In the 14th century, Queen Elizabeth Kotromanić came to reign after the death of her husband, the Croatian-Hungarian King Ludovic of Anjou. According to legend, Queen Elizabeth Kotromanić and her daughter Mary were imprisoned in the fortress of Novigrad from 1386-1387.
During her imprisonment, it is said that Queen Elizabeth embroidered a golden royal cloak, later known as chasuble – worn by Catholic priests.
The garment is still preserved in the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary church in Novigrad.
Whilst wanting nothing more than a male heir, Queen Elizabeth only ever gave birth to four daughters. However, her burning desire for a male heir resulted in the creation of St Simeon's Shrine, which can be found in the church of St. Simeon in Zadar.
Her crown, one of Zadar's most significant and valuable historical artefacts, can be found in the museum of Gold and Silver of Zadar.
During the 15th century, Novigrad was under the Venetian government. Later, Novigrad and Zadar were the only two towns outside Turkish authority, and their residents could resume everyday life during Turkish rule.
In 1811, Novigrad became a municipality and currently includes three locations: Novigrad, Pridraga and Paljuv.