Carniola - Definition and Overview

Carniola (Slovenian Kranjska, German Krain) is a region in Slovenia. It was formerly part of the Roman province of Pannonia, and was settled by Slovenians around the 6th century. It was controlled by Austrian Habsburgs (1335 - 1918) and was a site of Turkish raids and peasant rebellions (15th - 17th centuries). From about 900 until the 20th century the ruling classes spoke German. It was part of the Illyrian provinces of France 1809 - 1814 and reorganized under Austria-Hungary (1849). The capital city of Carniola was originally at Kranj, but later moved to Ljubljana. The province ceased to exist in 1918, when it became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.