If you talk with anyone about the Ragusan Empire, you will almost invariably receive a blank look in response. It is not something that looms large on the stage of history or in people’s minds – and nor in mine until I started to read about it. However, it existed for over 900 years, from around the 10^th century until after the First World War. Whether it merited the description of “Empire” is probably debatable.

In the first instance, it was very small for an empire – centred on Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast and stretching around 70 kilometres south to Konavle, around 100 kilometres north to Trpanj and its peninsular, about 20 kilometres inland and out to the islands of Mljet, Lastovo and Suŝac. Its total area was probably only around 15,000 square kilometres, well over half of which was ocean, the Adriatic Sea.

Secondly, it spent almost its entire existence under some form of suzerainty – under a Byzantine pro-consul in the 8^th century; paying tribute to the Slavic rulers of the hinterland in the 9^th ;ruled, with occasional interruptions, by the Venetians from the 10^th to the mid-14^th century; then under Hungarian control until the mid-15^th century when it came under Ottoman control; very briefly under the French in 1808 and then part of the Hapsburg Empire until the end of the First World War, after which it joined the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the first Yugoslavia). However, throughout all this it maintained a high degree of independence.

Thirdly, it had only very small military forces and, instead, used its important trading position and diplomacy to maintain its position. This was not to say that it did not have its territorial troubles. It did, mostly with Serbia, and these occurred over centuries, leading to the strong enmity that exists even today, on both sides.

And finally, it was Roman Catholic – it was Roman Catholicism’s easternmost bastion in a part of the world dominated by Orthodox Christianity and Islam, and so enjoyed a special place in the hearts of the Popes in Rome.

But, in spite of all this, it continued, developed and thrived, persistently winning the hearts of each new “ruler” and steadfastly maintaining its independence. It was not a city of great artistic development – its forte was trade and diplomacy. It did develop a model of secular government that was peculiar to itself. It was a form of patriciate government in which the members of the government were drawn only from the nobles, but which was designed so that no-one could acquire too much power for themselves. And it maintained itself as an independent entity for several centuries.

Now, of course, Ragusa and its capital, Dubrovnik, are part of Croatia but both the good and bad parts of their history remain. They were able to maintain contact with the outside world during the communist years because of their tourism links but, once communism fell, their old enemy Serbia fell on them, unsuccessfully as it turned out and they continue to occupy probably the most beautiful, picture postcard, walled city in the world.