Croatia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Croatia appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 27 different states, among them Yugoslavia, Austrian Empire, Croatia, Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire.
CroatiaExplore the history of Croatia in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Croatia, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Landmarks
Diocletian's PalaceRuins · AD 305
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Croatia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Croatia belonged to Yugoslavia, Austrian Empire, Croatia, Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, Austria Hungary, along with 21 other states.
What was Croatia part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Croatia lay within Croatia.
What was Croatia part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Croatia lay within Royal Hungary.
What was Croatia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Croatia lay within Austria Hungary.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.