The Triune Kingdom () or Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia () was the concept—advocated by the leaders of the 19th-century
Croatian national revival—of a united kingdom between
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
,
Slavonia
Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
and
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
, which were already within the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
under
one king, who was also the
Emperor of Austria
The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorr ...
, but were politically and administratively separate entities. This concept had roots in the high medieval period, as a successor to the historical
Kingdom of Croatia which was made up of those regions.
After 1867, Croatia and Slavonia were within the
Hungarian half of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
and were
united in 1868 as the
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (; or ; ) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was created in 1868 by merging the kingdoms of Kingdom of Croatia (Habs ...
, where the name ''Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia'' became official. However, Dalmatia, being located in the
Austrian half, still remained de facto separate. Until the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, several Croatian political parties and groups sought recognition of the Triune Kingdom and the incorporation of Dalmatia into Croatia-Slavonia. The Croatian
intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
, especially lawyers and historians, played a key role in interpreting historical sources so as to legitimize the demand for the Triune Kingdom.
History
The unification among the three Kingdoms started gaining popularity in the 14th century and was originally used in the title of the
Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia in the
medieval Croatian Kingdom. The first usage of the term ''Triune Kingdom'' was in 1527 by the Habsburgs, to make the title of the Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia seem grander, this can be seen in titles given to
Krsto Frankopan, as well as other examples from 1527. In 1895 Ivan Bojničić, a member of the Croatian Independent People's Party, wrote about this, saying the recognition of the Triune Kingdom was their primary goal. The
Croatian Sabor was, in 1681, officially named the ''Congregatio Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae'' Later In the 18th century,
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
founded the ''Royal Council for the Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia''. However, only in the early 19th century, in parallel with the demands for the unification of the three Croatian Kingdoms and
modern nation building, did the use of the name "''Triune Kingdom''" intensify.
Prior to 1848, the Croatians had claimed territories which had been contested by both the
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
and the
Vienna Court War Council within the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
, and also by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. During the
Revolutions of 1848
The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
,
Croatian nationalists in the Sabor proposed the unification of the Triune Kingdom, which would be an autonomous Croatian cultural and political union within the Habsburg Empire. Political representatives of Croatia advocated the notion to the Emperor, and demanded the unification of the three Croatian kingdoms. During the revolutions,
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
was temporarily under the control of Ban
Josip Jelačić of Croatia. However, the Italian-speaking elite dominating the
Diet of Dalmatia
The Diet of Dalmatia (, ) was the regional assembly of the Kingdom of Dalmatia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was founded in Zadar in 1861 and last convened in 1912, before being formally dissolved in 1918, with the demise of the Empire.
...
urged autonomy for the Kingdom as an Austrian crown land against the
Croatian national revival movement's demand for a Triune Kingdom.
Following the
Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...
and the
Croatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, the Hungarian claims on
Slavonia
Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
and the Austrian claims on the
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier (; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна крајина, Vojna krajina, sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна граница, Vojna granica, label=none; ; ) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and later the Austrian and Austro-Hungari ...
were formally relinquished. Croatia and Slavonia were unified into the autonomous
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (; or ; ) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was created in 1868 by merging the kingdoms of Kingdom of Croatia (Habs ...
. However, a unification with Dalmatia was denied and while Croatia-Slavonia was incorporated into the
Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen
The Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (), informally Transleithania (meaning the lands or region "beyond" the Leitha River), were the Hungarian territories of Austria-Hungary, throughout the latter's entire existence (30 March 1867 – 16 ...
(Hungarian half), Dalmatia remained a crown land of the ''
Cislethanian'' (Austrian) half of the
Dual Monarchy. Croatia-Slavonia nevertheless formally called itself the "Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia", pressing its claims on Dalmatia.
Sections of the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868 became contentious issues, as the Croatian version defined the territory of the "Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen" as "''a state union of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdoms of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia''". The Hungarian version of the same settlement meanwhile, referred to it as ''Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia'', withholding the word "Kingdom" and changing the order of the countries names. Documents issued by Austria put the order as "Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia", after instructions from
Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust to distinguish Dalmatia from Croatia and Slavonia in order to emphasize its membership of the Austrian half of the Empire.
During the
Croatian National Revival and the second half of the 19th century, Croatian
intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
, especially lawyers and historians, in the struggle for a united Triune Kingdom, were involved in interpreting historical sources seeking to legitimize and politically argue the full meaning of the name of the Triune Kingdom. By the end of the 19th century, recognition of the Triune Kingdom was the primary goal of the
Independent People's Party, as well as the
People's Party of Dalmatia.
In 1874,
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski (; 29 May 1816 – 1 August 1889) was a Croatian historian, politician, and writer, most famous for delivering the first speech in Croatian before Parliament. Considered a renowned patriot, Kukuljević was a proponent ...
published various findings from archival collections—in his work ''Codex Diplomaticus'',
[Codex diplomaticus regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, Volumes 1–2, Tiskom D. Albrechta, 1874]
/ref> now kept in the Croatian State Archives
The Croatian State Archives () are the national archives of Croatia located in its capital, Zagreb. The history of the state archives can be traced back to the 17th century. There are also regional state archives located in Bjelovar, Dubrovnik ...
—documents from all periods that speak of the ''Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia'', consisting of:
* Privileges – ''Privilegia Regnorum Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae'', dated 1377
* Protocols – ''Protocolla Congregationis generalis Regnorum Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae'', dated 1557
* Minutes – ''Acta Congregationum Regni'', dated 1562
* Minutes – ''Transumpta documentorum iura Croatica tangentium'', dated 1249
See also
* Trialism in Austria-Hungary
References
Sources
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* {{ISBN missing, date=September 2023
Political terminology of Croatia
19th century in Croatia
20th century in Croatia
Politics of Austria-Hungary