History of Croatia

Croats have been Catholic since the 7^th century. In the 10^th century the country became an independent country until it came under the control of Hungary towards the end of the 10^th century. In the 16^th century the Hungarian empire was defeated by the Habsburg and Ottomans who divided up the lands between them. Habsburg took control of most modern day Croatia. The Habsburg Empire ruled Croatia until 1815 when the Austrians took over.

The destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the First World War saw the creation of a new kingdom made up of the Serbs, Croats and Solvenians which later became known as Yugoslavia. For a brief period during the Second World War Croatia became an independent country again however it rejoined Yugoslavia in 1945 following a communist takeover.

Yugoslavia began to disintegrate in 1990, ten years after the death of Tito. Elections in Croatia in 1990 saw a Croat Nationalist Party win the majority of the seats. This prompted Serbs forces to invade Croatia in 1991. Peace was brokered by the UN in 1992 after almost 2 years of fierce fighting which saw the Serbs take control of 1/3 of Croatia. In 1995 Croatia launched a surprise attack on the Serbs and took back parts of their territory they has lost years before. Following this fighting, the Croats and the Serbs agreed on a  peace treaty called the Dayton Accord. Since 1995 Croatia has improved relations with the Serbs although some tension still exists.