island, the largest and most northern of Croatia's Adriatic islands. It reaches maximum elevation at Obzova, 1,824 feet (556 m). Archaeological findings suggest that Krk has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic Period. Roman influence, beginning in the 1st century BC, was followed by the arrival of the Slavs in the 7th century. The Romans retreated into the town of Krk on the island's west coast, which was renamed Vecla under the Byzantine Empire. A Greco-Roman dialect survived locally until the 19th century. From the year 1000, Venice competed for the island against the kingdom of Croatia, which won it in 1059; from 1133 to 1480, Krk was ruled by the counts of the Frankopan family, who recognized the sovereignty of the crown of Hungary and, at the same time, held a seat in the Great Council of Venice
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