The community is predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian by religion, as opposed to the Croats who are Catholic. In some regions of modern-day Croatia, mainly in southern Dalmatia , ethnic Serbs possibly have been present from the Early Middle Ages.
Serbs from modern-day Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina started actively migrating to Croatia at a time the Habsburg monarchy was engaged in a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire.
Several migration waves happened after , when the Emperor Ferdinand I granted them the right to settle on the territory of the Military Frontier. In exchange for land and exemption from taxation, they had to conduct military service and participate in the protection of the border. After the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in later renamed to Yugoslavia , a few thousand Serbs moved to Croatian territory.
After the beginning of the breakup of Yugoslavia and Croatia's proclamation of independence , the Serbs living in Croatia rebelled against the Croatian government and proclaimed the Republic of Serbian Krajina RSK on parts of Croatian territory, which led to the Croatian War of Independence — After the Croatian Army 's Operation Storm , the RSK ceased to exist, its territory was reincorporated into Croatia, and approximately , Serbs fled from the country.
In the post-war period, Serbs were exposed to discriminatory measures and rhetoric , including barriers to employment and property rights, and use of the minority languages. Denial of genocide in the NDH has also been a prominent issue at times. Shortly afterward, the Croatian authorities and representatives of the Serbs marked the events of the —95 war together.
