Coins of Croatia

The Croats like the Serbs, are believed to be a purely Slavic people who migrated from Ukraine and settled in the present-day Croatia around the 6th. century.   After a period of short-rule in 1091, Croatians came under Hungarian authority.  Fighting the Turks was an unending crusades since 1414.  After the fall of Constantinople, the Turks were repulsed from Croatia.  In 1493, the Bosnian nobility named Yakub invaded Crotia and defeated them.  In the middle of the 15th. century, the Croats with the help of the Hansburgs, managed to thwart the Ottoman and by 18th. century, much of Croatia was freed from Turkish control.  In 1809, Napolean conquered Croatia, set the Kingdom of Illyria, a union of all Croatian territories.  Following World War I, and the demise of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire in 1929, Croatia joined other Balkan states to form Yugoslavia and later the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia under the leadership of President Tito.  On Nov. 23. 2003, national election took place, and a free government was formed under the Prime Minister of Sanadar.