Livno, the administrative, cultural and economic centre of the region that goes under the same name, is first mentioned on September 26, 892, in the charter of the Croatian prince Mutimir. Among the witnesses listed in the charter there is also Želimir, the county prefect of Livno (Zelimiro, iupano Cleunae). Half a century later, the Byzantine emperor and historian, Constantine Porphyrogenetus, mentions the county of Livno and Pliva as the constituent parts of the Croatian state. In the 11th century, in the charter of the Croatian king Zvonimir, the duke of Livno, Dobrila, is mentioned (Dobrili comitis Cleunensis). Linguists have come up with different explanations of the toponym LlVNO: for some of them it is the derivative of hlijev (the ikavian variant is hliv) - meaning barn or shed; others are in favour of hljebno (ikavian variant hlib) -meaning bread. The most acceptable seems to be the derivation from glina -meaning clay.
In the Middle Ages the county of Livno spread upon the fields round Duvno, Glamoč and Kupres, which is proved by the names of Tropolje (comes Trium Camporum). The Bosnian ban (viceroy or governor) Stjepan II Kotromanić annexed the county of Livno to the Bosnian state in the 14th century. The leading aristocratic family in the Middle Ages in the region of Završje. (the 15th century name for Livno, Duvno and Glamoč) were the dukes Mihovilović, descendants to the county parentage of Hlivljani. In the neighbourhood of Livno of that time there was also the parish Bistrica, so Livno was sometimes also called Bistrički Grad (the town of Bistrica). In August 1466 Livno was conquered by lvaniš Vlatković who, upon this occasion, called himself "perpetuus comes de Wratar ac vayvoda terrae Humie et de Hliuna". Soon afterwards the Turks conquered Livno and established their administration and military garrison there.
From the standpoint of church administration, the region of Livno undoubtedly belonged to the Split Bishopric. In Livno and its surroundings a number of epigraphs on monuments from the early Croatian period were discovered, mostly on the localities of Rapovine, Grebci and Perkuša.
