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Serbs of Croatia are the largest national minority in Croatia today. They currently comprise 4.5% of Croatia's total population. According to the 2001 Croatian population census there were 201,631 Serbs in the country. The modern estimates, however, record a significant drop in the population, mainly due to negative increase, estimating to be around 180,000 people . The total population of Serbs who originate directly from Croatia is estimated at around 700,000 people. Due to various reasons, mainly the mass-flight during Operation Storm, only a fraction of Croatian Serbs actually still live in their native homeland of Croatia. The Croatian electoral commission recorded on the 2007 minority national councils elections 274,968 eligible Croatian voters of Serb ethnicity, but mainly of foreign residence.

The most famous Croatian Serb was the 19th century scientist, Nikola Tesla.

Population

The number of Serbs in Croatia was much larger in 1991, when they numbered at 581,663 and over 12,2% of the total population of Croatia. The largest exactly recorded number of Serbs in a census was in 1971 when there were 626,789 Serbs in SR Croatia (over 14% of the total at the time). During World War II, Serbs comprised 30% of the population of the Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945) and lived on one half of its soil, but that territory also included all of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 1931 census in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia recorded around 633,000. The 1840 Austrian population census conducted in Croatia and Slavonia, 504,179 Serbs were registered, which formed 32% of Croatia's population . The loss of the heavily Serb populated Eastern Srijem region, the incorporation of Istria region into the People's Republic of Croatia, and the non-inclusion of Croat dominated regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the People's Republic of Croatia, as had been done in the Banovina of Croatia are examples of territorial changes that either increased or reduced the relative percentage of the Croatian population that was Serb.

The largest decrease in the number of Serbs in Croatia occurred in during Croatia War of Independence. The majority of the population continues to live in exile in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, where, as of 2005, there were still 200,000 refugees .

Geographical representation

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The largest concentration of Serbs in the Republic of Croatia is probably in the capital, Zagreb. Most Croatian Serbs were and still are concentrated in regions of, Banija, Kordun, Lika, Northern Dalmatia, Slavonia, Srem and Baranja. Smaller numbers can be found in Dalmatia, Bilogora, Moslavina, Gorski kotar and Istria.

There were 16 municipalities with a Serb majority:

• Dvor and Gvozd in Sisak-Moslavina county;
• Krnjak in Karlovac county;
• Donji Lapac and Vrhovine in Lika-Senj county;
• Erdut, Jagodnjak and Šodolovci in Osijek-Baranja county;
• Biskupija, Civljane, Ervenik and Kistanje in Šibenik-Knin county;
• Borovo, Markušica, Negoslavci and Trpinja in Vukovar-Srijem county.

In 2001 there were four counties where the Serbs numbered over 10% of the population: Vukovar-Srijem county, Sisak-Moslavina county, Karlovac county and Lika-Senj county.

Prominent individuals

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see also:List of Serbs

Many famed Serbs were born on the territory of today's Croatia. These include

• Nikola Tesla, a scientist whose most famous contribution was arguably the discovery of trophase electricity
• Geophysicist Milutin Milanković who confounded the Theory of Ice Age
• Mathematician Jovan Karamata
• Austro-Hungarian General Svetozar Boroević von Bojna
• Josif Runjanin (the composer of the Croatian national anthem Our Beautiful Homeland)
• Botanist Josif Pančić
• Wrter Dejan Medaković (whose father was a member of the Croatian Parliament)
• Writer Vladan Desnica (whose ancestor Ivan Desnica was from a noble family and leader of the Military Frontier)
• Simo Matavulj
• Sava Mrkalj.

• Dr Božidar Petranović founded the first Serbian literal and scientific paper in Dalmatia (Zadar) in the 19th century, the Serbian-Dalmatian Magazine (Srpsko-dalmatinski magazin).
• Svetozar Pribićević was the main Serbian representative from Austro-Hungary, a politician in the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. He died as a writer in exile in Prague.
• Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga was a famous outlaw in Slavonia during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia who started his own "revolution" by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor in the likelihood of Robin Hood.
• Jovanka Budisavljević Broz, the wife of Josip Broz Tito.
• Jovan Rašković was the initiator of a movement for Serbian autonomy within Croatia.
• Count Medo Pucić was one of the most prominent men of the 19th century Dubrovnik. Balthazzar Bogišić was the creator of the first constitution of Montenegro.

.

• Mihailo Merćep was a famous bicyclist and flight pioneer.
• Milan Rešetar, writer
• Pero Budmani, writer
• Predrag Stojakovic, a famous basketball player.
• Petar Preradović, a famous Croatian writer.
• Milka Dudundić, wife of the Croatian President, Stjepan Mesić.
• Footballer Milan Rapaić
• Footballer Dado Pršo

Language

Most Croatian Serbs use a neo-shtokavian dialect of Serbian language with ijekavian pronunciation, while those in eastern Slavonia and Baranja mostly use ekavian pronunciation. For reference, see the following maps of dialects:

Serb children receive education in standard Serbian language and the Cyrillic script in schools of eastern Slavonia, as defined by Treaty of Erdut (which re-integrated the region into Croatia in 1997/1998).

Religion

Most of Serbs in Croatia are Serbian Orthodox. There is one Metropolinate divided in 4 Dioceses:

• Metropolitanate of Zagreb, Ljubljana and whole Italy, with a see in Zagreb
  • Eparchy of upper Karlovac, with a see in Karlovac
  • Eparchy of Dalmatia, with a see in Šibenik
  • Eparchy of Osječko polje and Baranja, with a see in Dalj
  • Eparchy of Slavonia, with a see in Daruvar

There are also numerous Orthodox monasteries across the country: Krka Monastery, Krupa Monastery, Dragović Monastery, Lepavina Monastery and Gomirje Monastery being one of them. Many Orthodox churches were demolished during recent war.

History

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Early Middle Ages

Toponyms and early appearances

According to Serbian linguists the first mention of Serbs is a toponym - the ancient stronghold of Srb on the river Una as early as the 9th century, citing the resemblance of the terms Serb & Srb. Croatian linguists reject this citing the noun "Srb" derived from the old Croatian verb "serbati" and denoting the spring of the river Una.

According to the Royal Frankish Annals of the Frankish historian Einhard, Prince Liudevit of Pannonia (continental Croatia) fled to the Serbs in 822, tricked the Serbian ruler by killing him and taking the power over Serbs for himself. At this time, the Serbs controlled the greater part of Dalmatia (referring to the ex Roman province).

According to one of the theories of the coming of Serbs onto the Balkan peninsula, they first came to western Dalmatia to Srb (at Una) and then Solin (near Split).

Pattern of Serb Settlement In Illyricum

According to De Administrando Imperio (chapters 32-36) from 950, written by Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos, the following lands in the south of the Roman province of Dalmatia were settled by the Serbs:

• Raška
• Duklja
• Pagania (Narenta)
• Zahumlje (Zachlumoi)
• Travunia and Konavli

Of these areas, Pagania/Narenta bordered on Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, and it was inhabited by what are described as unbaptized Serbs. The other regions did not directly border the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia (although the description of the high country is unclear in the document), and were Christian.

Most of Pagania/Narenta and small southern parts of Zahumlje and Travunia and Konavli are today part of Croatia, and the rest is mostly part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Raška is located in Serbia and Duklja mostly in Montenegro.

Late Middle Ages

During civil war in August of 1292 titular Hungarian king Charles Martel of Anjou nominated Vladislav son of Dragutin Nemanjić Ban of Slavonia which is during this time controled by forces loyal to Andrew III of Hungary. Slavonia will never be ruled by Vladislav because even after he has switched sides Andrew III has refused to give him Slavonia which is given to king mother Tomasina Marosini (ducissa totius Solavoniae) and latter to Babonići nobles. This decision will be latter confirmed by Charles Martel son Charles I of Hungary .

There are three major Serbian Orthodox monasteries in northern Dalmatia: Krupa, which has been financed by Serbian King Stephen Uroš II Milutin from 1317. It was finished only with financial help of Serbian Emperor Stephen Uroš IV Dušan in 1346; This both rulers has been from the House of Nemanja. Krka was built in 1346 by the wife of ban Mladen Šubić, Jelena, sister of Stephen Dušan. Dragović was also built in the 14th century, but it was moved stone by stone during the construction of an artificial Peruča lake nearby during Communist Yugoslavia.

During second half or 14 century when Bosnia has annexed parts of Croatia we are having small migrations of Serbs and Vlachs from today Bosnia to today northern Dalmatia in Croatia. This will be only beginning in future massive migrations during wars with Ottoman Empire.

Serbian Despots have throughout the 15th century gained numerous vestiges in Slavonia region, where they have ruled with title Kingdom of Hungary baron because this territory is part of Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen. After the Ottoman Turks expelled the entity with the conquest of Smederevo in 1459, the Titular Serb Despots continued to maintain baron title (and territory) on Hungarian soil until 1530

Early Modern Period

During the period of the Habsburg-Ottoman wars there have been constant population migrations in the territory of modern-day Croatia. Ottoman invasion instigated a partial change in the ethnic aspect of Vojna Krajina. Large numbers of Croats abandoned their homes and moved northward seeking safety, some even going out of Croatia altogether into Austria (see Burgenland Croats). The Ottomans, on the other hand were settling, first orthodox Vlachs, and then Serbs in the area. During the following centuries, the Vlachs were assimilated by the Serbs but evidence of their existence is the 1630 document, the Statuta Wallachorum. The Habsburgs created the Military Frontier out of territory of the Croatian Crown as a defense against the Turks, and greatly expanded it further upon reconquering large territories the Ottomans conquered from Croatia. The Frontier (i.e. the "Vojna Krajina") was mostly inhabited by Serbs and Vlachs the Turks had settled there.

In 1578 the area was populated largely by Orthodox Serbs and Vlachs. The Serbs were also fleeing to Krajina due to Ottoman persecution, and became frontiersmen for the Habsburgs in exchange for land and liberty. In addition, this was the only requirement for their permanent stay in the region. These inhabitants were required to serve a certain amount of years in the Habsburg army, after wich they would be granted land, becoming free peasants. Serbs were thus regarded as some kind of military class because of this. The tradition lasted up to the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia, where Serbs were disproportionately represented in the Croatian military and law enforcement.
The area of the Military Frontier was reunited with the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia in the year 1881 after Bosnia and Herzegovina had been occupied by Austro-Hungary. Until the unification with Croatia, the Military Frontier Vice-Ban was always of Serb nationality. During the last two decades of the 19th century Croatian Ban (Viceroy) Khuen Hedervary (a Hungarian), relied on Serb parties in the Croatian parliament to maintain a governing majority. Because of this the Serbs came to occupy a disproportionate share of civil service posts in Croatia, causing resentment on the part of the majority Croatian population.

World War II

World War II was a dark time for Serbs in Croatia after the Ustaše came to power and formed the Independent State of Croatia and enacted racial laws aimed primarily against the Croatian Serbs. Catholic monks and priests, including Archbishop Saric of Sarajevo (who was nicknamed the "Hangman of Serbs") , supported forcible conversions and were silent about the killings. The Ustaše fascist regime set about a policy of "racial purification" against Serbs, Jews and Gypsies. It was declared that one-third of the Serbian population would be deported, one-third converted to Roman Catholicism, and one third killed. Ustaša bands actively terrorized the countryside. In addition, the Ustaše regime organized extermination camps, the most notorious one at Jasenovac where Serbs, Jews, Gypsies, and other opponents were massacred in large numbers. Between 330,000 and 500,000 of Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were killed by the Ustasha during the entire war.

Recent history

The census of 1991 was the last one held before the war in Croatia, marked by ethnic conflict between the Orthodox Serbs and the Catholic Croats. Around 580,000 citizens declared themselves as Serbs. In the ethnic and religious makeup of population of Croatia of that time, those two sets of numbers are quoted as important:

• Croats 78.1%, Catholics 76.5%
• Serbs 12.2%, Orthodox Christians 11.1%

Two major sets of the population changed during this period - the first one during the earlier stage of the war, around 1991, and the second one during the later stage of the war, around 1995.

After the Yugoslav wars, the numbers are:

• Croats 89.6%, Catholics 87.8%
• Serbs 4.5%, Orthodox Christians 4.4%

In the earlier stages of the war, most of the Croats of eastern Slavonia, Baranja, Banija, Kordun, eastern Lika, northern Dalmatian Zagora and Konavle fled those areas as they were under Serbian military control. Most of the Serbs from Bilogora and northwestern Slavonia fled those areas as they were under Croatian military control . In later stages of the war, most of the Serbs of western Slavonia, Banija, Kordun, eastern Lika and northern Dalmatian Zagora fled those areas as they came under Croatian military control.

The population move is seen by some as a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Many incidents can be clearly explained as ethnic cleansing:

• the attacks on and the subsequent expulsion of Croatian population from the villages and towns of Škabrnja, Kijevo, Vukovar, Lovas, etc;
• and the attacks on and the subsequent expulsion of Serbian population from places such as the Medak pocket, and the events such as the Gospić massacre.

It is widely assumed to have been a war in which ethnic cleansing was generally used. But no international institution has yet established a clear pattern that would indicate that either side in the war in Croatia committed ethnic cleansing on the scale of the whole country, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague. The leader of the rebel Serbs Milan Babić was indicted, plead guilty and was convicted for persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, a crime against humanity, which combined with the content of his indictment implies that there was ethnic cleansing on the whole area of Krajina.

The war ended with military victories of the Croatian government in 1995 and subsequent peaceful reintegration of the remaining renegade territory in eastern Slavonia in 1998. The exodus of the Krajina Serbs in 1995 was prompted by the advance of the Croatian troops, but was mostly self-organized rather than forced. All of them were officially called upon to stay shortly before the operation, and called to return after the end of the hostilities, with varying but increasing degrees of guarantees from the Croatian government. Everyone that participated in the rebellion but committed no crimes were pardoned by the government in 1997.

Two thirds of the Serbs remain in exile. The other third either returned or had remained in Zagreb and other parts of Croatia not directly hit by war. But most other Croat refugees returned to their homes.

The current reasons why many Serb refugees still have not returned vary:

• Integration at the current place of displacement.
• Appalling economic conditions in areas they fled from, by and large rural ones.
• Fear of prosecution for war crimes. The Croatian legal system, like the ICTY, has secret lists of war crimes suspects, and many returnees were caught by surprise when the authorities arrested them upon re-entering the country.
• Fear of retribution.
• Ethnic discrimination.
• Unfavorable property laws.

In 2004/2005, the government of Serbia had about 140,000 refugees of unsolved status from Croatia registered on its territory. About 13,000 house repair demands were pending with the Croatian authorities.

The property laws allegedly favor Croats who immigrated into the previously Serb-dominant areas after having been forced out of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Serbs. Under the current law, a person who occupies someone else's previously vacated house and does not have alternative accommodation (such as their own home or a place in a refugee camp), is allowed to stay in someone else's private property as a refugee, without being charged for squatting. The number of such individuals and families has dropped significantly in the 2000s, and a certain amount of property was returned to its previous owners. However, at the same time not all of the former refugees actually left the same houses, and instead remained in the occupied houses illegally. In 2004, the authorities noted around 1,400 houses still occupied by former refugees, and in 2005, this number was reduced to 385 housing units.

The successive post-war Governments have worked with the local Serb representatives to rectify the war-related problems, with the support of the international community and under the watch of the independent media, but at the same time, cooperation on the lower levels has been lacking. The participation of the largest Serbian party SDSS in the Croatian Government of Ivo Sanader has eased tensions to an extent, but the refugee situation is still politically sensitive. In 2005 and 2006, the presidents Mesić of Croatia and Tadić of Serbia exchanged official visits and met with the respective national minorities of their respective countries.

On the 2007 elections for local National Councils, there were 274,968 eligible Croatian voters of Serb ethnicity for the County national councils. Only 23,325 voted or 8.48%. For the Civic National Councils there were 131,717 registered Serb voters, 8,413 or 6.39% voted. And for the municipal Serb national councils with 76,697 eligible voters, 11,161 or 14.55% voted.

Current Problems

According to a report done by the University of Maryland, since the end of the Tudjman era, tensions have been reduced but significant problems remain. The two pressing issues are (i) high levels of official and societal discrimination against Serbs and (ii) the indeterminate position of hundreds of thousands of Serb refugees (some of whom have returned) who have not had their property restored or been compensated for their losses. New laws continue to be introduced to combat discrimination, demonstrating an effort on the part of authorities, but it will take time to assess their implementation and efficacy. Recent court decisions also suggest progress on property restoration and allocation of reconstruction funds to Serbs but, again, these are small advances relative to the size of the challenge. Lengthy and in some cases unfair proceedings, particularly in lower level courts, remain a major problem for returnees pursuing their rights in court. Croatian Serbs continue to be discriminated against in access to employment and in realising other economic and social rights. Some cases of violence and harassment against Croatian Serbs continue to be reported.

• Vojna Krajina is the region that most Serbs lived in. Vojna Krajina is the region that most Serbs lived in.
• An old Serbian man living in Croatia. An old Serbian man living in Croatia.
• A replica of a Serbian military uniform. A replica of a Serbian military uniform.

See also

• Croatia
• List of Serbs
• Republic of Serbian Krajina
• Serbs

External links

• The Serbs in the Former SR of Croatia
• Prosvjeta - Serb Cultural Society
• Reference to etymology of the name Srb
• Reference to Istarski Razvod - related to etymology of Srb
• Tradition chest adornment worn in Kninska Krajina

References

2. Estimated current population of Serbs originating from Croatia
3. The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 1986 Reference: EB, Edition 1986, Macropedia, Vol 29, page 1061 Entry: Yugoslavia, Croatia, History
4. The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 1986 Reference: EB, Edition 1986, Macropedia, Vol. 29, page 1061 Entry: Yugoslavia, Croatia, History
5. Human Rights Watch World Report: Croatia 2001-2003.
6. http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=34401
7. http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGEUR640032005

Other sources

• Croatian census 2001 - see under "Crostat Databases"->"Censuses"
• Development of Astronomy among Serbs II, Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, , Belgrade: M. S. Dimitrijević, 2002.

• Vladimir Ćorović. Illustrated History of Serbs, Books 1 - 6. Belgrade: Politika and Narodna Knjiga, 2005

• Nicholas J. Miller. Between Nation and State: Serbian Politics in Croatia before the First World War, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997.

• OSCE Report on Croatian treatment of Serbs

• In an interview on Fokus (30 September 2005), Croat academic Petar Simunovic explained that the name of Srb originates from an old Croatian verb serbati, srebati meaning "to sip", from which the noun "srb" has been derived. Thus "srb" denotes the spring of river Una, where the village lies. Compare this with the villages of Srbani (near Pula), and Srbinjak, both in Istria, which clearly have nothing to do with the Serbian name. The Istarski razvod from 13th century mentions the name of srbar, meaning a water spring.

• Articles lacking sources from April 2008
• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from December 2007
• Ethnic groups in Croatia
• Serbian minorities