Banovina of Croatia

The '''Banovina of Croatia''' or '''Banate of Croatia''' ([[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], {{lang-sh|Banovina Hrvatska}}, [[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic script]]: Бановина Хрватска) was a province ([[Subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia|banovina]]) of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] between 1939 and 1943 (''de facto'' up to 1941). Its capital was at [[Zagreb]] and it included most of present-day [[Croatia]] along with portions of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Serbia]]. It included area of 65,456 km² and had population of 4,024,601. Its flag was the red white and blue Croatian tricolor. Ban of the Banovina of Croatia in that period was [[Ivan Šubašić]]. ==History== The banovinas of Yugoslavia, established in 1929, deliberately avoided following ethnic or religious boundaries which resulted in the country's [[Croats|ethnic Croats]], like other ethnic groups, being divided among several banovinas. Following a struggle within the [[unitary state|unitary]] Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Croat leaders won [[autonomy]] for a new ethnic-based banovina with the [[Cvetković-Maček Agreement]]. On the basis of the political agreement between [[Dragiša Cvetković]] and [[Vlatko Maček]], and the Decree on the Banate of Croatia (''Uredba o Banovini Hrvatskoj'') dated August 24, 1939, the Banate of Croatia was created. The entire area of the [[Sava Banovina|Sava]] and [[Littoral Banovina]]s was combined and parts of the [[Vrbas Banovina|Vrbas]], [[Zeta Banovina|Zeta]], [[Drina Banovina|Drina]] and [[Danube Banovina|Danube]] banovinas (districts [[Brčko District|Brčko]], [[Derventa]], [[Dubrovnik]], [[Fojnica]], [[Gradačac]], [[Ilok]], [[Šid]] and [[Travnik]]) were added to form the Banate of Croatia. The borders of the Banate of Croatia are partly the historical borders of [[Croatia]], and partly based on the application of the principle of ethnicity according to which Bosnian and Herzegovinian territory with a majority [[Croat]] population was annexed to the Banate. Under the Agreement, central government continued to control [[defense (military)|defense]], internal [[security]], [[foreign affairs]], [[trade]], and [[transport]]; but an elected [[Parliament of Croatia|Sabor]] and a crown-appointed [[ban (title)|ban]] would decide internal matters in Croatia. Ironically, the Agreement fueled [[separatism]]. Maček and other Croats viewed autonomy as a first step toward full Croatian independence, so they began haggling over territory; Serbs attacked Cvetković, charging that the Agreement brought them no return to democracy and no autonomy; Muslims demanded an autonomous [[Bosnia]]; and Slovenes and Montenegrins espoused [[federalism]]. [[Prince Paul of Yugoslavia|Regent Pavle]] appointed a new government with Cvetković as prime minister and Maček as vice prime minister, but it gained little support. In 1941, the [[World War II]] [[Axis Powers]] occupied Yugoslavia, and establishing a government-in-exile in London. Legally, the Banovina of Croatia remained a part of the occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia, while the Axis proceeded to dismember Yugoslav territory and the Banovina along with it. Some of the coastal areas from [[Split (city)|Split]] to [[Zadar]] and near the [[Gulf of Kotor]] were annexed by [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Fascist Italy]] but the remainder was added to the [[Independent State of Croatia]], a Nazi puppet-state formed in occupied Yugoslavia. As the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] became the [[Democratic Federal Yugoslavia]] with the success of the [[Yugoslav Partisans]], a new [[Federal State of Croatia]] was established within it, succeeding the Banovina. ==Population== {{History of Croatia}} Banovina of Croatia was populated mostly by Croats (74%), but it also had large Serb minority (19%). It was divided on 99 kotars of which 81 had Croat majority, 17 Serbian (12 absolute, 5 relative) and 1 which Muslim majority which were not considered separate nation at the time. ==Sports== The [[Croatian Football Federation]] was the governing body of football within the Banovina. It organized [[Croatian First League 1940-41|a domestic league]] and a [[Croatia national football team|national team]]. The Banovina of Croatia had four international matches: two pairs of home-and-away matches against [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]]. The Croatian Rowing Championships were held on June 29, 1940. The [[Croatian Boxing Federation]] was reconstituted on October 5, 1939 as the governing body of boxing within the entire Banovina of Croatia. ==External links== {{commonscat|Banovina of Croatia}} *[http://terkepek.adatbank.transindex.ro/kepek/netre/178.gif Map of Yugoslav banovinas with the Banovina of Croatia] {{hu icon}} {{banovine}} {{Coord missing|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Banovina Of Croatia}}