Krešimir III of Croatia

Krešimir III
King of Croatia
Reign	1000–1030
Predecessor	Svetoslav Suronja of Croatia
Successor	Stjepan I of Croatia
Died	1030
Burial	Church of St. Stephen, Solin
Issue	unnamed daughter
House	House of Trpimirović, founder of House of Krešimirović
Father	Stjepan Držislav of Croatia
Religion	Christian

Krešimir III (Latin: Cresimir) (died 1030) was a King of Croatia in 1000–1030 from the House of Trpimirović and founder of its cadet line House of Krešimirović. He was the middle son of former King Stjepan Držislav. Until 1020, he co-ruled with his brother Gojslav.

After Croatia's King Stjepan Držislav died in 997, his brother Svetoslav Suronja had become King of Croatia. Together with his two brothers Gojslav and Krešimir, they fought between each other for the crown in a civil war. The two brothers probably used his alliance with the Byzantine Empire to ask Bulgaria for help. During that time, a Bulgarian invasion was taking place in which the Bulgarian monarch Samuil pillaged the Dalmatian cities and great parts of Bosnia. During last two years (999–1000) of the Croatian civil war, the revolters had managed to depose Svetoslav Suronja probably with some Bulgarian help, who later turned to the Venetian Doge for alliance in year 1000. Answering that political change, the Venetian Doge Pietro II Orseolo started military intervention in Dalmatia in which he will emerge victorious.

In Trogir, which was brought under Venetian control, there was a meeting between Doge Pietro Orseolo II and the deposed king, in which his son Stephen was to be taken hostage and marry the Doge's daughter, Joscella (Hicela) Orseolo, as part of the agreement made at their meeting. It is assumed that he is the same one who succeeded Krešimir III as king, but this is controversial, since the father of king Stephen is referred as Krešimir in other sources. At that point, all the Dalmatian rulers submitted to the Doge "except for the King of the Croats".

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