The "Republic of Ragusa" had at one time an important fleet, but its influence decreased. We know that the language was in trouble in the face of Croatian expansion, as the Ragusan Senate decided that all debates had to be held in "lingua veteri ragusea" (ancient Ragusan language) and the use of the "lingua sclava" (Croatian) was forbidden. Nevertheless, in the 16th century, Ragusan fell out of use and became extinct.