Governorship of Dalmatia

Infobox Former Subdivision
native_name = "Dalmatinski Gubernatorat" (hr)
"Governatorato di Dalmazia" (it)
conventional_long_name = Governorship of Dalmatia
common_name = Governorship of Dalmatia
continent = Europe
region =
country = Italy
era =
status_text = Territory of Italy
empire = Italy
government_type = Administered by a Governor
year_start = 1941
year_end = 1943
p1 = Kingdom of Yugoslavia
flag_p1 = Flag of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg
s1 = Independent State of Croatia
flag_s1 = Flag of Croatia Ustasa.svg

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coa_size =


image_map_caption = The Governorship is the section in light green in the map, mostly between the northern and southern coasts of the Independent State of Croatia.
capital = Zadar ("Zara")
common_languages = Italian (official), Croatian had the status of a minority language
religion = Roman Catholicism
currency = Italian Lira
leader1 =
year_leader1 =
title_leader =
footnotes =

The Governorship of Dalmatia (Italian: "Governatorato di Dalmazia"; Croatian: "Dalmatinski Gubernatorat") were parts of coastal Yugoslavia that were occupied and annexed by Italy in April 1941, following the Axis invasion and occupation of that country. Italy previously had a small presence on the Dalmatian coastline after obtaining Zadar (Italian: "Zara") and some islands (Krk, Lošinj and Lastovo) after World War I. The occupation lasted until the Italian capitulation of 1943, when the areas were nominally added to the Independent State of Croatia, though outside the cities they were mostly under Partisan control by then. [ [http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/battles-and-operations/ Battles & Campaigns during World War 2 in Yugoslavia ] ] The existence of the territorial entity was not recognized by non-Axis countries.

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.

Italy divided the Governorship in three provinces: "Zara" (Zadar), "Spalato" (Split) and "Cattaro" (Kotor), but never created officially an Italian region with the name "Dalmatia" (waiting for the future peace conference). While the Governorship was not officially a region of Italy, the northern Dalmatian islands of Krk ("Veglia") and Rab ("Arbe") were administratively united to the Italian province of Rijeka ("Fiume") and became "legally" areas of the Kingdom of Italy.

In September 1941, Italy's fascist dictator, Mussolini, ordered the military occupation of the entire Dalmatian coast and islands (like Dubrovnik, Vis, and Pag) that belonged to fascist Croatia of Ante Pavelic: he tried to annex those areas to the Governorship of Dalmatia, but was stopped by the strong opposition of Pavelić, who retained nominal control of those areas.

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 Ljubljana in 1942, even if the population of those villages was not Slovene but Croatian.

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 Nazi Germany, but instead completely dissolved and added to the puppet Independent State of Croatia. Zadar remained Italian-administered (but under control of the German Army) until the end of 1944.

References