Governorship of Dalmatia
Encyclopedia
The Governorate of Dalmatia was a province of Italy, created in April 1941 from occupied Yugoslav
territory annexed after the German blitzkrieg Invasion of Yugoslavia
.
that were occupied and annexed by Italy
from April 1941 to September 1943. Italy already had, since 1919, the Italian Province of Zara on the Dalmatian coastline with Zara (Zadar
) as capital and the island of Lastovo
after World War I
(for a total area of about 200 square kilometers).
The creation of the Governorship of Dalmatia fulfilled the requests of Italian Irredentism. But not all of Dalmatia was annexed by Italy, as the German puppet state - the Independent State of Croatia
- took some sections of the Dalmatian areas, though the Italian army held control over all of Dalmatia.
The Kingdom of Italy divided the Governorate in three Italian provinces: Zara (Zadar
), Split
and Kotor
, but never created officially an Italian region with the name "Dalmatia". While the Governorate was not officially a region of Italy, the northern Dalmatian islands of Krk
and Rab
were administratively united to the Italian province of Rijeka and became areas of Italy
.
In September 1941, Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini
, ordered the military occupation of the entire Dalmatian coast and islands (like Dubrovnik
, Vis
, and Pag
) that belonged to the puppet Independent State of Croatia
of Ante Pavelić
: he tried to annex those areas to the Governorship of Dalmatia, but was temporarily stopped by the strong opposition of Pavelić, who retained nominal control of those areas.
The northern dalmatian islands of Krk and Rab were not added to the Governorship of Dalmatia, but were added to the Italian "Province of Fiume". This province was enlarged with areas of northern coastal Dalmatia to the east of Rijeka
.
Fascist Italy even occupied Marindol
, and other villages that previously belonged to Banovina of Croatia
, Milić-Selo, Paunović-Selo, Žunić-Selo, Vukobrati, Vidnjevići and Vrhovci. These villages were annexed to Črnomelj
(now Slovenia
), that was part of the Italian Province of Lubiana in 1942, even if the population of those villages was not Slovene but Croatian.
The governorship was held by Giuseppe Bastianini
until January 1943 when he he was recalled to Italy to join the cabinet, his place as governor taken by Francesco Giunta
.
), Kotor
, and Split
. The administrative capital was Zara. After autumn 1941 also the Dalmatian islands of Pag
, Brač
and Hvar
, initially given to Ante Pavelić
, were annexed. These islands were occupied militarily by the Italian army, along with an area of Independent State of Croatia that was off the coast of Sinj
to the center of Bosnia (near Sarajevo
and Banja Luka
).
After the Kingdom of Italy changed sides to the Allies in 1943, German forces took over the area. This territory was not given to the fascist Italian Social Republic
(which was a puppet state of Germany
), but instead completely dissolved and added to the puppet Independent State of Croatia
. But Zara remained Italian (even under control of the German Army) until 1945 (the city suffered a bombing in 1944).
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
territory annexed after the German blitzkrieg Invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
.
Characteristics
The Governorate of Dalmatia was parts of coastal YugoslaviaKingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
that were occupied and annexed by Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from April 1941 to September 1943. Italy already had, since 1919, the Italian Province of Zara on the Dalmatian coastline with Zara (Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
) as capital and the island of Lastovo
Lastovo
Lastovo is an island municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. The municipality consists of 46 islands with a total population of 792 people, of which 93% are ethnic Croats, and a land area of approximately . The biggest island in the municipality is also named Lastovo, as is the...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(for a total area of about 200 square kilometers).
The creation of the Governorship of Dalmatia fulfilled the requests of Italian Irredentism. But not all of Dalmatia was annexed by Italy, as the German puppet state - the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
- took some sections of the Dalmatian areas, though the Italian army held control over all of Dalmatia.
The Kingdom of Italy divided the Governorate in three Italian provinces: Zara (Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
), Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
, but never created officially an Italian region with the name "Dalmatia". While the Governorate was not officially a region of Italy, the northern Dalmatian islands of Krk
Krk
Krk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
and Rab
Rab
Rab is an island in Croatia and a town of the same name located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.The island is long, has an area of and 9,480 inhabitants . The highest peak is Kamenjak at 408 meters...
were administratively united to the Italian province of Rijeka and became areas of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
.
In September 1941, Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, ordered the military occupation of the entire Dalmatian coast and islands (like Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, Vis
Vis (island)
Vis is the most outerly lying larger Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and is part of the Central Dalmatian group of islands, with an area of 90.26 km² and a population of 3,617 . Of all the inhabited Croatian islands, it is the farthest from the coast...
, and Pag
Pag (island)
Pag is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is the fifth-largest island of the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline....
) that belonged to the puppet Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
of Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
: he tried to annex those areas to the Governorship of Dalmatia, but was temporarily stopped by the strong opposition of Pavelić, who retained nominal control of those areas.
The northern dalmatian islands of Krk and Rab were not added to the Governorship of Dalmatia, but were added to the Italian "Province of Fiume". This province was enlarged with areas of northern coastal Dalmatia to the east of Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
.
Fascist Italy even occupied Marindol
Marindol
Marindol or Šobatovci is a settlement on the terrace above the left bank of the Kolpa River in the municipality of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical...
, and other villages that previously belonged to Banovina of Croatia
Banovina of Croatia
The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1943 . Its capital was at Zagreb and it included most of present-day Croatia along with portions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia...
, Milić-Selo, Paunović-Selo, Žunić-Selo, Vukobrati, Vidnjevići and Vrhovci. These villages were annexed to Črnomelj
Crnomelj
Črnomelj is a town and municipality in southeastern Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the Lahinja and Dobličica rivers. The municipality is at the heart of the area of White Carniola, the southeastern part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola...
(now Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
), that was part of the Italian Province of Lubiana in 1942, even if the population of those villages was not Slovene but Croatian.
The governorship was held by Giuseppe Bastianini
Giuseppe Bastianini
Giuseppe Bastianini was an Italian politician and diplomat. Initially associated with the hard-line elements of the fascist movements he later became a member of the dissident tendency....
until January 1943 when he he was recalled to Italy to join the cabinet, his place as governor taken by Francesco Giunta
Francesco Giunta
Francesco Giunta was an Italian Fascist politician.-Early fascist career:Born in the Tuscan town of San Piero a Sieve, he started his career as a lawyer. He served as a machine gun captain in the World War I...
.
Territory
The Governatorate of Dalmatia consisted of three provinces: Zara (ZadarZadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
), Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
, and Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. The administrative capital was Zara. After autumn 1941 also the Dalmatian islands of Pag
Pag
Pag may refer to:*Pag , an island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia*Pag , the largest town on the island of Pag* Pag, the ISO 639-2 and ISO 639-3 code for the Pangasinan languageSee also* PAG...
, Brač
Brac
Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of 396 km², making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. Its tallest peak, Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic...
and Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
, initially given to Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
, were annexed. These islands were occupied militarily by the Italian army, along with an area of Independent State of Croatia that was off the coast of Sinj
Sinj
Sinj is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,448, while the population of the administrative municipality which includes surrounding villages is 24,832 ....
to the center of Bosnia (near Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
and Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
).
| Italian Province | Area (km²) | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Province of Zara | 3,179 | 211,900 |
| Province of Split | 1,075 | 128,400 |
| Province of Kotor | 547 | 39,800 |
| Total | 4,801 | 380,100 |
After the Kingdom of Italy changed sides to the Allies in 1943, German forces took over the area. This territory was not given to the fascist Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
(which was a puppet state of Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
), but instead completely dissolved and added to the puppet Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
. But Zara remained Italian (even under control of the German Army) until 1945 (the city suffered a bombing in 1944).
Governors
- Athos Bartolucci (17 April 1941 - 7 June 1941)
- Giuseppe BastianiniGiuseppe BastianiniGiuseppe Bastianini was an Italian politician and diplomat. Initially associated with the hard-line elements of the fascist movements he later became a member of the dissident tendency....
(7 June 1941 - 14 February 1943) - Francesco GiuntaFrancesco GiuntaFrancesco Giunta was an Italian Fascist politician.-Early fascist career:Born in the Tuscan town of San Piero a Sieve, he started his career as a lawyer. He served as a machine gun captain in the World War I...
(14 February 1943 - 10 September 1943)