During the height of the Roman Empire, Croatia was then known as the province of Illyrium and is supposedly the place Illyria in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Slavic Croat tribes from what is now Poland settled in Croatia during the 7th century and soon formed two principalities, namely Pannonia and Dalmatia. After suffering a series of invasions by barbarians from the north and east it soon became part of Charlemagne’s empire in the 9th century.
When the power of the Carolingian Empire waned, Croatia became a newly formed independent nation. Their independence didn’t last for long since the Hungarian Empire had its eye on the neophyte nation and subjected it to their rule from the years 1102 until 1918 .After the defeat of Hungary during the First World War, Croatia became independent again and joined the Kingdoms of the Serb, Croats and Slovenes to form Yugoslavia.
During World War II when Germany invaded the region, Croatia again became independent with a mostly pro-Nazi government leadership. After the war Croatia joined the newly formed Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The Croats were soon dismayed by the leadership of the country and wanted independence. The turning point for Croatian independence was in 1991 when it declared independence from Yugoslavia. War soon followed between the Serb led Yugoslav army against the Croats which ended in 1995 with Croatian victory.
Today, Croatia is a parliamentary democracy with lots of historic sites for tourists to visit. For the first time in more than 800 years Croatian and tourists can enjoy the many scenic places the country has to offer.