duchy · Balkans and Hungary
Duchy of Split
Origins
In the struggle for the Hungarian crown between Sigismund of Luxembourg and Ladislaus of Naples, the powerful Bosnian noble Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić backed Ladislaus. In 1403 Ladislaus rewarded him with the title of Duke of Split, together with the islands of Brač, Hvar and Korčula, carving a duchy out of royal Dalmatia.
Rule and society
Hrvoje ruled from Split while remaining Grand Duke of Bosnia, so the duchy linked the inland Bosnian lands with the Adriatic trade of the city. Split kept its communal statutes and council. Hrvoje's court produced the richly illuminated Glagolitic Missal of Hrvoje, made in Split around 1404, one of the finest Croatian medieval manuscripts.
Decline and legacy
Hrvoje later reconciled with Sigismund, but fell from favour and was declared a traitor in 1413; Split threw off his rule and returned to the Hungarian crown. Hrvoje died in 1416, and in 1420 Split passed to Venice, which held it for nearly four centuries.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Duchy of Split was a vassal of Kingdom of Bosnia1403 CE – 1413 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Split. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-split
- MLA
- “Duchy of Split.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-split. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Split.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-split.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Split’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-split (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻