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Dalmatia (Italian Dalmazia, Serbo-Croatian Dalmacija/Далмација) is a region of Croatia on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, spreading between the island of Pag in the northwest and the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The inner Dalmatia (Dalmatinska Zagora) stretches from up to fifty few kilometers inland in the north to just a few kilometers in the south.

Dalmatia is currently composed of four counties, capital cities of which are Zadar, Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik.

The larger Dalmatian islands are Dugi otok, Ugljan, Pašman, Brač, Hvar, Korčula, Vis, Lastovo and Mljet. The larger Dalmatian mountains are Dinara, Mosor, Kozjak and Biokovo. The rivers are Zrmanja, Krka, Cetina and Neretva.

Due to the way sea currents flow and how the winds blow on the Adriatic, the sea water is much cleaner and much warmer than it is on the Italian side. This, along with the immense number of coves, islands and channels, makes Dalmatia a really attractive place for nautical races, and nautical tourism in general. There's a fair number of marinas there, of course.

Dalmatia also includes several national parks that are tourist attractions in their own right: Paklenica karst river, Kornati archipelago, Krka river rapids and Mljet island within island.

History

Illyria and the Roman Empire

The history of Dalmatia began when the tribe from which the country derives its name declared itself independent of Gentius, the Illyrian king, and established a republic. Its capital was Delminium; its territory stretched northwards from the river Narenta (Neretva) to the river Cetina, and later to the Kerka (Krka), where it met the confines of Liburnia.

The Roman Empire started the occupation of Illyria in year 168 B.C., forming the province Illyricum. In 156 B.C. the Dalmatians were for the first time attacked by a Roman army and compelled to pay tribute. In AD 10, during the reign of Augustus, Illyricum was split into Pannonia in the north and Dalmatia in the south, after the last of many formidable revolts had been crushed by Tiberius in AD 9. This event was followed by total submission and a ready acceptance of the Latin civilization which overspread Illyria.

The province of Dalmatia spread inland to cover all of the Dinaric Alps and most of the eastern Adriatic coast. Its capital was in the city of Salona (Solin). Emperor Diocletian made Dalmatia famous by building a palace for himself a few kilometers south of Salona, in Aspalathos (Split). Other Dalmatian cities at the time were:

• Tarsatica (Trsat, now part of Rijeka)
• Senia (Senj)
• Vegium (Karlobag)
• Aenona (Nin)
• Iader (second-largest city of Zadar)
• Scardona (Skradin, just north of Šibenik)
• Tragurium (Trogir)
• Aequum (Čitluk near Sinj)
• Oneum (Omiš, south of Split)
• Issa (Vis)
• Pharus (Hvar)
• Corcyra (Korčula)
• Narona (tiny town of Vid near present day Metković)
• Epidaurus (Cavtat just south of Dubrovnik)
• Rhizinium (Risan)
• Acruvium (Kotor)
• Dulcigno (Ulcinj)
• Scodra (Shkodër)
• Dyrrachium (Durrës)

The collapse of the Western Empire left this region subject to Gothic rulers, Odoacer and Theodoric the Great, from 476 to 535, when it was added by Justinian to the Eastern Empire.

Italic city states and Slavic country

Following the great Slavonic migration into Illyria in the first half of the 7th century, the Dalmatian hinterland became populated by Slavic tribes such as the Serbs and Croats. The maritime city-states, however, remained powerful as they were highly civilized and able to rely on the moral if not the material support of their kinsfolk in Italy.

The native Italic population lived safely in Ragusa, Zara and other large towns, while the country districts were settled by the Slavs. The country was thus divided between two communities, frequently hostile at first.

In 806 Dalmatia was temporarily added to the Holy Roman Empire, but the cities were restored to Byzantium by the Treaty of Aachen in 812. The Saracens raided the southernmost cities in 840 and 842, but this threat was eliminated by a common Frankish-Byzantinian campaign of 871.

Since the 830s, the duchy of Croatia controlled the northern and central parts of Dalmatia, while the Serb duchies of Pagania and Zahumlje controlled the southern parts (and further inland). The Narentines of Pagania (named after the river Narenta, today's Neretva) utterly defeated a Venetian fleet dispatched against them in 887, and for more than a century exacted tribute from Venice itself. In 998 they were finally crushed by the doge Pietro Orseolo II, who assumed the title duke of Dalmatia, though without prejudice to Byzantine suzerainty. Meanwhile the Croat kings exacted tribute from the Italian cities, Trail, Zara and others, and consolidated their own power in the purely Slavonic towns, such as Nona (Nin) or Zaravecchia (Biograd na moru).

The Christian schism was an important factor in the history of Dalmatia. While the Slav (Croat) church of Nona (Nin) was under Papal jurisdiction, the Italic population of the cities and the Holy See as well preferred the Latin liturgy. The great schism between Eastern and Western Christianity of 1054 further intensified the rift between the coastal cities and the hinterland, with many of the eastern Slavs (Serbs) preferring the Orthodox (or sometimes the Bogomil creed). The Latin influence was increased and the Byzantine practices were further suppressed on the general synods of 1059-1060, 1066, 1075-1076 and others local synods, notably by demoting the bishopric of Nona, installing the archbishoprics of Spalato and Dioclea, and explicitely forbidding use of any liturgy other than Greek or Latin.

Dalmatia never attained a political or racial unity and never formed as a nation, but it achieved a remarkable development of art, science and literature. The lands in the northeast such as Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria had each its period of national greatness, but the Dalmatian city-states, often isolated and compelled to look to Italy for support, shared perforce in the march of Italian civilization.

The once rival Italic and Slavic races eventually started contributing to a common civilization, evidenced in the literature of Ragusa (called Dubrovnik by the Slavs) of the 15th century.

The geographical position of the Dalmatian city states suffices to explain the relatively small influence exercised by Byzantine culture throughout the six centuries (535-1102) during which Dalmatia was part of the Eastern empire. Towards the close of this period Byzantine rule tended more and more to become merely nominal.

Rivalry of Venice & Hungary in Dalmatia, 1102-1420

As the city states gradually lost all protection by the Byzantium, being unable to unite in a defensive league hindered by their internal dissensions, they had to turn to either Venice or Hungary for support. Each of the two political factions had support within the Dalmatian city states, based mostly on economic reasons.

The Venetians, to whom the Dalmatians were already bound by language and culture, could afford to concede liberal terms as its main goal was to prevent the development of any dangerous political or commercial competitor on the eastern Adriatic. The seafaring community in Dalmatia looked to Venice as mistress of the Adriatic. In return for protection, the cities often furnished a contingent to the army or navy of their suzerain, and sometimes paid tribute either in money or in kind. Arbe (Rab), for example, annually paid ten pounds of silk or five pounds of gold to Venice.

Hungary, on the other hand, having defeated the last Croat king in 1097, laid claim on all lands under the claim of the Croatian noblemen since the treaty of 1102 and the conquest of Dalmatia in 1102-1105 by Coloman of Hungary. The farmers and the merchants who traded in the interior favoured Hungary as their most powerful neighbour on land that affirmed their municipal privileges. Subject to the royal assent they might elect their own chief magistrate, bishop and judges. Their Roman law remained valid. They were even permitted to conclude separate alliances. No alien, not even a Hungarian, could reside in a city where he was unwelcome; and the man who disliked Hungarian dominion could emigrate with all his household and property. In lieu of tribute, the revenue from customs was in some cases shared equally by the king, chief magistrate, bishop and municipality.

These rights and the analogous privileges granted by Venice were, however, too frequently infringed. Hungarian garrisons were being quartered on unwilling towns, while Venice interfered with trade, the appointment of bishops, or the tenure of communal domains. Consequently the Dalmatians remained loyal only while it suited their interests, and insurrections frequently occurred. Even in Zara four outbreaks are recorded between 1180 and 1345, although Zara was treated with special consideration by its Venetian masters, who regarded its possession as essential to their maritime ascendancy.

The doubtful allegiance of the Dal