History of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik traditionally traces its origins to the early 7th century. According to the long-established foundation story, refugees from Roman Epidaurum, near present-day Cavtat, settled on the rocky site known as Laus after Epidaurum was devastated during the upheavals that followed the arrival of Slavic and Avar groups in the region.

Modern archaeological research suggests that Dubrovnik's earliest development was probably more complex than a single founding event or exact date. The traditional story remains an important part of the city's historical identity, but the archaeology of late-antique and early-medieval Dubrovnik continues to refine our understanding of how the settlement developed.

Epidaurum itself had been an important settlement in antiquity and later developed under Roman rule. Archaeological discoveries around present-day Cavtat, including remains on land and underwater, continue to reveal more about the Roman and late-antique settlement from which Dubrovnik's traditional foundation story emerged.

Dubrovnik history quick overview

From a fortified settlement to a maritime city

By the 9th century Dubrovnik was already a fortified settlement capable of defending itself. It famously endured a prolonged Saracen siege, demonstrating the strategic importance of its position on the eastern Adriatic.

For much of the early Middle Ages the city remained within the political orbit of the Byzantine Empire, while developing increasingly important maritime and commercial links throughout the Adriatic and Mediterranean.

The city's Latin name, Ragusa, appears frequently in medieval sources, while the Slavic name Dubrovnik also came into use during the Middle Ages. The charter issued by Bosnian Ban Kulin in 1189 is one of the most important surviving documents concerning Dubrovnik's medieval trade, although it should not be treated as the first-ever written appearance of the city's name.

Venice, Byzantium and Dubrovnik's strategic importance

Dubrovnik's location made it important to both Venice and Byzantium. Venice regarded the growing city as a maritime competitor, while Byzantine influence connected Dubrovnik with a wider eastern Mediterranean political and commercial world.

Dubrovnik's leaders became exceptionally skilled at balancing stronger neighbouring powers. Byzantine authority was recognized for much of the early medieval period, while from 1205 to 1358 Dubrovnik was under Venetian sovereignty.

Venetian rule influenced the city's administration and political institutions, but Dubrovnik continued developing its trade networks, merchant class and maritime economy.

The Statute of Dubrovnik, 1272

One of the most important milestones in Dubrovnik's legal history came on 29 May 1272, when the Statute of Dubrovnik was promulgated.

The Statute brought together laws regulating government, courts, property, trade, maritime affairs, urban life and other aspects of the commune. It remained one of the foundations of Dubrovnik's legal system for centuries and is an important surviving expression of the city's highly organized civic culture.

The Treaty of Zadar and the rise of the Republic

The Treaty of Zadar in 1358 ended Venetian sovereignty over Dubrovnik. The city thereafter recognized the authority of King Louis I of Hungary and Croatia while retaining extensive internal autonomy.

In practice, the following centuries saw Dubrovnik increasingly develop the institutions, diplomacy and commercial network associated with the independent Republic of Ragusa, or Republic of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik recognized the Hungarian-Croatian crown until 1526, but its rulers skillfully maintained a high degree of practical independence while expanding the Republic's territory and protecting its maritime trade.

How the Republic of Dubrovnik was governed

Political power rested primarily with Dubrovnik's hereditary nobility. The Republic developed a carefully balanced system intended to prevent too much authority being concentrated in one individual.

The Rector served for only one month and lived during his term in the Rector's Palace.

The Great Council (Consilium Majus) exercised legislative authority and consisted of male nobles of the appropriate age. The Small Council (Consilium Minus) performed important executive functions, while much of the Republic's practical political power increasingly rested with the Senate (Consilium Rogatorum).

The short Rector's mandate and overlapping councils reflected one of the central principles of Dubrovnik government: no single person should dominate the Republic.

Freedom as Dubrovnik's political ideal

The political ideal most closely associated with the Republic was liberty. Dubrovnik's independence was protected not primarily through military power, but through diplomacy, trade, alliances, tribute payments and careful negotiation with stronger states.

The famous inscription on Lovrijenac Fortress reads:

NON BENE PRO TOTO LIBERTAS VENDITUR AURO

Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world.

At the entrance to the Rector's Palace another inscription reminded officials of their public duty:

OBLITI PRIVATORUM PUBLICA CURATE

Forget private affairs; take care of the public good.

Trade, diplomacy and the Ottoman Empire

Dubrovnik's merchant ships travelled throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Maritime trade, shipbuilding, finance and diplomacy became foundations of the Republic's wealth.

After the Ottoman expansion into the Balkans, Dubrovnik maintained its autonomy by establishing a carefully managed relationship with the Ottoman Empire. The Republic paid an annual tribute to the Sultan while receiving valuable commercial privileges within Ottoman territory.

At its height, Dubrovnik maintained consulates and trading communities across a vast commercial network connecting the Adriatic, Mediterranean, Balkans and Ottoman lands.

Dubrovnik and the beginnings of quarantine

Dubrovnik's government was also innovative in public health. In 1377, authorities ordered travelers arriving from plague-affected areas to spend a period in isolation before entering the city.

This is widely regarded as one of Europe's earliest organized quarantine systems. Over time, Dubrovnik developed dedicated isolation facilities, culminating in the Lazareti complex outside the eastern city gate.

The surviving Lazareti provide a direct physical connection between Dubrovnik's medieval public-health policies and the city visitors see today.

Society, merchants and Dubrovnik's Jewish community

Although political authority remained concentrated among the nobility, Dubrovnik also had wealthy merchant and professional groups who played important roles in economic and cultural life. Among these were prominent citizen brotherhoods such as the Antunini and Lazarini.

Dubrovnik was also home to an important Jewish community, particularly from the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Jewish merchants, physicians and financiers contributed to city life, while the historic Jewish quarter developed around present-day Žudioska Ulica.

The synagogue on Žudioska Street remains one of Dubrovnik's most important Jewish heritage sites. The detailed history of Jewish settlement, legal status and the development of the ghetto spans several centuries and is more complex than a single foundation date.

Dubrovnik's Golden Age

The Republic reached the height of its economic and cultural influence during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik's merchant fleet traded across the Mediterranean, while diplomacy allowed the small state to maintain commercial access to both Christian and Ottoman territories.

Wealth generated by trade supported architecture, literature, science, education and the arts. This period produced many of the institutions and cultural traditions now associated with historic Dubrovnik.

Read more about the Golden Age of Dubrovnik.

The earthquake of 1667

On 6 April 1667, a catastrophic earthquake struck Dubrovnik. Large parts of the city were destroyed or badly damaged, fires broke out, and many residents—including members of the governing elite—were killed.

The disaster marked one of the greatest turning points in Dubrovnik's history. The Republic survived, but the city had to rebuild on a huge scale.

Much of the Baroque appearance visible in the Old City today dates from this reconstruction period. Dubrovnik's medieval street plan and many earlier Gothic and Renaissance buildings survived, while rebuilt churches, houses and public buildings gave the city a new architectural character.

The decline and fall of the Dubrovnik Republic

Dubrovnik recovered from the 1667 earthquake but never fully regained the dominant commercial position it had enjoyed during its golden age. Changes in Mediterranean trade, the rise of larger European powers and wider geopolitical shifts increasingly challenged the small Republic.

During the Napoleonic Wars, French troops entered Dubrovnik in 1806. In 1808, Marshal Auguste de Marmont formally abolished the Republic, ending centuries of Dubrovnik self-government.

The fall of the Republic remains one of the defining dividing lines in the city's history.

Dubrovnik under the Habsburg Empire

After the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna placed Dubrovnik within the Habsburg Empire in 1815. It later formed part of Austria-Hungary until the end of the First World War in 1918.

During the 19th century Dubrovnik remained an important regional cultural centre, although it no longer possessed the political independence or maritime importance of the former Republic.

Dubrovnik in the 20th century

After the First World War, Dubrovnik became part of the new South Slavic state that ultimately became Yugoslavia. Following the Second World War, it formed part of socialist Yugoslavia within the Socialist Republic of Croatia.

During the second half of the 20th century, tourism became increasingly important to Dubrovnik's economy. The historic city, Adriatic setting and exceptional architectural preservation helped make Dubrovnik one of the best-known destinations on the Croatian coast.

UNESCO World Heritage status

The Old City of Dubrovnik was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, recognizing the exceptional value of its fortifications, churches, monasteries, palaces, streets and urban fabric.

The protected World Heritage area was later expanded, including important historic areas outside the original walled-city boundary.

The siege of Dubrovnik, 1991-1992

Dubrovnik suffered one of the darkest periods in its modern history during the Croatian War of Independence. Beginning in 1991, the city and surrounding region came under attack by Yugoslav People's Army forces.

The shelling of the historic city on 6 December 1991 became particularly infamous. Buildings inside the UNESCO-listed Old City were damaged despite Dubrovnik's international heritage status.

UNESCO placed Dubrovnik on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1991. After the war, a major international restoration program repaired roofs, monuments, streets and historic structures damaged in the attacks.

Restoration and Dubrovnik today

By 1998, the progress of restoration allowed Dubrovnik to be removed from UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.

Preservation remains an ongoing challenge. Dubrovnik today must balance the needs of residents, tourism, historic buildings, transport and protection of a World Heritage city that is still a living urban community rather than an open-air museum.

In 2023, the extraordinary documentary heritage of the former Republic received further international recognition when the Archives of the Republic of Dubrovnik (1022-1808) were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register.

The archive preserves centuries of laws, diplomatic correspondence, contracts, maritime documents and administrative records, offering an unusually detailed record of how one of Europe's most remarkable small republics governed itself and interacted with the wider Mediterranean world.

Where to see Dubrovnik's history today

• Rector's Palace: political centre of the Republic and home of the Rector.
• Lovrijenac Fortress: symbol of Dubrovnik's defensive strategy and political ideal of liberty.
• City Walls: the most visible expression of Dubrovnik's centuries of investment in defense.
• Sponza Palace: connected with customs, trade and administration of the Republic.
• Lazareti: surviving evidence of Dubrovnik's early quarantine system.
• Žudioska Street and synagogue: centre of Dubrovnik's historic Jewish community.
• Stradun and Baroque churches: much of their present appearance reflects rebuilding after the 1667 earthquake.