Faria and other Roman towns in the nearby islands, as noted by the historian Archdeacon Thomas of Split (1200�1268) in his Historia Salonitana.
Roman Faria was taken over by the Slavs at the beginning of the 8th century. At this point, the town received the name we know it by today - Hvar (the letter F not being part of the old slavonic alphabet). During the 10th century, Hvar came under the Narentines. Pirates from Omi� on the mainland were raiding the coastal settlements, and new villages grew up in the foothills � Dol, Vrbanj and Pitve.
In 1278, the people of Hvar chose to put themselves under the protection of the Venetian Republic. As part of the contract, they undertook to expand the town on the south of the island, as a more suitable base for the Venetian fleet. This is the site of the present day town of Hvar. The old town of Stari Grad, also referred to as �Old Hvar�, remained the centre of the most densely populated part of the island, the area surrounding the agricultural plain.
During the 16th century, the town was attacked by the Turks, the first time repulsing them, but in 1571 they lost, and much of the town was burnt down. Following that loss, Stari Grad was slowly rebuilt from the ruins. During the 17th and 18th centuries, prosperity once again grew from sea-trade. The old waterfront (Stara Riva) was extended and the town underwent a major architectural and urban transformation, resulting in the town structure we see today.
In 1797 Napoleon overthrew the Venetian Republic, and Hvar briefly became part of the Austrian Empire. When the French also took over Austria, they conferred the status of an autonomous province on the town of Stari Grad. With the fall of the Napoleonic Empire, Stari Grad became part of the Dalmatian Kingdom, within the larger political body of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 19th century was peaceful, and a time of prosperity for the entire island
