The town's native Croat name fully translates as "the white town on the sea". The name Biograd is a compound literally meaning "white city", and etymologically corresponding to several other toponyms spread throughout the Slavdom: Beograd, Belgorod, Bia?ogard etc. The name was first mentioned in the 10th century as a town founded by the Croats. It was one of the most important cities, being the capital of most Croatian regnants such as Stephen Dr�islav and Peter Kre�imir IV and as well as an important religious place. It was the city where Coloman of Hungary was crowned in 1102, marking Croatia's joining the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1202, when the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade occupied the city of Jadra (Zadar), many of its citizens took refuge in Biograd, then noted as Jadra Nova ("New Zadar"). Two years later, the most of them left back to Zadar, after which the city was also referred to as Jadera Vetula ("Old Zadar") or Zara vecchia in Italian translation.
During the 13th and 14th century the city was run by the dukes of Cetina, the Knights Templar of Vrana and the dukes of Bribir the �ubi?es. It was acquired by the Venetian Republic in 1409 and would remain its property until its downfall in 1797.
During the Venetian-Turkish wars, the city was gravely damaged, and on two occasions, in 1521 and in 1646, it was destroyed and burned. In the 16th and 17th century, the Croatian militia formed in Biograd and had much involvement in the wars against the Turks.
In recent history, the Serbian forces inflicted considerable damage by long-range bombardment in the period 1991-1993 during the Croatian War of Independence
