Gathering and reworking information from Constantinople, Vienna, Venice and Rome (1664–1684)
Dr. Elisabeth Lobenwein
The project examines how Habsburg and Venetian diplomatic representatives in the Ottoman Empire operated, generating exclusive knowledge for their respective clients, and how this information was used politically and processed through the media of the time. The study is based on the idea that it is essential to examine the multiplicity of actors involved in the generation and processing of information and the corresponding means of ...
GRACEFUL17: Global Governance, Local Dynamics: Transnational Regimes of Grace in the Roman Dataria Apostolica (17th Century)
A cooperative project, Digital Humanities component at DHI Rome
The power of the early modern Catholic Church was based on so-called regimes of grace, which can be described as networks of secular and ecclesiastical influence. The "grace" of a higher authority, such as the Pope, granted certain individuals special privileges, incomes, or benefices. The organization of this allocation of grace was the responsibility of the Apostolic Dataria, an office of the Curia in Rome. They acted as ...
Imperial Imitation of the Papacy in the Early Modern Period
Prof. Dr. Alexander Koller
The universal pretense of the papacy concerning the spiritual domain in succession of the apostle Peter has been complemented at times by a more or less pronounced secular-political universalism during its history and combined with elements of imperial self-conception. In forming an image of themselves, the popes referred repeatedly to features of antique and medieval imperial symbolism, especially those popes whose name already suggested an ...
Travels of Ecclesiastical Diplomats in the Early Modern Period
Prof. Dr. Alexander Koller
Among those who embarked on journeys in the early modern period, ecclesiastical diplomats (legates, nuncios, special papal envoys) constituted a significant proportion. What preparations had to be made in advance? Under what conditions did the journeys take place? The following aspects required particular consideration: size of the travelling entourage, nature of resources, chosen itinerary, state of the roads, means of transport, weather ...
Transitional societies in comparison. Reflections on the 'saddle period' on the Italian peninsula and in Europe
PD Dr. Lutz Klinkhammer
Building on an analysis of how populations on the left bank of the Rhine in Germany and in Piedmont responded to French rule between 1789 and 1814, the project seeks to examine specific processes of state and societal transformation from the late 18th century to the Restoration. The focus lies on the genesis of new social knowledge, informed by insights into mechanisms of political reorganisation, experiences of the world, and knowledge ...
