History of Croatia
| 800 B.C. | Oldest archaeological finds: the first settlers were Celts. The Illyrians settled along the coast. |
| 300 B.C. | Founding of Illyrian state under King Agron |
| 168 B.C. | Romans subdue Illyrian kingdom. |
| 480 | Fall of western Roman Empire: Istria and Dalmatia adhere to East Rome |
| around 620 | Arrival of Croats from the North |
| until 925 | Under Byzantine and Frankish suzerainty |
| 925 | Independent kingdom under King Tomislav |
| 1102-1526 | Beginning of Hungarian control. Croatia becomes Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. |
| 1527-1918 | Hungary comes under the Habsburgs, and Croatia under Austrian-Hungarian rule; Croatia belongs to the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918. |
| 01.12.1918 | Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
| 06.01.1929 | Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| 06.04.1941 | German troops invade Yugoslavia |
| 10.04.1941 | "Independent State of Croatia" = UstaŠa State led by Ante Pavelić |
| 29.11.1945 | Federative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito |
| 28.06.1948 | Breach with Moscow |
| 1970/71 | "Croatian Spring": national-democratic mass movement led by intellectuals, students and the Croatian party leadership, crushed by the Yugoslavian government. |
| 04.05.1980 | Death of Tito |
| 08.04.1990 | Dr. Franjo Tuđman becomes President of the Croatian Republic-Presidium. |
| Mai 1990 | HDZ wins absolute majority in first free parliamentary elections. |
| 17.03.1991 | "Serbian Republic of Krajina" declares independence. |
| 25.06.1991 | Croatian declaration of independence |
| Sept. 91 | War breaks out in Croatia. |
| 23.12.1991 | Recognition by Germany and most other EU States with effect from 15 January 1992 |
| 19.01.1992 | Diplomatic relations established with Germany. |
| 04.-07.08.1995 | Croatian forces reconquer Serb-controlled Krajina. |
| 12.11.1995 | Erdut Agreement with authorities in Serb-controlled areas in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia on reincorporation into Croatia |
| 14.12.1995 | Croatia is a co-signatory to the Dayton agreement. |
| 23.08.1996 | Normalisation agreement between Croatia and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
| 06.11.1996 | Croatia accepted into the Council of Europe. |
| 03.01.2000 | Parliamentary elections result in new government under social-democratic leadership (six-party coalition). |
| 27.05.2000 | Croatia accepted into "Partnership for Peace". |
| 29.10.2001 | Signing of Stability and Association accord with EU |
| 21.02.2003 | Application to join European Union |
| 23.11.2003 | Parliamentary elections result in new government under leadership of HDZ |
| 18.06.2004 | European Council awards Croatia status of candidate for accession. |
| 03.12.2005 | Beginning of accession negotiations with European Union |
Famous Croats
| History Nikola Šubić Zrinski, *1508 - †1566 (legendary commander during the Turkish Wars) Matija Gubec, *1538 - †1573 (leader of peasant revolt in the 16th century) Josip Jelačić von BuŽim, *1801 - †1859 (commander, politician, Croatian Ban or margrave) Vlatko Maček, * 1879 - †1964 (moderate politician, leader of Croatian Peasant Party before independent statehood was achieved) Ante Pavalić, *1889 - †1959 (leader of UstaŠa movement in Second World War) Josip Broz Tito, *1892 - †1980 (socialist dictator, founder of non-aligned movement, first state president of new Republic of Yugoslavia following Second World War) Franjo Tuđman, *1922 -†1999 (first president of independent Republic of Croatia following civil war) |
 Nikola Šubić Zrinski |
 Nikola Tesla |
Science Stanislav Pavao Skalić, *1534- †1573 (invented the term "encyclopaedia" in 1559) Faust Vrančić, *1551 - †1617 (inventor of the parachute) Ruđer Josip BoŠković, *1711 - †1787 (philosopher and natural scientist) Ivan Lupis-Vukić, *1813 - †1875 (inventor of the torpedo) David Schwarz, *1850 - †1897 (builder of the first airship) Nikola Tesla, *1853 - †1943 (physicist, discoverer of alternating current) Andrija Mohorovičić, *1857- †1939 (geophysicist, discovered Mohorovicic discontinuity) Josip Vučetić, *1858 - †1925 (researcher into fingerprinting) Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, *1871 - †1922 (inventor of the first mechanical fountain pen) William Feller *1906 - †1970 (mathematician) Anthony Maglica (inventor of the Mag-Lite torch) |
| Literature Marko Marulić *1450 - †1524 (poet and European humanist) Franz Christoph Frankopan *1643 - †1671 (count and lyricist, beheaded for taking part in a conspiracy) Ivan Gundulić *1589 - †1638 (most significant writer of the Baroque era) Miroslav KrleŽa *1893 - †1981 (recognised as Croatia’s most significant and prolific writer) |
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| Music Vatroslav Lisinski *1819 - †1854 (composer) Ivo Pogorelić *1958 (pianist) |
 Vatroslav Lisinski |
| Film Miroslav Nemec *1954 (known since the 1990s as the German TV detective Ivo Batić) Goran ViŠnjić *1972 (actor best known for Emergency Room) |
|
 Ivan MeŠtrović |
Fine arts Antun Mihanović, *1796 - † 1861 (sculptor and professor of sculpture) Antun Mihanović *1796 - †1861 (poet, painter, diplomat; wrote the words to the national anthem) |
