In 1493, not far away from the Plitvice Lakes a decisive battle in Croatian history between the Austrian and Ottoman Empire took place.
During the Battle of Krbava Field almost the entire Croatian nobility was killed.
The Ottomans advanced far into Western lands up to Croatia and Hungary.
In 1527, the Croatian Parliament elected the Habsburg monarch Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria as the new king of Croatia in the hope of resources to ward of the Ottoman advance.
In 1528, the area fell to the Ottomans and was retaken by the Habsburg Empire 150 years later.

In 1538, king Ferdinand I ordered the establishment of the Croatian Military Frontier as a borderland of Habsburg Austria to the Ottoman Empire.
The laws that prevailed in this area under special jurisdiction had formative impact on the local population for centuries.
As a consequence of the establishment of this special regime, people abandoned these areas in great masses towards the West.

In addition to the native Croats already inhabiting the region and serving in the Austrian military, many central Europeans migrated to the region as did Serb Orthodox refugees fleeing Ottoman repression, who were given refuge in the abandoned areas in exchange for military service.
The entire population of the military frontier, particularly the so-called frontiersmen, had the duty to protect this area of permanent unrest and terrible destruction.
The region once also used to be called the garden of the devil (hortus diabolus).

The Ottomans succeeded several times to gain control over the area of the Plitvice Lakes for shorter periods.
In 1788, this area permanently fell back under Habsburg rule.
When the Ottoman threat subsided, the Military Frontier was reverted to the civilian control of the Croatian viceroy (Ban).
The area then formed part of Banovina of Croatia within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and then part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia within the Socialist Yugoslavia.
Today, it is part of the Republic of Croatia.

In 1805, another major rule change happened, which created an economic upturn.
Dalmatia and Lika fell under the rule of Napoleon, who founded the Illyrian provinces.
After 1814, the area of the Plitvice Lakes came back under Habsburg rule.
Since 1850, only professional soldiers served in the Military Frontier.
This was also a time of national awakening in Croatia.
In 1871, the famous Croatian politician Eugen Kvaternik was killed north of the lakes at Rakovica.
The Croatian rebellion was put down by Austrian authorities.
Kvaternik propagated the rule of law and argued for the liberation from Austrian-Hungarian predominance.
In 1493, not far away from the Plitvice Lakes a decisive battle in Croatian history between the Austrian and Ottoman Empire took place. During the Battle of Krbava Field almost the entire Croatian nobility was killed. The Ottomans advanced far into Western lands up to Croatia and Hungary. In 1527, the Croatian Parliament elected the Habsburg monarch Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria as the new king of Croatia in the hope of resources to ward of the Ottoman advance. In 1528, the area fell to the Ottomans and was retaken by the Habsburg Empire 150 years later.
In 1538, king Ferdinand I ordered the establishment of the Croatian Military Frontier as a borderland of Habsburg Austria to the Ottoman Empire. The laws that prevailed in this area under special jurisdiction had formative impact on the local population for centuries. As a consequence of the establishment of this special regime, people abandoned these areas in great masses towards the West.
In addition to the native Croats already inhabiting the region and serving in the Austrian military, many central Europeans migrated to the region as did Serb Orthodox refugees fleeing Ottoman repression, who were given refuge in the abandoned areas in exchange for military service. The entire population of the military frontier, particularly the so-called frontiersmen, had the duty to protect this area of permanent unrest and terrible destruction. The region once also used to be called the garden of the devil (hortus diabolus).
The Ottomans succeeded several times to gain control over the area of the Plitvice Lakes for shorter periods. In 1788, this area permanently fell back under Habsburg rule. When the Ottoman threat subsided, the Military Frontier was reverted to the civilian control of the Croatian viceroy (Ban). The area then formed part of Banovina of Croatia within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and then part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia within the Socialist Yugoslavia. Today, it is part of the Republic of Croatia.
In 1805, another major rule change happened, which created an economic upturn. Dalmatia and Lika fell under the rule of Napoleon, who founded the Illyrian provinces. After 1814, the area of the Plitvice Lakes came back under Habsburg rule. Since 1850, only professional soldiers served in the Military Frontier. This was also a time of national awakening in Croatia. In 1871, the famous Croatian politician Eugen Kvaternik was killed north of the lakes at Rakovica. The Croatian rebellion was put down by Austrian authorities. Kvaternik propagated the rule of law and argued for the liberation from Austrian-Hungarian predominance.
Plitvice Lakes National Park