List of rulers of Croatia


This is a complete list of rulers of Croatia under domestic ethnic and elected dynasties during the Croatian Kingdom. This article follows the monarch's title number according to Hungarian succession for convenience. For example, the Hungarian monarch Béla IV is according to Croatian succession correctly titled Béla III. This is because Hungarians had a king named Béla prior to the incorporation of Croatia under the Hungarian Crown but the Croats did not.

Early history

The details of the arrival of the Croats are scarcely documented. Around 626, Croats migrated from White Croatia at the invitation of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. According to a legend recorded in De Administrando Imperio, the Croats came to their present region under the leadership of five brothers called Kloukas, Lobelos, Kosentzis, Mouchlo, Chrobatos and two sisters called Touga and Bouga.
It is theorized that one of the brothers called Chrobatos gave the name for Croats as a whole, although mainstream historians dismiss this as not verifiable. The Croats started gradually converting to Christianity under the rule of Porga in the 7th century.

Dukes of Pannonia (8th century–896)

Also called Pannonian Croatia in Croatian historiography. Croatian sources claim it was a Croatian duchy while others claim it was an unspecified Slavic duchy with its inhabitants called simply "Slavs".
PortraitNameReign startReign endNotes
Vojnomirc. 791c. 810
Ljudevitc. 823
Ratimir829838
Braslav880c. 896

Dukes of Dalmatian Croatia (7th century–925)

Kings of Croatia (925–1102)

In his letter from 925, Pope John X refers to Tomislav as Rex Chroatorum. All Croatian rulers after Tomislav held the title of king.

Hungarian kings of Croatia (1102–1527)

From 1102, the reigning King of Hungary is also the ruler of the Kingdom of Croatia in agreement with the Croatian nobles. Croatia is governed on his behalf by a viceroy and a parliament.

Under the Habsburgs (1527–1918)

On 1 January 1527, the Croatian Parliament met in Cetin to elect Ferdinand I of Habsburg as the new King of Croatia.

Kings of Yugoslavia (1918–1941)

After the World War I and the breakup of Austria-Hungary, Croatia joined a newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. Following a brief period of self-rule, that state became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes under the Karađorđević dynasty. The name of the kingdom was changed in 1929, amid unitarianist reforms, to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied by the Axis powers along with the rest of Yugoslavia. The Axis set up the Independent State of Croatia as a puppet state, while many Croats fought for the Yugoslav Partisans.

King of the Independent State of Croatia (1941–1943)

During the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, a puppet state under Italian protection called the Independent State of Croatia was created, with Ante Pavelić as its leader. Soon after its creation, the state government passed three laws on the creation of the Crown of Zvonimir, which made the country de jure a kingdom. Three days later the Treaties of Rome were signed. The Italian Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta was designated King of Croatia. He abdicated in 1943.

After WWII


"Duke of Croatia"

The title Duke of Croatia has been used widely: