Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a city in Croatia.
History
Dubrovnik was settled by refugees from Epidaurum in the 7th century. The names Dubrovnik and Ragusa were used interchangeably for centuries. The latter was used for the official name (Republic of Ragusa) until 1808.
Dubrovnik developed as a city state under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. It simultaneously sought guarantees of free trade from their nieghbors: Serbia in 1186; the banate of Bosnia in 1189; and the Byzantines again in 1191.
Dubrovnik submitted to Venetian suzerainity in 1205, then was conquered by Hungary in 1358.
In 1458, Dubrovnik became an Ottoman tributary. It remained generally autonomous and gained preferential trade access to the rest of the Ottoman Empire.
In the 17th century, as the Ottomans were expelled from nearby Hungary and Croatia, Dubrovnik approached the Habsburgs and offered to recognize their sovereignty. Much of the land and sea surrounding Dubrovnik however was ceded to Venice instead. To forestall a Venetian invasion, Dubrovnik ceded a small strip of coastland to the Ottomans.
Following a brief Napoleonic conquest, Dubrovnik was ceded to the Austrian Empire.