Global InformationFortress of Klis information
| Klis Fortress Tvrđava Klis | |
|---|---|
| Klis, near Split Croatia | |
 The fortress, pictured here from the south-west at late afternoon, stands atop a hill | |
 | |
  Klis Fortress Tvrđava Klis | |
| Coordinates | 43°33′36″N 16°31′26″E / 43.56000°N 16.52389°E |
| Type | Fortification, mixed |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | Yes
|
| Condition | Preserved, slightly renovated |
| Site history | |
| Built | Unknown, probably in the 3rd century BC |
| Built by | Small stronghold by Illyrian tribe of Dalmatae, later expanded mostly by:
|
| Materials | Limestone |
Cultural Good of Croatia | |
| Type | Protected cultural good |
| Reference no. | Z-4206[1] |
1.) Small stronghold (pre–835) (Kliška gradina)
- ? – 9 AD Illyrian tribe of Dalmatae
- 9 AD – 476 Roman Empire
- 476–493 Odoacer
- 493–537 Theodoric the Great and Ostrogothic Kingdom
- 537–614 Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
- 614–620 Slavs and Avars
- 620–640 Croats, a Slavic tribe
- 640–835 Dukes of Croatia
2.) Royal Castle (835–1102)
- 835–845 Duke Mislav of Duchy of Croatia
- 845–864 Duke Trpimir I of Duchy of Croatia and founder of House of Trpimirović
- 864–925 House of Trpimirović
- 925 Kingdom of Croatia ruled by King Tomislav
- 925–1102 Croatian kings from House of Trpimirović
3.) Fortress (1102–1458)
- 1102–1217 Mixed Croatian nobility during personal union between Kingdom of Croatia
and Kingdom of Hungary
- 1217–1221 Pontius de Cruce in charge of Knights Templar
appointed by Andrew II
- 1221–1227 Prince Domald from Split
- 1227–1242 Croatian nobility
- 1242 Croatian nobles Brativoj and Butko Julijanov during Mongol siege of the fortress.
- 1242–1273 Croatian nobility
- 1273–1277 Paul I Šubić of Bribir
Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia and Lord of all of Bosnia- 1277–1302 George I Šubić
- 1302–1304 Mladen I Šubić
Ban of Bosnia (Dominus)- 1304–1322 Mladen II Šubić of Bribir
Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia and Lord of all Bosnia- 1322–1330 George II Šubić
- 1330–1348 Mladen III Šubić of Bribir
"Shield of the Croats"- 1348–1356 Jelena Šubić (Nemanjić) as Mladen III Šubić's widow
- 1356–1387 Croatian nobility in the name of Louis I the Great
Lands ruled by Louis in the 1370s.
- 1387–1394 Croatian noble John of Palisna (Croatian: Ivan od Paližne) from Vrana, in the name of Bosnian King Tvrtko I
- 1394–1401 Ban Nikola II Gorjanski in the name of Sigismund
- 1401–1434 Croatian noble Prince Ivaniš Nelipić
- 1434–1436 Croatian noble and Ban of Croatia Ivan Frankopan, at that time in war with king Sigismund
- 1436–1437 Ivan Frankopan's widow peaceful handover the fortress
- 1437–1458 Croatian noble Matko Talovac and later Petar and Vladislav in the name of Holy Roman Empire
4.) Ottoman Wars (1513–1648)
- 1513–1537 Croatian noble, Prince of Klis Petar Kružić
- 1537–1596 Ottoman Empire
- 1596–1596 Uskoks seized the fortress by treachery, but the Turks recovered it fairly quickly, in the same year
- 1596–1648 Ottoman Empire
5.) Decline of military importance (1648–present)
- 1648–1797 Republic of Venice
- 1797–1805 Austrian Empire as a part of Holy Roman Empire
- 1805–1813 First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte
- 1813–1815 Austrian Empire
- 1815–1867 Kingdom of Dalmatia
within Austrian Empire
- 1867–1918 Kingdom of Dalmatia
- 1918–1918 State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
- 1918–1929 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- 1929–1939 Littoral Banovina within Kingdom of Yugoslavia
- 1939–1941 Banovina of Croatia
within Kingdom of Yugoslavia
- 1941–1945 Independent State of Croatia
- 1945–1990 SR Croatia
within SFR Yugoslavia
- 1990–1991 Republic of Croatia
within SFR Yugoslavia
- 1991–present Croatia
The Klis Fortress (Croatian: Tvrđava Klis; Italian: Fortezza di Clissa) is a medieval fortress situated above the village of Klis, near Split, Croatia. From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, to a role as royal castle and seat of many Croatian kings, to its final development as a large fortress during the Ottoman wars in Europe, Klis Fortress has guarded the frontier, being lost and re-conquered several times throughout its two-thousand-year-long history. Due to its location on a pass that separates the mountains Mosor and Kozjak, the fortress served as a major source of defense in Dalmatia, especially against the Ottoman Empire. It has been a crossroad between the Mediterranean Sea and the Balkans.
Since Duke Mislav of the Duchy of Croatia made Klis Fortress the seat of his throne in the middle of the 9th century, the fortress served as the seat of many Croatia's rulers. His successor, Duke Trpimir I, is significant for spreading Christianity in the Duchy of Croatia. He expanded the Klis Fortress, and in Rižinice, in the valley under the fortress, he built a church and the first Benedictine monastery in Croatia. During the reign of the first Croatian king, Tomislav, Klis and Biograd na Moru were his chief residences.
In March 1242 at Klis Fortress, Tatars serving in the Mongol army suffered a major defeat while in pursuit of the Hungarian army led by King Béla IV. During the Late Middle Ages, the fortress was governed by Croatian nobility, amongst whom Paul I Šubić of Bribir was the most significant. During his reign, the House of Šubić controlled most of modern-day Croatia and Bosnia. Excluding the brief possession by the forces of Bosnian King, Tvrtko I, the fortress remained in Hungaro-Croatian hands for the next several hundred years, until the 16th century.
Klis Fortress is best known for its role in the Ottoman invasion of Europe in the early 16th century. Croatian captain Petar Kružić led the defense of the fortress against a Turkish invasion and siege that lasted for more than two and a half decades. During this defense, as Kružić and his soldiers fought without allies against the Turks, the military faction of Uskoks was formed, which later became famous as an elite Croatian militant sect. Ultimately, the defenders were defeated and the fortress was taken by the Ottomans in 1537. After more than a century under Ottoman rule, in 1669, Klis Fortress was besieged and seized by the Republic of Venice. The Venetians restored and enlarged the fortress. In 1797, the fortress was taken by Austria after the Fall of the Republic of Venice. Today, Klis Fortress contains a museum where visitors to this historic military structure can see an array of arms, armor, and traditional uniforms.
- ^ "Tvrđava Klis". Registar Kulturnih Dobara. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-05-28.