Illyrian Provinces, 1809
Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the Croatian lands in 1809 and proclaimed the Illyrian Provinces, an autonomous province of France, that year. It encompassed parts of northeast Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Ragusa and Montenegro. The French tricolour flag, adopted in 1790, was flown, and Austria declared war on France in 1813. The following year, they expelled the French and placed the area under Austrian administration.