The people of Poljica organized and founded the "parish commune" where they could live according to their own laws. The parish commune was divided into twelve villages (katuni), which they named after twelve larger villages of Poljica: • (Upper) Gornja Poljica: Srijane, Dolac Donji and Gornje Polje • (Middle) Sridnja Poljica: Kostanje, Zvečanje, Čišla, Gata, Dubrava, Sitno and Srinjine • (Lower) Donja Poljica: Duće, Jesenice and Podstrana Five of the twelve villages were greatly populated by free peasants of
Split origin, and are therefore called free peasant composite villages. The other composite villages were populated by descendants of the three brothers (noted to be founders of Poljica). Each of the twelve villages elected an elder, or little duke (
knez), to serve as leader. The little dukes of free peasant composite villages did not share the same rights as little dukes of the other villages—they could vote, but not be elected to the government of Poljica due to their ties with Split. The inhabitants lived in scattered villages, twelve of them, each ruled by its
count, and all together ruled by the supreme count. These officers, with the three judges, were always of noble birth, though elected by the whole body of citizens. There were two orders of
nobles:), the later from mid-14th century got nickname "
ugričići" after the assumption that they came from the areas under control of
Kingdom of Hungary.
Didići according to legends are the descendants of three sons of King
Miroslav of Croatia (each of them forming a tribe of Tišimiri, Limići and Kremenićani), and were "
koljenovići", as they had rights on lands ("
didovina").
Vlastela could become the part of "poljički stol", but they needed the confirmation of the assembly of Poljica nobles. The descendants of the office holders were allowed to use titles of duke and count. Below these ranked the
commoners and the
serfs. At a very early date the warlike highlanders of Poljica became the friends and allies of the Omiš
corsairs, who were thus enabled to harass the seaborne trade of their neighbors without fear of a sudden attack by land. and the story was also made into a theatre play. After the fall of the
Venetian Republic in 1797, Poljica was taken over by
Austria. The population of Poljica numbered 6,566 in 1806. In the following year, however, the republic incurred the enmity of
Napoleon by rendering aid to the
Russians and
Montenegrins in
Dalmatia, and it was invaded by
French troops, who plundered its villages, massacred its inhabitants, and finally deprived it of independence. After the Napoleonic era, Poljica was absorbed by
Austria. ==Legacy==