Editing Croats (section)

===Dalmatian Croats===
The [[Dalmatian Croat]]s were recorded to have been subject to the Kingdom of Italy under [[Lothair I]], since 828. The Croatian Prince [[Mislav of Croatia|Mislav]] (835–845) built up a formidable navy, and in 839 signed a peace treaty with [[Pietro Tradonico]], [[doge of Venice]]. The Venetians soon proceeded to battle with the independent Slavic pirates of the [[Pagania]] region, but failed to defeat them. The Bulgarian king [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris I]] (called by the [[Byzantine Empire]] Archont of Bulgaria after he made Christianity the official religion of Bulgaria) also waged a lengthy war against the Dalmatian Croats, trying to expand his state to the [[Adriatic]].{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

The Croatian Prince [[Trpimir I of Croatia|Trpimir I]] (845–864) succeeded Mislav. In 854, there was a great battle between Trpimir's forces and the Bulgars. Neither side emerged victorious, and the outcome was the exchange of gifts and the establishment of peace. Trpimir I managed to consolidate power over Dalmatia and much of the inland regions towards [[Pannonia]], while instituting counties as a way of controlling his subordinates (an idea he picked up from the Franks). The first known written mention of the Croats, dates from 4 March 852, in [[statute]] by Trpimir. Trpimir is remembered as the initiator of the [[Trpimirović dynasty]], that ruled in Croatia, with interruptions, from 845 until 1091. After his death, an uprising was raised by a powerful nobleman from [[Knin]] – [[Domagoj of Croatia|Domagoj]], and his son [[Zdeslav of Croatia|Zdeslav]] was exiled with his brothers, Petar and [[Muncimir of Croatia|Muncimir]] to [[Constantinople]].{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=257}}

Facing a number of naval threats by [[Saracens]] and Byzantine Empire, the Croatian Prince Domagoj (864–876) built up the Croatian navy again and helped the coalition of emperor [[Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis II]] and the Byzantine to [[Louis II's campaign against Bari (866–871)|conquer Bari]] in 871. During Domagoj's reign [[piracy]] was a common practice, and he forced the Venetians to start paying tribute for sailing near the eastern Adriatic coast. After Domagoj's death, Venetian chronicles named him "The worst duke of Slavs", while [[Pope John VIII]] referred to Domagoj in letters as "Famous duke". Domagoj's son, of unknown name, ruled shortly between 876 and 878 with his brothers. They continued the rebellion, attacked the western Istrian towns in 876, but were subsequently defeated by the Venetian navy. Their ground forces defeated the Pannonian duke [[Kocelj]] (861–874) who was suzerain to the Franks, and thereby shed the Frankish vassal status. Wars of Domagoj and his son liberated Dalmatian Croats from supreme Franks rule. Zdeslav deposed him in 878 with the help of the Byzantines. He acknowledged the supreme rule of [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Basil I]]. In 879, the [[Pope]] asked for help from prince Zdeslav for an armed escort for his delegates across southern Dalmatia and [[Zahumlje]],{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} but on early May 879, Zdeslav was killed near Knin in an uprising led by [[Branimir of Croatia|Branimir]], a relative of Domagoj, instigated by the Pope, fearing Byzantine power.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

Branimir's (879–892) own actions were approved from the [[Holy See]] to bring the Croats further away from the influence of [[Byzantium]] and closer to Rome. Duke Branimir wrote to [[Pope John VIII]] affirming this split from Byzantine and commitment to the [[Papacy|Roman Papacy]]. During the solemn divine service in [[St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's]] church in [[Rome]] in 879, John VIII] gave his blessing to the duke and the Croatian people, about which he informed Branimir in his letters, in which Branimir was recognized as the Duke of the Croats (''Dux Chroatorum'').{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=261}} During his reign, Croatia retained its sovereignty from both the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and [[Byzantine]] rule, and became a fully recognized state.<ref name="Hrvatski leksikon">''Hrvatski leksikon'' (1996–1997) {{in lang|hr}}{{full citation needed|date=November 2014}}</ref><ref name="antoljak">Stjepan Antoljak, Pregled hrvatske povijesti, Split 1993., str. 43.</ref> After Branimir's death, Prince [[Muncimir of Croatia|Muncimir]] (892–910), Zdeslav's brother, took control of Dalmatia and ruled it independently of both Rome and Byzantium as ''divino munere Croatorum dux'' (with God's help, duke of Croats). In Dalmatia, duke [[Tomislav of Croatia|Tomislav]] (910–928) succeeded Muncimir. Tomislav successfully repelled Magyar mounted invasions of the [[Árpád dynasty|Arpads]], expelled them over the [[Sava|Sava River]], and united (western) Pannonian and Dalmatian Croats into one state.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kralj Tomislav|url=https://hrvatski-vojnik.hr/kralj-tomislav/|date=2018-11-30|website=Hrvatski vojnik|language=hr|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927105340/https://hrvatski-vojnik.hr/kralj-tomislav/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Evans|first=Huw M. A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZW2AAAAIAAJ&q=tomislav++croatia+unification|title=The Early Mediaeval Archaeology of Croatia, A.D. 600–900|date=1989|publisher=B.A.R.|isbn=978-0-86054-685-6|language=en|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927203207/https://books.google.com/books?id=oZW2AAAAIAAJ&q=tomislav++croatia+unification|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bonifačić|first1=Antun|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqJnAAAAMAAJ&q=tomislav++croatia+unification|title=The Croatian nation in its struggle for freedom and independence: a symposium|last2=Mihanovich|first2=Clement Simon|date=1955|publisher="Croatia" Cultural Pub. Center|language=en|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927203209/https://books.google.com/books?id=KqJnAAAAMAAJ&q=tomislav++croatia+unification|url-status=live}}</ref>