Bosnian Croats
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 544,780 (2013) | |
| Languages | |
| Croatian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Primarily Croats other South Slavs |
The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, often referred to as Bosnian Croats, are the third most populous ethnic group in that country after Bosniaks and Serbs, and are one of the constitutive nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are a native ethnic group of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina have made significant contributions to the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their mother tongue is Croatian, and most identify as Roman Catholic, although there is a small minority of atheists.
From the 15th to the 19th century, Croats in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina were often persecuted under the Ottoman Empire, causing many of them to flee the area. In the 20th century, political turmoil and poor economic conditions caused more to emigrate. Ethnic cleansing within Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s saw Croats forced to different parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, although having lived in numerous regions prior to the Bosnian War. According to the report by the Bosnia and Herzegovina statistics office, on the census of 2013 there were 544,780 Croats living in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croats settled the areas of modern Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 7th century. There, they assimilated with native Illyrians and Romans during the great migration of the Slavs. The Croats adopted Christianity and began to develop their own culture, art, and political institutions, culminating in their own kingdom, which consisted of two principalities: Pannonian Croatia in the north, and Dalmatian Croatia in the south. Red Croatia, to the south, was land of a few minor states. One of the most important events of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early Middle Ages is the First Croatian Assembly held in 753 in Županjac (present-day Tomislavgrad). The second major event was the coronation of Tomislav, the first King of Croatia, in ca. 925, in the fields of Županjac. By this act, Pannonian Croatia and Dalmatian Croatia formed a united Croatian kingdom, which included Dalmatia and part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pannonia (eastern Slavonia and northeastern Bosnia), and Savia (western Slavonia). A basic feature of that period in Croatia is its isolation from European cultural and political events which resulted in a small number of secular monuments.
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Wikipedia