian "state rights" and an independent Great Croatia. Following World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Croatian lands were incorporated into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, bringing an end to Habsburg rule in Croatia.

Croatia was part of the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867

The Kingdom of Croatia had been part of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown, but was subject to direct Imperial Austrian rule during significant periods of its existence, including its final years. Its capital was Zagreb. The kingdom was also part of the lands of the Habsburg monarchy from 1527, following the Election in Cetin.

Croatia's history is marked by its position as a borderland between the central European and Mediterranean worlds. The territory of Croatia lay just within the borders of the Western Roman Empire, and in the 6th and 7th centuries CE, Slavs settled in the western Balkans, merging with the indigenous Latinized population. In the 9th century, an independent Croatian state with its centre in northern Dalmatia emerged. This state grew into a powerful military force under King Tomislav, who reigned from c. 910 to 928.

However, over the following centuries, Croatian territory was eroded, with the loss of Dalmatia to Venice by 1420, and later, the Ottoman conquests in the 16th century. The Kingdom of Croatia suffered large territorial losses in wars with the Ottoman Empire, and by the 18th century, the kingdom only included a small north-western part of present-day Croatia around Zagreb and a small strip of coastland around Rijeka.

In 1804, the Habsburg monarchy became the Austrian Empire, and Croatia was annexed. The Austrian Empire lasted until 1867, when it became the Austro-Hungarian Empire following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. During this period, the Austrian Habsburgs defended the remaining Croatian territory by establishing the Military Frontier, a defensive zone along the border with Ottoman-controlled lands. The Military Frontier was ruled directly by the Habsburg war council and attracted Croatian peasants and a larger Orthodox inflow from Ottoman-conquered territories, leading to the origin of Croatia's minority Serb population.

Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867 to 1918

Following the fall of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Croatian nobles convened in the town of Cetin in 1527 and chose to join the Habsburg monarchy under Austrian King Ferdinand I of Habsburg. This union lasted almost 400 years, including periods of direct Imperial Austrian rule.

In 1867, the Austrian Empire became the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Croatia was placed under the rule of Hungary. The Kingdom of Croatia and the Kingdom of Slavonia were joined to create the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia within the Hungarian part of the empire. However, the Kingdom of Dalmatia remained a crown land in the Austrian part of the empire.

Under the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement (Nagodba) of 1868, Croatian statehood was formally recognised. However, Croatia was stripped of control over its affairs. The governor (ban) was appointed by Hungary, and 55% of tax money went to Budapest. Additionally, Hungary had authority over the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia's biggest seaport, Rijeka.

During this period, Croatian romantic nationalism emerged to counteract the non-violent but apparent Germanisation and Magyarisation. The Croatian national revival, which began in the 1830s with the Illyrian movement, played a significant role in advancing the Croatian language and culture.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Croatian separatism and the desire for a South Slav state within or outside the Austro-Hungarian Empire shaped much of Croatian political thought. The crisis of Austro-Hungarian dualism and the accession of the Russophilic Karadjordjević dynasty in Serbia in 1903 led to a more favourable climate for cooperation between Croats and Serbs. This cooperation was embodied in the Croat-Serb Coalition of political parties, which emphasised the links between the two groups.

The Kingdom of Croatia was subject to direct Imperial Austrian rule for significant periods

In 1527, Croatian and Hungarian nobles convened the Croatian Parliament in Cetin and chose to join the Habsburg monarchy under the Austrian king Ferdinand I of Habsburg. The Kingdom of Croatia had large territorial losses in wars with the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Until the 18th century, the kingdom included only a small north-western part of present-day Croatia around Zagreb, and a small strip of coastland around Rijeka, that were not part of the Ottoman Empire or part of the Croatian Military Frontier.

In 1699, the Ottoman Empire was driven out of Ottoman Hungary and Croatia, throughout the course of the Great Turkish War, and Austria brought the territory back under central control. In 1744, the Kingdom of Slavonia, subordinate to the Croatian Kingdom, was formed from territory recovered from the Ottoman Empire. In 1767, Empress Maria Theresa founded the Croatian Royal Council as the royal government of Croatia and Slavonia, with its seat in Varaždin, later in Zagreb, presided by the ban. However, she also ignored the Croatian Parliament.

In 1804, the Habsburg monarchy became the Austrian Empire, which annexed the Venetian Republic in 1814 and established the Kingdom of Dalmatia. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the Kingdom of Croatia and Kingdom of Slavonia were joined to create the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia within the Hungarian part of the empire, while the Kingdom of Dalmatia remained a crown land in the Austrian part of the empire.

The Austrian Habsburgs defended Croatia from the Ottoman Empire

The Austrian Habsburgs were elected to the Croatian throne in 1527, following the death of King Louis II of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács. They defended Croatia from the Ottoman Empire by establishing the Military Frontier (German: Militärgrenze; Serbo-Croatian: Vojna Krajina), a defensive zone along the border with Ottoman-controlled lands. This reduced the amount of land under the control of the Croatian nobles, the Sabor (Croatian Parliament), and the ban (viceroy).

The Military Frontier was ruled directly by the Habsburg war council, and its military units attracted not only Croatian peasants but also a larger Orthodox inflow from Ottoman-conquered territories, leading to an influx of Serbs, Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and other Slavs. This was the origin of Croatia's minority Serb population.

The Austrian Habsburgs' defensive efforts against the Ottoman Empire were not always successful. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire gradually expanded to include most of Slavonia, western Bosnia, and Lika, reducing Croatian territory under Habsburg rule to about 20,000 square kilometres. However, the establishment of the Military Frontier and the encouragement of settlement in the area helped to defend what remained of Croatia from Ottoman incursions.

In 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent took advantage of the conflict between King Sigismund II of Poland and Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, to launch his sixth raid of Hungary with 100,000 troops. They were stopped in 1566 at the Battle of Szigetvár, where 2,300–3,000 men led by Count Nikola IV Zrinski held out for a month, decimating the Ottoman army before being wiped out themselves. This siege bought enough time for Austrian troops to regroup and prevented the Ottomans from reaching Vienna.

By 1699, the Ottoman Empire was driven out of Hungary and Croatia during the Great Turkish War, and Austria brought the territory back under central control.

Frequently asked questions