Lastovo Island

The wooded island of Lastovo lies in the southern Adriatic, beyond the Dalmatian coast. Part of the Republic of Ragusa, it possessed a local statute from 1310 and was governed by a rector chosen in Dubrovnik. Tensions grew as the republic restricted the islanders' autonomy. In 1602 Lastovo rose against Ragusan rule, and Venice intervened and occupied the island. Ragusa recovered it in 1606, but the struggle left the island's self-government more tightly constrained.