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Hey all,

I'm planning on doing a TL regarding Croatia with a PoD in the 1080s (actually multiple small, individual-based PoDs and one major PoD), but I don't have much info on Croatia itself, so I'd like your help on this. So I have a set of questions that I haven't been able to get the answer for by googling.

1. How centralized was Croatia in the 1080s? My major PoD involves Croatia falling into civil war and rebellion and an outside power nobody expected swooping in and taking over, and if Croatia is too centralized, that won't work.

2. What was the Croatian army probably made up of? How many troops could a Croat king or major noble probably call up at one time?

3. Besides Croatians, what were the major ethnic groups around in Croatia at that time?

4. Croatian culture, what was it like, and could it fit with an wildly different culture? How would massively different (German or French, for instance, though they aren't invading Croatia) names fit into Croatian names?

5. Any specific Croatian terms I need to know? I know there's ban (which translates to "ruler", or at least "viceroy", right?), but apparent from that, I have no idea.

6. Are there any specific noble families around this time period that could cause trouble?

7. What were the Byzantine and Hungarian attitudes towards Croatia? The Serbian, Italian, and German attitudes? How would each react if a totally foreign conqueror managed to invade and control Croatia?

8. Was the Croat crown (aka being crowned King of Croatia) a "have to go to Rome to have the Pope give it to me" thing, or a "I am related to ruling dynasty or I successful conquered Croatia, therefore I am crowned in my own land" thing?

9. What sort of clothing and equipment did the Croats prefer?

10. Finally, I know the current capital is Zagreb, but was there a different capital in the 1080s? What did the medieval capital look like/how well defended was it?

Thanks for any answers you guys can give.
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