Split  probably grew on the site of the old Greek  settlement Aspalathos. Somewhere around 300. A.D. the emperor Diocletian built  at this place a luxurious palace where he lived and where he was buried. From his time, the palace served as residence for  the expelled Roman emperors and their families.
After the fall of nearby ancient city Salona, its inhabitants found refuge inside the walls of the Palace. New settlement soon appeared. In 1069. king Petar Krešimir IV united the town to the rest of Croatia.
In 1420. Split acknowledged the protectorate of Venice. After  the fall of Venice in 1797.together with the other parts of Croatia it fell under the rule of Austria which gave it  to France in 1805. From 1882. Split is under the Croatian administration.
At the begining of 20 th century Split was the most important port on the east coast of the Adriatic.