Location: St. Stephen Religious Instruction and Culture Center, Liszt Ferenc u. (Street) 1, Székesfehérvár
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From the turn of the 11th-12th century, Croatia had been an associated country of the Kingdom of Hungary, with territorial autonomy, local rule and a provincial parliament (Sabor). For centuries the two peoples lived and prospered side by side in peace. However, in the era of self-determination, the Croatians began endeavoring for maximum independence. On March 23rd, 1848, only one week after the revolution in Pest, the plebeians’ assembly in Zagreb announced that Croatia wished to remain under Habsburg rule, but completely independent of Hungary. On June 5th, the Sabor declared that all ties with Hungary were nullified. In 1867, following the transformation of the Habsburg Empire into the dualist state, Hungarian–Croatian state relations had to be reconsidered. Thus the 1868 Hungarian–Croatian Settlement (or Nagodba in Croatian) defined relations between the two countries until its dissolution in 1918. It included elements of state dominion, raised the Croatian language to political relevance and provided the framework for the founding and/or development of Croatian cultural and political institutions. Croatia thus linked up to the bourgeoisie transformation that Europe was undergoing. At the same time, however, neither the Croatian political elite nor the majority of the Croatian general public believed it went far enough, for the Settlement had been signed under strong external pressure.