[6] It is considered that by socio-economic power it was composed of lower and middle nobility,[7] which had a privilege of retain and use of heirdom, tax exemption, and limited military obligations to the king.
The twelve tribes are Čudomirić, Gusić, Kačić, Kukar, Jamomet, Lasničić, Lapčan and Karinjan, Mogorović, Poletčić, Snačić, Šubić, and Tugomirić.
[8] After the death of Croatian kings Demetrius Zvonimir in 1089 and Petar Snačić in 1097, seemingly twelve nobles (XII nobile sapienciores or elder župans[9]) of the twelve tribes of Croatia (de XII tribus Chroatie), as representatives met with Coloman, King of Hungary, to sign a treaty Pacta conventa and enter into a personal union with Hungary.
[10] Although the authenticity of the document is disputed to be a late-14th century forgery, the tax exemptions and hereditary possession of land by feudal lords, Croatian political autonomy and other indicate some mutual agreement did take place at the time of Coloman's coronation in 1102.
[14] Next, and an indirect mention would be in 1273 charter by King Ladislaus IV of Hungary who gave the tribe of Glamočani,[nb 1] the same status as "true, first and natural nobles of the Kingdom of Croatia".
[23] Držislav Švob (1956) considered that the purpose of the document was to show the illegitimacy of the Hungarian rule over the Kingdom of Croatia because as the Croatian king did not have any descendants the bans should have elected the new king and it contradicts the Pacta Conventa which was not signed by the bans, as well was made up by the Church of Split on the behalf of Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić to neglect Hungarian pretensions on the Kingdom of Bosnia which developed from the Banate of Bosnia.
[29][30] In 1400, Bosnian King Stephen Ostoja Kotromanić gave all the lands of župa and city of Hlivno to Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić and his son Balša.
[19] The last time the alliance of twelve tribes was mentioned is 1459,[6] when podban Mihovil Živković and judges from Knin gave an explanation on the inheritance of land among nobility to a knez from Zadar.
[33] He considered that the original task of this institution was the protection of the rights of the lower nobility from the attacks and mistreatment of large feudal families that had started to form.
[43] The decree of Mladen II Šubić in 1322 in which are mentioned individuals from tribes of Prkalj, Jamomet, and Bilinjan without the title of nobiles, and with the title nobiles the Šubić from Bribir and Madija de Varicassis from Zadar patricianship; 1358 decree by Ban of Croatia, Ivan Ćuz, by which were returned lands to noble tribe of Prkalj taken away by knez Grgur of Krbava; 1396 decree by Sabor in Nin which freed them from paying imposed taxes by the King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, also stating they were "true and from antiquity nobles", which will be confirmed in 1412 by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor; indicate the lower nobility status was not formed before 1322 and for it needed that no feudal or magnate authority was in between the tribal and king authority.
[47][35] Raukar, citing Barada and Klaić, also considered that wide Zadar-Biograd na Moru hinterland[48] and Lučka županija (centered in Ostrovica Fortress and located in 14th century between Lička county in Northwest, Kninska in Northeast, Dridska and Primorska in the South[49]) were the origin place of the tribes.
[50] Ivan Majnarić noted that Mogorović, Snačić, Tugomirić, Gusić, Lapčan, and Poletčić tribe do not support such an exclusive connection to Lučka županija, and that until today the localization has not been resolved.