Stone Age

The first recorded tribes to settle on the territory of modern Slovakia were Celtic (from around 450 B.C.), whose culture represented the pinnacle of barbarian civilisation. The remains of Celtic oppida (elevated, fortified settlements) can be found, for example in Bratislava, Devín, and on Havránok Hill near the Liptovská Mara reservoir.

 

The Celts were forced out by the Germanic tribes of Marcomans which fought with the Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus (166-180 A.D.). Remains of the Limes Romanus – the fortifications on the Roman Empire’s northern border – are preserved in Slovakia (for example at Rusovce, Trenčín, and Iža). The German tribes were driven out by Huns led by Atila.

 

Tribes of Western Slavs arrived on this territory at the end of the 5^th and beginning of the 6^th centuries. Soon they had to defend themselves against nomadic Avars and this activity led to the creation of a tribal union under the rule of the Frankish merchant Samo, known as “Samo’s Empire” (623-658 A.D.).

Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages

After the break-up of “Samo's Empire” Slavonic tribes enjoyed no political unity. Only Duke Pribina succeeded in establishing a larger state-like entity and founded the first church in this area between 824 and 828. He fought and was defeated by Mojmir, the Duke of Morava and had to flee. Duke Mojmír I. established a united state called Great Moravia (830 – 908). His successor, Rastislav, invited the missionaries Sts. Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia. They established an independent church province, developed the first Slavic alphabet (Glagol) using Greek symbols, and used it to translate the bible into vernacular. The most important ruler of Great Moravia was Svätopluk who battled with the East Frankish Empire. Great Moravia disintegrated after its invasion by Magyar tribes and the successes of the East Frankish Empire. Sites dating back to the time of Great Moravia may be found at Devín, Nitra, and Ducové, amongst others.

 

The Magyar tribes established a Hungarian state in the Danube area and the territory of present-day Slovakia was absorbed around 1000 AD. The history of Slovakia was thus interwoven with that of the Hungarian state until 1918.

Developed Middle Ages

The development of the Hungarian Empire was interrupted by the Tatar invasion (1240 – 1242). After the Tatars left, Belo IV invited Saxons to come and live in Hungary, which significantly strengthened urban civilisation. After the male line of the Árpád dynasty died out in 1301, Charles Robert of Anjou became king in 1308 and established the Anjou dynasty, which was followed by the Jagello dynasty in 1440.

 

The period of humanism and renaissance in the Hungarian Empire is forever linked to the name of its ruler, Matthias Corvinus (1458 – 1490). The first university on the territory of present-day Slovakia, Academia Istropolitana (1465 – 1491), was established in Bratislava during his rule.

 

An important historic moment for the development of the country was the defeat and the killing of King Louis II by the Turks at the battle near Mohács in 1526. Hungary opened for them a gateway to Central Europe and the Habsburg dynasty assumed the Hungarian throne. The territory of Slovakia became the administrative and economic centre of the Hungarian Empire and Bratislava was the coronation site of many Hungarian kings.

Late Middle Ages

In 1635, Peter Pazmany established Trnava University (which was relocated to Budapest in 1777). The Jesuits founded Košice University in 1657.

 

The numerous anti-Habsburg uprisings by Hungarian nobility were curtailed by the 1711 Peace of Azatmar. However, it did not stop unrest amongst the subjects, a fact that was reflected in the high levels of emigration and banditry. It was at this time that the legend of the most famous of Slovak outlaws who was stealing from the rich to give to the poor, was born – the legend of Juraj Jánošík.

Modern Times

The 18^th century saw the development of manufacturing and the modernisation of mining technology. In 1770, the enlightened, absolutist ruler, Maria Theresa, established the first school of mining in the world – the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica. In 1774, she also introduced compulsory school attendance. Her son, the Emperor Joseph II abolished serfdom in the Hungarian Empire in 1785.

 

The Slovak national consciousness was rekindled in the 18^th and 19^th centuries; a Slovak civil society began to emerge. The first written form of the Slovak language was codified in 1847, and the first political programme was proclaimed in 1848. In 1861 the Memorandum of the Slovak Nation was published and in 1863 Matica slovenská was established to promote the Slovak nation. In 1893 the Slovak Museum Society was established. The late 19^th and early 20^th centuries were marked by the struggle against Hungarian nationalist tendencies, culminating in the creation of the Czechoslovak Republic.

Present times

Czechoslovakia was established with the end of World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom in 1918. The period of prosperity of the newly established republic followed until the world`s economic crisis and the later advent of the Nazism; In 1939, Slovakia was de iure proclaimed autonomous. Its independence, however, was greatly limited by its strong economic, military and political dependence on Germany. The Slovak National Uprising during World War II, in 1944, was a clear indication of the country’s opposition to Nazism.

In 1945 the Czech and Slovak states joined again. In 1948 a communistic putsch took place – so called February Revolution. The 1950s in Czechoslovakia were a period of political oppression, characterized by the victimization of prominent political, cultural and religious individuals and even of ordinary people. In 1968, Alexander Dubček (the then leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia) introduced the policy known as “socialism with a human face” that ended with the Prague Spring and the consequent crushing of the reformist movement by the Soviet army.

The period of “normalization” lasted until the end of the 70s. The normalization regime plunged Czechoslovakia into an economic, political and moral decline. It was succeeded by the democratic socialism in 1980s. Nevertheless, opposition towards the regime grew and during the late 80’s it became more intense and organised. It led to the overthrow of the communist government in November 1989 referred to as the “Velvet Revolution”.

On January 1, 1993 the former Czech and Slovak Federal (Federative) Republic was peacefully divided into two independent Slovak and Czech states and the Slovak Republic joined the United Nations as a fully-fledged member.

In October 1993 the European Parliament ratified the association agreement between the Slovak Republic and the European Union. In spring 2004, the Slovak Republic joined NATO and on May 1, 2004 the Slovak Republic joined European Union as a full member.