Counties of Croatia - Former Counties

Former Counties

Counties were first introduced in Croatia during the House of Trpimirović's rule. The exact number and borders of these early counties are difficult to determine accurately; they were considered to encompass areas subordinated to a single centre of local authority, but the possessions of significant nobles had a legal status separate from local authority. The following eleven are usually listed as the oldest counties of Croatia, dating back to the 10th century: Livno (encompassing the Livanjsko polje); Cetina (centered on the Cetina river, with its seat in Stolac); Imotski (south of Livno County and Biokovo); Pliva (around the Pliva and Vrbas rivers); Pset or Pesenta (between the Una and Sana rivers); Primorje or Klis (along the Adriatic's coast between Šibenik and Omiš, with its seat in the Klis Fortress); Bribir (to the west of Primorje County); Nona (around Nin and Zadar); Knin (with its seat in the Knin Fortress); Sidraga (in the area between Bribir County and Zadar); and Nina or Luka (between Knin, Nona, Sidraga and Bribir counties). In the same period, the counties in Pannonian Croatia (north of Gvozd Mountain) are poorly documented. It is generally thought that the Pannonian counties were directly subject to the Croatian monarchy, unlike the southern counties controlled by nobles.

The county number, extent and authority have varied significantly, reflecting: changes in the monarchial and noble relative influences; Ottoman conquest and Croatian recapture of various territories; and societal and political changes through several centuries. In the 13th and 14th century, the Croatian nobility grew stronger and the counties defined by the king were reduced to a legislative framework, while military and financial power was concentrated in the feudal lords. Other forms of administration that overlapped with county administration in this period included the Roman Catholic Church and the free royal cities, and separately the cities of Dalmatia. After Croatia became a crown land of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1527, the importance of counties faded even further, but was gradually restored after 1760.

In the 19th century, the Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas brought upon numerous political changes and introduced a civic government of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia as part of Austria-Hungary, which in turn proceeded to absorb the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontiers in 1881. The last major reorganisation of the counties was in 1886, when eight counties were established within the kingdom. This layout largely remained in effect until the Croatian counties were abolished in 1922, while some minor adjustments of county boundaries happened in 1913. The counties were set up as self-governmental units in contrast to earlier county incarnations since the Middle Ages. Each had an assembly with the wealthiest taxpayers comprising half the assembly members and elected members comprising the remaining half.