Battle of Gvozd Mountain

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The Battle of Gvozd Mountain took place in the year 1097 and was fought on Petrova gora (Peter's Mountain) in central Croatia, between the army of Croatian king Petar Svačić and King Coloman I of Hungary. It was a decisive event in the history of Croatia and Hungary.

In an attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Croatia, the Hungarian army crossed the river Drava and invaded the Croatian territory, trying to reach the Adriatic coast. King Peter II of Croatia then moved from his residency at Knin castle in an attempt to defend his Kingdom from Hungarians. King Peter and his army moved north to meet advancing Hungarians. The two armies met each other at the area of Peter's Mountain. The clash of two armies was so fierce that King Peter was killed during the battle.

After the battle was over, this historical battlefield looked extremely shocking: the huge number of bodies of the dead soldiers covered the whole area of Gvozd Mountain. The bloody mountain was later named Peter's Mountain, to honor the last Croatian national King who was killed there.

The outcome was tragic for his army and country because this battle marked the end of the dynasty of Croatian national kings. The battle-winner, King Coloman of Hungary united Kingdom of Croatia in personal union with Hungary. He was crowned as King of Croatia in Croatian capital Biograd on the Adriatic coast in 1102. Until 1918, the two crowns were united in personal union.