Military history of Croatia
Encyclopedia
The military history of Croatia includes the history of wars, battles and all military affairs fought in the territory of modern Croatia
and the military history of the Croats
regardless of political geography.
Prince Vojnomir led Croatian army in wars against Avars
at the end of 8th century. He launched a joint counterattack with the help of Frankish
troops under King Charlemagne
in 791. The offensive was successful and the Avars were driven out of Croatia.
Croatian Prince Ljudevit Posavski
raised in 819 in Pannonian Croatia
a rebellion against Frankish
rule. Ljudevit won many battles against Franks, but eventually, in 822 his forces were defeated. One of the main roles in crushing Ljudevit's rebellion had Prince Borna of Croatia
who led the army of Littoral Croatia. Borna reported his successes to the Frankish Emperor, stating that Ljudevit lost over 3,000 soldiers and 300 horses in his campaign.
Croatian prince Trpimir
battled successfully against his neighbours, the Byzantine
coastal cities under the strategos
of Zadar
in 846–848. In 853 he repulsed an attack from an Army of the Bulgaria
n Khan
Boris I and concluded a peace treaty with him, exchanging gifts.
Prince Domagoj of Croatia
is known in the history for his navy which helped the Franks
to conquer Bari
from the Arabs in 871. During Domagoj's reign piracy
was a common practice, which earned him a title of The worst duke of Slavs .
One of the strongest Croatian princes was Branimir
, whose naval fleet defeated the Venetian navy on 18 September 887.
, under the command of general Alobogotur in the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands
. One of Tomislav's admirals lead more than 5,000 sailors, soldiers and their families into Slavic
quarter of Palermo
Sicily
. At the peak of his reign, according to Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos' De Administrando Imperio
, written around 950, Tomislav could raise a vast military force composed out of 100,000 infantrymen and 60,000 horsemen
and a sizable fleet of 80 large ships and 100 smaller vessels (these numbers are highly disputed from today's point of view).
King Dmitar Zvonimir of Croatia took the hard line against the Byzantine Empire
and joined the Normans
in wars against Byzantium. When Robert Guiscard
, Duke of Apulia, invaded the western Balkan provinces of the empire in 1084, Zvonimir sent troops to his aid.
King Petar Svačić
's troops maintained resistance against repelling Hungarian assaults at Mount Gvozd in the war for the succession of the Croatian throne. At the end, the last native Croatian king was defeated and killed by King Coloman of Hungary in the Battle of Gvozd Mountain
(1097).
Historic units and formations originating from the time of the Ottoman wars:
At the beginning of 19th century many Croatian troops (as a part of Austrian
imperial army) fought in Napoleonic wars
against French Grande Armée. After the Treaty of Schönbrunn
and formation of Illyrian Provinces
, several Croatian units were formed as a part of French Army.
On the wave of French revolution, at the end of first half of 19th century Croatian romantic nationalism
emerged to counteract the non-violent but apparent Germanization and Magyarization
. By the 1840s, and during revolutions of 1848
the movement had moved from cultural goals to resisting Hungarian political demands which grew even bigger during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
. Croatian Ban
Josip Jelačić
cooperated with the Austrians in quenching the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
by leading a military campaign into Hungary.
Croatian troops also contributed in other conflicts who involved Austrian Empire
. According to the sources, out of 7,871 sailors on Austrian ships around 5,000 were Croats
. Many of Croatian sailors fought on Austrian side in 1866 during Third Italian War of Independence
in Battle of Vis
.
During World war I, Croatian soldiers served in Croatian Home Guard
units, Croatian military section of Austro-Hungarian army
formed after Croatian–Hungarian Agreement
of 1868. Most notable Croatian commanders of that time were Field Marshal Svetozar Boroević
, General Stjepan Sarkotić and Admiral Maximilian Njegovan
.
Notable battles of World war I that included Croatian troops:
End of the WWI was followed by dissolution of Austro-Hungarian monarchy
and formation of new national states. The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
was formed from the southernmost parts of the Austria-Hungary
but it lasted for only a month.
After it was clear that Austria-Hungary
had lost World War I, the Austrian government decided to give much of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
fleet, to the newly-formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
. This move would have avoided handing the fleet to the Allies, since the new state had declared neutrality.
Soon, the Fleet was attacked and dismembered by the Italian Regia Marina
and the flag-ship SMS Viribus Unitis
was sunk along with his captain and commander of Navy of the newly formed state, admiral Janko Vuković
.
:
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and the military history of the Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
regardless of political geography.
Croatian principalities
First mention of Croatian military actions dates back to the time of Croatian principalities in 8th and 9th century.Prince Vojnomir led Croatian army in wars against Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
at the end of 8th century. He launched a joint counterattack with the help of Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
troops under King Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
in 791. The offensive was successful and the Avars were driven out of Croatia.
Croatian Prince Ljudevit Posavski
Ljudevit Posavski
Ljudevit Posavski was a Croatian Duke of Pannonian Croatia from 810 to 823. The capital of his realm was in Sisak. As the ruler of the Pannonian Slavs, he led an unsuccessful resistance to Frankish domination. He held close ties with the Carantanian and Carniolan tribes and with the Serbian tribe...
raised in 819 in Pannonian Croatia
Pannonian Croatia
Pannonian Croatia was a medieval duchy from the 7th to the 10th century located in the Pannonian Plain approximately between the rivers Drava and Sava in today's Croatia, but at times also considerably to the south of the Sava. Its capital was Sisak...
a rebellion against Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
rule. Ljudevit won many battles against Franks, but eventually, in 822 his forces were defeated. One of the main roles in crushing Ljudevit's rebellion had Prince Borna of Croatia
Borna of Croatia
Borna was the Knez of Littoral Croatia in 803–821 under the Frankish Empire. He was the son of his predecessor, Višeslav.- Ruler of Dalmatia :...
who led the army of Littoral Croatia. Borna reported his successes to the Frankish Emperor, stating that Ljudevit lost over 3,000 soldiers and 300 horses in his campaign.
Croatian prince Trpimir
Trpimir I of Croatia
Trpimir I was a duke of Croatia in 845–864, and the founder of the Croatian House of Trpimirović. Although he was formally vassal of the Frankish Emperor Lothair I, Trpimir used Frankish-Byzantine conflicts to rule on his own.-Reign:...
battled successfully against his neighbours, the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
coastal cities under the strategos
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
of Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
in 846–848. In 853 he repulsed an attack from an Army of the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
Boris I and concluded a peace treaty with him, exchanging gifts.
Prince Domagoj of Croatia
Domagoj of Croatia
Domagoj was a duke of Dalmatian Croatia in 864–876. He is the founder of the House of Domagojević.Domagoj was a powerful Croatian nobelman, with lands around Knin. Following the death of Trpimir I in 864, he usurped the throne of Zdeslav in a civil war...
is known in the history for his navy which helped the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
to conquer Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
from the Arabs in 871. During Domagoj's reign piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
was a common practice, which earned him a title of The worst duke of Slavs .
One of the strongest Croatian princes was Branimir
Branimir of Croatia
Branimir was a ruler of Dalmatian Croatia who reigned as Knez from 879 to 892. He was recognized by Pope John VIII as the Duke of the Croats...
, whose naval fleet defeated the Venetian navy on 18 September 887.
Kingdom of Croatia
First Croatian king Tomislav defeated the Magyar mounted invasions of the Arpads in battle and forced them across the Drava River. In 927 Tomislav's army heavily defeated the army of Bulgarian Emperor SimeonSimeon I of Bulgaria
Simeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
, under the command of general Alobogotur in the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands
Battle of the Bosnian Highlands
In 927 a battle was fought in the Bosnian highlands between the armies of the two Balkan rulers of the time: Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I, the great victor of the Battle of Anchialus over the Byzantine Empire ten years earlier, and King Tomislav of Croatia, the first king of the Croatian state.According...
. One of Tomislav's admirals lead more than 5,000 sailors, soldiers and their families into Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
quarter of Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. At the peak of his reign, according to Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos' De Administrando Imperio
De Administrando Imperio
De Administrando Imperio is the Latin title of a Greek work written by the 10th-century Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII. The Greek title of the work is...
, written around 950, Tomislav could raise a vast military force composed out of 100,000 infantrymen and 60,000 horsemen
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and a sizable fleet of 80 large ships and 100 smaller vessels (these numbers are highly disputed from today's point of view).
King Dmitar Zvonimir of Croatia took the hard line against the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and joined the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
in wars against Byzantium. When Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
, Duke of Apulia, invaded the western Balkan provinces of the empire in 1084, Zvonimir sent troops to his aid.
King Petar Svačić
Petar Svacic
Petar Svačić was the last king of Croatia. It is assumed that he began as a ban serving under king Demetrius Zvonimir of Croatia and was then elected king by the Croatian feudal lords in 1093. Petar's seat of power was based in Knin. His rule was marked by a struggle for control of the country...
's troops maintained resistance against repelling Hungarian assaults at Mount Gvozd in the war for the succession of the Croatian throne. At the end, the last native Croatian king was defeated and killed by King Coloman of Hungary in the Battle of Gvozd Mountain
Battle of Gvozd Mountain
The Battle of Gvozd Mountain took place in the year 1097 and was fought on Petrova gora in central Croatia, between the army of Croatian king Petar Svačić and King Coloman I of Hungary...
(1097).
Notable wars and battles of early medieval times
Notable wars and battles that included Croatian army:- Siege of TrsatSiege of TrsatThe Siege of Trsat was a battle fought over possession of the town of Trsat The city of Tarsatica, where the siege happened, was probably located at the present Old Town in Rijeka, not at Trsat itself, which is found on on a hill overlooking Rijeka on the other side of the Rječina River. Trsat was...
(799) - Battle of KupaBattle of KupaThe Battle of Kupa occurred at Kupa River in 819. It involved the Guduscans of Lika, led by Prince Borna of Croatia against Prince Ludevitus of County between Drava and Sava, who was Borna's nephew.-Battle:...
(819) - Croatian-Bulgarian warsCroatian-Bulgarian warsThe Croatian-Bulgarian Wars were a series of conflicts that erupted three times during the 9th and 10th centuries between the medieval realms of Croatia and Bulgaria...
- Battle of the Bosnian HighlandsBattle of the Bosnian HighlandsIn 927 a battle was fought in the Bosnian highlands between the armies of the two Balkan rulers of the time: Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I, the great victor of the Battle of Anchialus over the Byzantine Empire ten years earlier, and King Tomislav of Croatia, the first king of the Croatian state.According...
(927)
- Battle of the Bosnian Highlands
- Battle of Gvozd MountainBattle of Gvozd MountainThe Battle of Gvozd Mountain took place in the year 1097 and was fought on Petrova gora in central Croatia, between the army of Croatian king Petar Svačić and King Coloman I of Hungary...
(1097) - Siege of ZadarSiege of ZaraThe Siege of Zara or Siege of Zadar was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade and the first attack against a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders...
(1202) – part of Fourth CrusadeFourth CrusadeThe Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire... - Fifth CrusadeFifth CrusadeThe Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....
(1213–1221) - Battle of Klis FortressKlis FortressThe Klis Fortress is a medieval fortress situated above a village bearing the same name, near the city of Split, in central Dalmatia, Croatia. From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, becoming a royal castle that was the seat of many Croatian kings, to...
(1242) – part of Mongol invasion of EuropeMongol invasion of EuropeThe resumption of the Mongol invasion of Europe, during which the Mongols attacked medieval Rus' principalities and the powers of Poland and Hungary, was marked by the Mongol invasion of Rus starting in 21 December 1237... - Battle of Grobnik fieldBattle of Grobnik fieldThe Battle of Grobnik field is a battle that, occurred in 1242 between the Croats and the Tatars. The battle was a focus of an early romantic poem Grobnik field written in 1842 by Dimitrija Demeter for the 600th anniversary of the battle...
(1242) - Battle of BliskaBattle of BliskaThe Battle of Bliska was fought in 1322 between the army of a coalition of several Croatian noblemen and Dalmatian coastal towns and the forces of Mladen II Šubić of Bribir, Ban of Croatia, and his allies.The battle...
(1322) - Battle of SamoborBattle of SamoborThe Battle of Samobor on March 1, 1441 was fought between the forces of Ulrich II of Celje and Stjepan Banić around Samobor, Croatia.In a struggle for succession to the Crown of St...
(1441)
Croatian-Ottoman Wars
- Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman WarHundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman WarThe Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War is the name for a sequence of conflicts, mostly of relatively low-intensity, between the Kingdom of Croatia, which in that period was ruled by a succession of dynasties and Ottoman Empires.- Time span :There are several different variations about the exact...
:- Battle of Krbava fieldBattle of Krbava fieldThe Battle of Krbava field , was fought between the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid II and a Croatian army of the Kingdom of Croatia in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary on September 9, 1493 in the Krbava field, a part of Lika region, southern Croatia...
(1493) - Siege of KlisSiege of KlisThe Siege of Klis was a siege of Klis Fortress in the Kingdom of Croatia within Habsburg Monarchy. For more than two decades, Croatian feudal lord Petar Kružić, also called , defended the fortress against Ottoman invasion...
(1524) - Siege of JajceSiege of JajceThe Siege of Jajce was a siege in 1463 and was part of the Ottoman–Hungarian Wars. The Hungarian victory meant the maintenance of Christiandom in Bosnia and - with the repulse of Ottoman forces - the protection of Hungarian territories for the 15th century....
(1524) - Battle of MohácsBattle of MohácsThe Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....
(1526) - Hungarian campaign of 1527–1528
- Balkan campaign of 1529Balkan campaign of 1529Following Ferdinand I's daring assault on Ottoman Hungary, Suleiman launched a campaign to take the Austrian capital Vienna and thereby strike a decisive blow, allowing him to consoldiate his hold on Hungary.-March:...
- Little War in HungaryLittle War in HungaryThe Little War is a name given to a series of conflicts between the Habsburgs and their allies and the Ottoman Empire between 1529 and 1552...
(1530 – c.1552) - Battle of ĐakovoBattle of ĐakovoThe Battle of Đakovo was a battle fought on October 9, 1537, as part of the Austro-Turkish War .-Battle:After 7 years of war and the failed Siege of Vienna in 1529, the Treaty of Constantinople was signed, in which John Szapolyai was recognized by the Austrians as King of Hungary as an Ottoman...
(1537) - Battle of SzigetvárBattle of SzigetvárThe Siege of Szigetvár or Battle of Szigeth was a siege of the Szigeth Fortress in Baranya which blocked Suleiman's line of advance towards Vienna in 1566 AD...
(1566) - Battle of SisakBattle of SisakThe Battle of Sisak was fought on June 22, 1593, between Ottoman forces of the Bosnian governor-general, or Beylerbeyi, Hasan-paša Predojević, and forces of the Holy Roman Empire under the supreme command of the Styrian general Ruprecht von Eggenberg...
(1593).jpg)
- Battle of Krbava field
- Long WarLong War (Ottoman wars)The Long War took place from 1591 or 1593 to 1604 or 1606 and was one of the numerous military conflicts between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire that developed after the Battle of Mohács.- History :The major participants of this war were the Habsburg Monarchy ,...
(1593–1606) - Great Turkish WarGreat Turkish WarThe Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
(1662–1699)- Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)The Austro-Turkish War or fourth Austro-Turkish War was a short war between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire.The Habsburg army under Raimondo Montecuccoli succeeded to halt the Ottoman army on its way to Vienna in the Battle of Saint Gotthard.Despite this Ottoman defeat, the war ended...
- Battle of Saint Gotthard (1664)
- Battle of Mohács (1687)Battle of Mohács (1687)The Second Battle of Mohács, also known as the Battle of 'Berg Harsány', was fought between the forces of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV, commanded by the Grand-Vizier Sari Süleyman Paşa, and the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, commanded by Charles of Lorraine...
- Battle of SlankamenBattle of SlankamenThe Battle of Slankamen was fought near Slankamen in the Ottoman Sanjak of Syrmia on August 19, 1691 between the Ottoman Empire, and the forces of Austria and states of the Holy Roman Empire as part of the Great Turkish War.The Ottomans had suffered partial military collapse against the Austrians...
(1691) - Battle of ZentaBattle of ZentaThe Battle of Zenta or Battle of Senta, fought on 11 September 1697 just south of Zenta , on the east side of the Tisza river, was a major engagement in the Great Turkish War and one of the most decisive defeats in Ottoman history...
(1697)
- Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)
- Battle of PetrovaradinBattle of PetrovaradinThe Battle of Petrovaradin or Battle of Peterwardein was a decisive victory for Austrian forces in the war between Austria and the Ottoman Empire , at Petrovaradin, now part of Novi Sad, Vojvodina, in Serbia.-History:...
(1716) - Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705)Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705)Battle of Saint Gotthard was fought on December 13, 1705 between an Hungarian army led by János Bottyán and an Austrian-Croatian-Serbian combined army under the command of Hannibal von Heister. The battle took place at Szentgotthárd and Nagyfalva , near the Austro-Hungarian border...
Historic units and formations originating from the time of the Ottoman wars:
- Military FrontierMilitary FrontierThe Military Frontier was a borderland of Habsburg Austria and later the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which acted as the cordon sanitaire against incursions from the Ottoman Empire...
- Grenz infantryGrenz infantryGrenz infantry or Grenzers were light infantry troops who came from the Croatian and Transylvanian Military Frontier in Habsburg Monarchy . This borderland formed a buffer zone between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire, and the troops were originally raised to defend Austria against the...
- Uskoci
- PandursPandursThe Pandurs were Croatian Austrian frontier soldiers, who inhabited the areas of the Kingdom of Croatia and Military Frontier, and fought not only in the East-Turkish front, but also in the West-European front. They were a non-linear army, made out mainly of Croats...
- Royal Cravattes
- Royal Croatian Home GuardRoyal Croatian Home GuardThe Royal Croatian Home Guard was the Croatian army section of the Royal Hungarian Army , which existed from 1868 to 1918. The force was created by decree of the Croatian Parliament on December 5, 1868 as a result of the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement....
19th century
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
imperial army) fought in Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
against French Grande Armée. After the Treaty of Schönbrunn
Treaty of Schönbrunn
The Treaty of Schönbrunn , sometimes known as the Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at the Schönbrunn Palace of Vienna on 14 October 1809. This treaty ended the Fifth Coalition during the Napoleonic Wars...
and formation of Illyrian Provinces
Illyrian provinces
The Illyrian Provinces was an autonomous province of the Napoleonic French Empire on the north and east coasts of the Adriatic Sea between 1809 and 1816. Its capital was established at Laybach...
, several Croatian units were formed as a part of French Army.
On the wave of French revolution, at the end of first half of 19th century Croatian romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
emerged to counteract the non-violent but apparent Germanization and Magyarization
Magyarization
Magyarization is a kind of assimilation or acculturation, a process by which non-Magyar elements came to adopt Magyar culture and language due to social pressure .Defiance or appeals to the Nationalities Law, met...
. By the 1840s, and during revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas
From March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
the movement had moved from cultural goals to resisting Hungarian political demands which grew even bigger during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
. Croatian Ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
Josip Jelačić
Josip Jelacic
Count Josip Jelačić of Bužim was the Ban of Croatia between 23 March 1848 and 19 May 1859...
cooperated with the Austrians in quenching the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
by leading a military campaign into Hungary.
- Battles of Hungarian RevolutionHungarian Revolution of 1848The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
involving Croats:- Battle of PákozdBattle of PákozdThe Battle of Pákozd was a battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, fought on 29 September 1848. It was one of the important battles of the Revolution...
(1848) - Vienna UprisingVienna UprisingThe Vienna Uprising or October Revolution of October 1848 was the last uprising in the Austrian Revolution of 1848....
(1848) - Battle of SchwechatBattle of SchwechatThe Battle of Schwechat was a battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, fought on 30 October 1848 between the Revolutionary Hungarian Army against the army of the Austrian Empire, in Schwechat, near Vienna. This was the last battle of 1848 in the Trandanubian campaign...
(1848) - Battle of MórBattle of MórThe Battle of Mór was a battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, fought on 30 December 1848 between Austria and Hungarian insurgents. The Austrians were led by Croatian Ban Josip Jelačić, while the Hungarians were led by Mór Perczel...
(1848)
- Battle of Pákozd
Croatian troops also contributed in other conflicts who involved Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. According to the sources, out of 7,871 sailors on Austrian ships around 5,000 were Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
. Many of Croatian sailors fought on Austrian side in 1866 during Third Italian War of Independence
Third Italian War of Independence
The Third Italian War of Independence was a conflict which paralleled the Austro-Prussian War, and was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire.-Background:...
in Battle of Vis
Battle of Lissa (1866)
The Battle of Lissa took place on 20 July 1866 in the Adriatic Sea near the Dalmatian island of Lissa and was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empire force over a superior Italian force...
.
World War I
Royal Croatian Home Guard
The Royal Croatian Home Guard was the Croatian army section of the Royal Hungarian Army , which existed from 1868 to 1918. The force was created by decree of the Croatian Parliament on December 5, 1868 as a result of the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement....
units, Croatian military section of Austro-Hungarian army
Military of Austria-Hungary
The Military of Austria-Hungary, comprising the Armed Forces, War Office, and intelligence organisations of the Dual Monarchy served as one of the Empire's core unifying institutions and primary instruments for defense as well as external power projection...
formed after Croatian–Hungarian Agreement
Croatian–Hungarian Agreement
Croatian–Hungarian Settlement was a pact signed in 1868, that governed Croatia's political status in the Hungarian-ruled part of Austria-Hungary...
of 1868. Most notable Croatian commanders of that time were Field Marshal Svetozar Boroević
Svetozar Boroevic
Svetozar Boroević von Bojna was an Austro-Hungarian field marshal who was described as one of the finest defensive strategists of the First World War....
, General Stjepan Sarkotić and Admiral Maximilian Njegovan
Maximilian Njegovan
Maksimilijan Njegovan was a Croatian admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He was the Navy's senior administrator as well as its fleet commander in 1917-18.-Background:Njegovan was born in 1858 in Agram...
.
Notable battles of World war I that included Croatian troops:
- Serbian Campaign (World War I)Serbian Campaign (World War I)The Serbian Campaign was fought from late July 1914, when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia at the outset of the First World War, until late 1915, when the Macedonian Front was formed...
(1914) - Adriatic Campaign of World War IAdriatic Campaign of World War IThe Adriatic Campaign of World War I was a naval campaign fought during World War I between the Central Powers, and the Mediterranean squadrons of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Italy, Australia and the United States.-Characteristics:...
(1914–1918) - Battle of Galicia (1914)
- Battle of SočaBattles of the IsonzoThe Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
(1915)
- Battle of CaporettoBattle of CaporettoThe Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
(1915) - Bombardment of AnconaBombardment of AnconaThe Bombardment of Ancona was a naval engagement of the First World War between the navies of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Forces of the Austro-Hungarian Navy attacked and bombarded military and civilian targets all across Ancona in central Italy and several other nearby islands and...
(1915) - Battle of the Piave RiverBattle of the Piave RiverThe Battle of the Piave River , known in Italy as Battaglia del Solstizio , Battaglia di Mezzo Giugno , or Seconda Battaglia del Piave , was a decisive victory for the Italian Army during World War...
(1918) - Battle of Vittorio VenetoBattle of Vittorio VenetoThe Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
(1918)
End of the WWI was followed by dissolution of Austro-Hungarian monarchy
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and formation of new national states. The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was a short-lived state formed from the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after its dissolution at the end of the World War I by the resident population of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs...
was formed from the southernmost parts of the Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
but it lasted for only a month.
After it was clear that Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
had lost World War I, the Austrian government decided to give much of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
fleet, to the newly-formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was a short-lived state formed from the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after its dissolution at the end of the World War I by the resident population of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs...
. This move would have avoided handing the fleet to the Allies, since the new state had declared neutrality.
Soon, the Fleet was attacked and dismembered by the Italian Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
and the flag-ship SMS Viribus Unitis
SMS Viribus Unitis
SMS Viribus Unitis was the first Austro-Hungarian dreadnought battleship of the . Its name, meaning "With United Forces", was the personal motto of Emperor Franz Joseph I.Viribus Unitis was ordered by the Austro-Hungarian navy in 1908...
was sunk along with his captain and commander of Navy of the newly formed state, admiral Janko Vuković
Janko Vukovic
Janko Vuković, sometimes spelt Janko Vukovich or von Vukovich, also known as Janko Vuković de Podkapelski or Janko Vuković-Podkapelski was a Croatian sailor who served in the Austro-Hungarian navy...
.
World War II
Battles of World War II:- Invasion of YugoslaviaInvasion of YugoslaviaThe Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
(1941) - Battle of StalingradBattle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
(1942) - Battle of Neretva (1943)
- Battle of Sutjeska (1943)
- Battle on Lijevča fieldBattle on Lijevca fieldThe Battle on Lijevče field was a battle fought between March 30 and April 8 1945 between the Croatian Armed Forces and the runoff Chetnik forces of Pavle Đurišić, near Banja Luka in what was then the Independent State of Croatia .The Croatian Armed Forces were led by General Vladimir Metikoš,...
(1945) - Battle of Sarajevo (1945)
Croatian War of Independence
Battles of Croatian War of IndependenceCroatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
:
- Operation Coast-91 (1991)
- Battle of the Dalmatian channelsBattle of the Dalmatian channelsThe Battle of the Dalmatian channels was a three-day long confrontation between two task forces of the Yugoslav War Navy and coastal defenses of the Croatian Navy along Šolta island, the port of Split, and the islands of Brač, Hvar and Korčula, which took place from 14 to 16 November 1991...
(1991) - Battle of VukovarBattle of VukovarThe Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army , supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats,...
(1991) - Battle of the barracksBattle of the BarracksBattle of the barracks - sometimes also called War for the barracks - is a term given to a series of engagements that took place throughout Croatia as part of the Croatian War of Independence during 1991, with the most important fighting in September...
(1991) - Operation Otkos 10Operation Otkos 10Operation Otkos 10 was a military offensive undertaken by the Croatian army against the Yugoslav People's Army in SAO Western Slavonia...
(1991) - Siege of DubrovnikSiege of DubrovnikThe Siege of Dubrovnik is a term marking the battle and siege of the city of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area in Croatia as part of the Croatian War of Independence. Yugoslav People's Army invaded the Dubrovnik area in October 1991 from Montenegro, Bosnia and even parts of Croatia, surrounding...
(1991) - Operation MaslenicaOperation MaslenicaIn early September, 1991, during the opening stages of the Croatian War of Independence, Serb-dominated units of the Knin Corps of the Yugoslav People's Army , under the command of Colonel Ratko Mladić and supported by the ethnic Serb Krajina militia, conducted offensive operations against areas...
(1993) - Operation Medak pocketOperation Medak PocketOperation Medak Pocket: Mid-September 1993 United Nations Protection Force and the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry advanced into the Medak Pocket, named after the village of Medak, in Southern Croatia, with orders to implement a ceasefire between the Croatian Army Troops...
(1993) - Operation Winter '94Operation Winter '94Operation Winter '94 was a joint military offensive of Croatian Army and Croatian Defense Council launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 29 and continuing up until December 24 of 1994 during the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War...
(1994) - Operation FlashOperation FlashThe Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991...
(1995) - Operation Summer '95Operation Summer '95Operation Summer '95 was a joint military offensive of Croatian Army and Croatian Defence Council forces launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995 during the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War...
(1995) - Operation StormOperation StormOperation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
(1995) - Operation MistralOperation MistralOperation Mistral were two linked military offensives of the Croatian Army, Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Croatian Defence Council launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina during September 1995 as part of the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War...
(1995)
- Bosnian WarBosnian WarThe Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
- Croat-Bosniak warCroat-Bosniak warThe Croat–Bosniak War was a conflict between the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the self-proclaimed Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia supported by the Republic of Croatia, that lasted from June 19, 1992 – February 23, 1994...
(1992–1994)
- Croat-Bosniak war
See also
- History of CroatiaHistory of CroatiaCroatia first appeared as a duchy in the 7th century and then as a kingdom in the 10th century. From the 12th century it remained a distinct state with its ruler and parliament, but it obeyed the kings and emperors of various neighboring powers, primarily Hungary and Austria. The period from the...
- History of Croatian NavyHistory of Croatian Navy-Early history:According to Longobard writer Pavlo Đakon from the year 642, Croats have many ships under the city of Siponto . There are many records of the problems of the Venetian Republic with Croatian pirates in the Venetian records from the second half of the 7th century. At the time it was a...
- History of Croatian Air ForceHistory of Croatian Air Force- Early aviation history :Some of the first pioneers in aviation were from Croatia or of Croatian descent. Faust Vrančić designed and tested the parachute in 1617. First Croat flying in a balloon was Krsto Mazarović over Zagreb in 1789. David Schwarz created the first flyable Rigid airship...
- Military of CroatiaMilitary of CroatiaCroatian military is officially called Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia and it consists of three branches:* Croatian Army * Croatian Navy...
- Military historyMilitary historyMilitary history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
- List of Croatian soldiers