This list of wars involving Croatia is expansive, spanning the nation's extended history to the 21st century. It encompasses armed conflicts involving ethnic Croats, Croatian citizens, and regular armies predating statehood since the Early Middle Ages. Many of these armed conflicts are reflected in the military history of Croatia.
The Armed Forces of Croatia combine the modern-day nation's Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as their Special Forces. This list reflects direct Croatian military involvement – in both combat and non-combat roles – within armed conflicts. In the latter capacity, military advisory and training missions have intermittently devolved into unofficial combat activity or battlefield deaths. Modern Croatia has never formally declared war since independence.
For the criteria of what may be permitted on this list, see notes section.
Key
Duchy of Croatia (7th century–925) Date ConflictCombatant 1 Combatant 2 Result 620s–630sWhite Croat conquest of DalmatiaWhite CroatsAvar KhaganateVictory 7th century–925 Croatian–Venetian wars NarentinesDuchy of Croatia Republic of VeniceIntermittent victories and defeats788-803Avar warsDuchy of CroatiaAvar KhaganateVictory 799 Siege of Trsat Duchy of Croatia FranciaVictory 846–848 Croatian-Byzantine War Duchy of Croatia Zadar under the Byzantine strategosVictory 854 First Bulgarian-Croatian War Duchy of Croatia First Bulgarian EmpirePeace agreement 871 Conquest of Bari Lombard principalities Duchy of Croatia (Croatian fleet) Emirate of BariVictory895-925Hungarian invasions of EuropeLower Pannonia Duchy of CroatiaHungarian tribesDefeat Hungarians fought Croatia, although it was not a primary target of their raids
The chiefs of Pannonian Croatia sought aid against the Hungarians from Tomislav
Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102) Date ConflictCombatant 1 Combatant 2 Result c. 925 Hungarian Invasions of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia Hungarian tribesVictory 925–931 Second Croatian-Bulgarian War Kingdom of Croatia First Bulgarian EmpireVictory 968–1018 Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria Byzantine Empire Kievan Rus' (until 969) Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Principality of Duklja First Bulgarian Empire Kievan Rus' (970–971)PechenegsVictory 997–1000 Third Croatian-Bulgarian War Kingdom of Croatia First Bulgarian EmpireVictory c. 1040–1185 Byzantine–Norman wars Kingdom of France Kingdom of Sicily Lombard duchies Papal States Kingdom of Croatia Raška and Duklja Byzantine Empire Republic of VeniceVictory 1091–1102 War of the Croatian Succession Kingdom of Croatia Allies of king Petar Snačić Kingdom of Hungary Allies among Croatian nobles in SlavoniaDefeat
Death of king Petar Snačić Croatia enters into a personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary
Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1527) Date Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result1108 Hungarian war with the Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of BohemiaVictory1108–1126Hungarian-Bohemian wars Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of BohemiaPeace agreement1115–1119 Croatian-Venetian War Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Republic of VeniceDefeat1123 Stephen II's intervention in the Kievan Rus' internal conflict Kingdom of Hungary Iaroslav Sviatopolkovich Kievan Rus'Hungarian withdrawal1124–1125Croatian-Venetian War Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Republic of VeniceDefeat1127–1129Byzantine-Hungarian War Kingdom of Hungary Grand Principality of Serbia Byzantine EmpirePeace agreement1132 Hungarian-Polish War Kingdom of Hungary Margraviate of Austria Kingdom of PolandVictory1136–1137Béla II's Balkan campaigns against Venice and the Byzantine Empire Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Byzantine Empire Republic of VeniceVictory1146 German-Hungarian War Kingdom of Hungary Duchy of Bavaria Margraviate of AustriaVictory1149–1152Géza II's intervention in the conflict between the Principality of Galicia and Kievan Rus' Kingdom of Hungary Kievan Rus' Principality of GaliciaPeace agreement1148–1155Hungarian-Byzantine wars Kingdom of Hungary Grand Principality of Serbia Byzantine EmpireCeasefire1162–1165Hungarian civil war between Stephen III and his uncles Ladislaus and Stephen Kingdom of Hungary Ladislaus and Stephen's army Byzantine EmpireStephen III's victory1180–1185Hungarian-Byzantine war Kingdom of Hungary Byzantine EmpireVictory1188–1189Béla III's military campaign against Galicia Kingdom of Hungary Principality of GaliciaVictory1197–1199Civil war between Emeric king and his brother Andrew II Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of CroatiaAndrew II's armyEmeric's victory1201–1205Emeric's Balkan wars Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Second Bulgarian Empire Banate of Bosnia Grand Principality of SerbiaCroatian/Hungarian victories1202–1204Fourth Crusade Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of CroatiaCrusaders of the Fourth Crusade Republic of VeniceDefeat1217–1218 Andrew II's participation in the Fifth Crusade Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of CroatiaArchduchy of Austria Latin Empire AyyubidsCroatian/Hungarian withdrawal1235–1241Bosnian Crusade Coloman of Galicia Banate of BosniaStatus quo ante bellum1241–1242First Mongol invasion of Hungary Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of CroatiaMongolsMongol withdrawal1243 Venetian War for Zadar Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Republic of VeniceDefeat1250–1278Hungarian-Bohemian wars Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Bohemia Duchy of AustriaVictory1264–1265Internal conflict between Béla IV and his son Stephen V Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of CroatiaStephen V's armyStephen V's victory Stephen V gets Eastern Hungary as a duchy1268Mačva War Béla IV of Hungary Kingdom of SerbiaPeace agreement1272–1279Feudal anarchy Ladislaus IV king of HungaryCsák familyKőszegi family Gutkeled familyRoyal victory1277 Stefan Dragutin-Stefan Uroš I conflictStefan Dragutin Kingdom of HungaryStefan Uroš IStefan Dragutin's victory1277 Hungary's war with the Vlach ruler Litovoi Kingdom of Hungary Litovoi's armyVictory1282 Cuman uprising Kingdom of HungaryCumansVictory1285–1286Second Mongol invasion of Hungary Kingdom of Hungary Golden HordeVictory1291 German-Hungarian War Kingdom of HungaryVictory1292–1300Andrew III's war with the Kőszegi family Kingdom of HungaryKőszegi familyAndrew III's victory1301–1308Hungarian interregnum, struggles for the country's throne Charles of Anjou Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of Austria Máté Csák's army László Kán's army Kingdom of Bohemia Duchy of BavariaKőszegi familyVictory Charles I becomes Croatian and Hungarian king1310–1321Charles I's wars for centralizing power against Croatian and Hungarian aristocracy Kingdom of Hungary Máté Csák Aba family Borsa family Apor family Kőszegi familyRoyal victory Centralization of the Hungarian Kingdom 1322 Feudal and dynastic conflicts in CroatiaCoalition of Croatian noblemen and Dalmatian coastal towns with support of the royal forces of king Charles I Robert Mladen II Šubić of Bribir and his alliesDefeat of Mladen II1322–1337Hungarian-Austrian War Kingdom of Hungary Duchy of AustriaKőszegi familyBabonić familyStatus quo ante bellum1321–1324Hungarian-Serbian War Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Bosnia Stephen Vladislav II of Syrmia Kingdom of SerbiaDefeat1330 Hungarian-Wallachian War Kingdom of Hungary WallachiaHungarian defeat at the battle of Posada1347–1349 1350–1352Neapolitan campaigns of Louis the Great Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of NaplesFirst campaign: Croatian/Hungarian victory Second campaign: Status quo ante bellum1345–1358Croatian-Venetian War Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Republic of VeniceVictory Treaty of Zadar1345 Hungarian war with the Golden Horde for Moldavia Kingdom of HungaryGolden HordeVictory Liberation of Moldavia under Mongol rule1360–1369Louis I's Balkan wars against Serbia, Bulgaria, Wallachia and Bosnia Kingdom of Hungary Second Bulgarian Empire Wallachia Kingdom of BosniaTemporary Hungarian victories1372–1381War of Chioggia Padua Kingdom of Hungary Republic of Genoa Duchy of Austria Republic of Venice Milan Ottoman Empire Kingdom of CyprusPaduan military victory, practically status quo ante bellum1384–1394Civil war between a part of the Hungarian nobility and Mary, Queen of Hungary and Emperor Sigismund Kingdom of HungaryHorváti family Kingdom of NaplesEmperor Sigismund's victory1366–1526Ottoman–Hungarian wars Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Serbian Despotate Ottoman Empire Moravian SerbiaDefeat Final defeat at the Battle of Mohács Hungarian Kingdom partitioned War continues between the Habsburgs and Ottomans1411–1433Croatian-Venetian War Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Duchy of Milan Republic of VeniceDefeat Dalmatia becomes part of Venice1419–1434Hussite Wars Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of HungaryHussitesVictory1428–1432War of the South Danube Kingdom of Hungary Wallachia Grand Duchy of Lithuania Ottoman EmpireCeasefire1437–1442Hungarian-Ottoman border conflicts, Ottoman raids in Southern Hungary and Transylvania Kingdom of Hungary Ottoman EmpireVictory1440–1442Civil war between Wladyslaw I and Ladislaus Kingdom of Poland Hungarian noblesCillei family and other Hungarian noblesPeace agreement Wladyslaw is accepted as Hungarian king1443–1444Long campaign Kingdom of Hungary Ottoman EmpireHungarian withdrawal1458–1459Matthias I's war with Ján Jiskra Kingdom of HungaryJiskra's soldiersRoyal victory1458–1465War in Bosnia Kingdom of Hungary Ottoman EmpireInconclusive A part of Bosnia is occupied by the Ottoman Empire1471–1476Matthias Corvinus' intervention in the Moldovian-Ottoman War Kingdom of Hungary Moldavia Ottoman EmpireInconclusive After initial Hungarian and Moldavian victories, Hungary stopped supporting Moldavia Stephen III of Moldavia becomes a vassal of the Ottoman Empire1480–1481Ottoman invasion of Otranto Kingdom of Naples Crown of Aragon Kingdom of Hungary Ottoman EmpireVictory1482–1488Austrian-Hungarian War Kingdom of Hungary Holy Roman EmpireVictory1490–1491War of the Hungarian Succession Kingdom of Bohemia Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Poland (the two countries were not allies)Inconclusive The Bohemian king, Wladislaus won over the Polish army and got the Hungarian throne Wladislaus is defeated by the Holy Roman Empire, which reconquered Vienna and the other parts of Austria1492–1493The Black Army's uprising Kingdom of HungaryBlack ArmyVictory Destruction of the Black Army1514 Peasant revolt led by György Dózsa Kingdom of HungaryPeasant rebelsRevolt suppressed1493–1593Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman WarUntil 1526: Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Hungary From 1527: Until 1526: Ottoman Empire From 1527: Ottoman Empire
Eyalet of BosniaInconclusive Expansion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe was stopped in Battle of Sisak 1593.
Croatia within the Habsburg Monarchy (1527–1918) Date Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result1573Croatian–Slovene Peasant RevoltCroatian, Styrian and Carniolan nobility UskoksCroatian and Slovenian peasant rebelsPeasant defeat1593–1606Long Turkish War Holy Roman Empire
Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Transylvania Zaporozhian Cossacks Serbian Hajduks Tuscany Knights of St. Stephen Duchy of Ferrara Duchy of Mantua Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate Nogai HordeInconclusive Peace of Zsitvatorok1618–1648Thirty Years' WarImperial alliance:
Spanish Empire
Catholic League
Croatian cavalry in the Catholic LeagueAnti-Imperial alliance:
Sweden
Hesse-KasselPeace of Westphalia Some sources claim that Swedish Emperor Gustavus Adolphus was killed by Croatian cavalrymen during the Battle of Lützen1663–1664Austro-Turkish War Holy Roman Empire
Kingdom of Croatia
Kingdom of HungaryLeague of the Rhine: Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate
WallachiaAustria and allies military victoryOttoman commercial and diplomatic victory Peace of Vasvár 1683–1699Great Turkish War Holy Roman Empire Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Tsardom of Russia Cossack Hetmanate