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| History of Dalmatia | |
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This article is part of a series |
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| Antiquity | |
| Illyria | |
| Dalmatae | |
| Roman Province | |
| Middle Ages | |
| Dalmatian principalities | |
| Early modern period | |
| Republic of Ragusa | |
| Republic of Poljica | |
| Hvar Rebellion | |
| Republic of Venice | |
| 19th century | |
| Illyrian Provinces | |
| Kingdom of Dalmatia | |
| 20th century | |
| Littoral Banovina | |
| Governorate of Dalmatia | |
| War of Independence | |
| In northern Dalmatia | |
| In central Dalmatia | |
| In southern Dalmatia | |
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The Governorate of Dalmatia (Serbo-Croatian: Dalmatinski Gubernatorat; Italian: Governatorato di Dalmazia) was a province of Italy, created in April 1941 from occupied Yugoslav territory annexed after the German blitzkrieg Invasion of Yugoslavia.[1]
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The Governorate of Dalmatia was parts of coastal 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.[2]
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.[3]
The Governatorate of Dalmatia consisted of three provinces: Zara (Zadar), 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).
| Italian Province | Area (km²) | Population [4] |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (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).