o projektu

Povezanost projektnog prijedloga s trenutnim stanjem u području istraživanja

 Istraživači okupljeni oko ovoga projekta su većinom afirmirani istraživači iz područja humanističkih i društvenih znanosti, polja povijesti (renesansne, ranomoderne i suvremene), povijesti prava, povijesti umjetnosti, klasične i moderne filologije (latinski, engleski, talijanski, njemački), političkih znanosti i sociologije, a otvoreni su i za suradnju sa istraživačima koji se bave međunarodnom ranomodernom i suvremenom poviješću i politikom. Članovi istraživačke grupe stekli su dragocjeno istraživačko iskustvo u raznim arhivima Svete Stolice poput središnjega arhiva Vatikanske države (Vatikanski tajni arhiv), Arhiva Državnoga Tajništva, Povijesnoga Arhiva Kongregacije za Širenje vjere (Propaganda Fide), kao i u brojnim domaćim (državni i crkveni arhivi u Zagrebu, Dubrovniku, Zadru i Splitu) i stranim arhivima u Italiji (Rim, Napulj, Firenca, Venecija, Trst), Austriji i Mađarskoj. Neki su članovi projektne grupe objavili monografije koje otvaraju potpuno nove istraživačke perspektive u Hrvatsku ali i srednjoeuropsku historiografiju. Voditeljica ovoga projekta, znanstvena savjetnica dr. sc. Jadranka Neralić u srednjoeuropskoj i talijanskoj historiografiji uglavnom poznata po monografijama i znanstvenim radovima objavljenima u uglednim međunarodnim časopisima u kojima razmatra odnose brojnih dalmatinskih biskupija, dijecezanskoga svećenstva, redovnika i laika sa Rimskom kurijom i Mletačkom Republikom tijekom 15. i 16. stoljeća prema originalnim izvorima u fondovima Vatikanskoga tajnog arhiva. Profesori Massimiliano Valente sa Europskoga Sveučilišta u Rimu i Andreas Gottsmann, ravnatelj Austrijskoga povijesnoga instituta u Rimu, svoja su istraživanja također usmjerili na bogate fondove Vatikanskoga tajnog arhiva i Arhiva Državnoga Tajništva Svete Stolice za period druge polovice 19. i prve polovice 20. stoljeća. Težište njihovih istraživanja su diplomatske i političke veze Svete Stolice u doba pontifikata Lava XIII., Benedikta XV., Pija XI. i Pija XII., njihovih državnih tajnika i predstojnika raznih Kongregacija i nuncijatura sa različitim državnim tvorevinama nastalima na području Istočnoga Jadrana u ovom periodu (Austro-Ugarska Monarhija, Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca, Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Bosna, Crna Gora, Albanija Hrvatska). Rezultati ovih istraživanja objavljeni su u monografijama, konferencijskim zbornicima, uglednim međunarodnim znanstvenim časopisima, i dobro su poznati širokoj znanstvenoj i zainteresiranoj javnosti. (Valente, 2011-2014; Gottsmann, 2010, 2017).  Docent Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Splitu, dr. Nikša Varezić (2018) je objavio monografiju o diplomatskim odnosima Dubrovačke Republike sa Svetom Stolicom u 16. i 17. stoljeću. Diplomatski spisi koje je pronašao u dokumentacijama različitih nuncijatura i Državnoga Tajništva u Vatikanskome tajnom arhivu, na potpuno novi način osvjetljavaju ove burne, intrigantne i zamršene odnose, i mijenjaju dosadašnju sliku o dubrovačkoj diplomaciji ovoga perioda. Tijekom svoga istraživačkoga boravka u Rimu i Vatikanskome tajnom arhivu, dr. Varezić je blisko surađivao sa voditeljicom projekta dr. J. Neralić, kao i sa dr. Josipom Vrandečićem, voditeljem projekta “Jadranske geopolitike u modernosti 1493-1914.” /”Megas”. J. Vrandečić (2017) je autor monografije o uglednome papinskom diplomatu, zadarskome nadbiskupu Minuccu Minucciju, koja je i najvidljiviji rezultat njegova rada na ovom projektu. Postdoktorant na Filozofskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, dr. Luka Špoljarić svoja je arhivska istraživanja u Firenci, Veneciji, Ankoni, Rimu i Vatikanu usmjerio na dokumentarno gradivo koje osvjetljava vrlo uspješnu diplomatsku i književnu karijeru biskupa Nikole Modruškog; njegovu je gustu mrežu prijatelja, kurijalnih službenika i povjerenika u Italiji i Dalmaciji osvijetlio u doktorskoj disertaciji i nizu zapaženih znanstvenih radova. (Špoljarić, 2016, 2019). Docent na Sveučilištu u Zadru, dr. Zdenko Dundović je, pak, svoja vatikanska arhivska istraživanja usredotočio na dokumentarno gradivo Povijesnoga Arhiva Kongregacije za Širenje Vjere (Propaganda Fide) koje svjedoči o neprekinuto bliskim vezama zadarske nadbiskupije sa ovom Kongregacijom, papama i njihovim kurijalnim službenicima (Dundović, 2016, 2018). Docentica na Hrvatskim studijima Sveučilišta u Zagrebu dr. sc. Valerija Macan Lukavečki je svoja istraživanja posvetila karijeri u službi kardinala Aleksandra Farnesea najsjajnijega Hrvatskoga / Istarskoga umjetnika 16. stoljeća, minijaturista Julija Klovića, i o njemu osim disertacije, napisala nekoliko zapaženih radova (Macan Lukavečki, 2018). Još jedna intrigantna karijera u diplomatskoj službi Kraljevine Jugoslavije dvadesetih godina 20. stoljeća, svećenika Nikole Moscatella, u središtu je zanimanja i arhivskih istraživanja znanstvenoga suradnika Hrvatskog instituta za povijest, dr. Stipe Kljaića (Kljaić, 2014, 2016).

Kao timu iznimno vrijednih, temeljito i svestrano obrazovanih, međusobno dobro usklađenih istraživača, sa optimalnim omjerom iskusnih znanstvenika i mladih istraživača postdoktoranata, cilj nam je i buduća istraživanja provoditi interdisciplinarnim pristupom, uz korištenje metodologija nekoliko znanstvenih disciplina, kako bismo na velikom broju razmatranih pojedinačnih slučajeva cjelovitije sagledali i analizirali utjecaje političkih, kulturnih, intelektualnih i gospodarskih strujanja u diplomatskom djelovanju modernih europskih država (uključujući i Papinsku) koje su svoje interese od renesanse do suvremenosti tražile i nalazile na istočnojadranskom prostoru. Osobitu novost u našim istraživanjima predstavlja i nedavna najava Pape Franje (ožujak 2019) kako će od 2020. godine sve arhivsko gradivo nastalo do 1958. godine (smrti pape Pija XII., Eugenio Pacelli), pohranjeno u Vatikanskim arhivima, biti dostupno svim istraživačima. Nesumnjivo će specijalisti naše istraživačke grupe za suvremenu hrvatsku i srednjoeuropsku povijest u bogatim fondovima Nuncijatura “Germania”, “Jugoslavia”, “Francia” i “Vienna”, te u Državnom Tajništvu Svete Stolice, naći obilje manje poznatoga gradiva za nove sinteze hrvatske povijesti, i diplomatskih odnosa sa Svetom Stolicom sredinom 20. stoljeća. Držimo, također, da ćemo prvenstveno razmjenom istraživačkih iskustava i inovativnih metodoloških pristupa u međusobnoj suradnji, a svakako i sa kolegama iz drugih europskih historiografija koji istražuju u Vatikanskim arhivima, te kolegama iz sličnih disciplina, znatno poboljšati međusobnu znanstvenu komunikaciju. Namjeravamo, također, koristiti nove modele u predstavljanju istraživačkih rezultata, prilagođenih potrebama znanstvene javnosti koja posjećuje znanstvene skupove i konferencije, koja se služi suvremenim informatičkim pomagalima, prati zbivanja na mrežnim stranicama, ali i široj zainteresiranoj javnosti na organiziranim tribinama, radio ili televizijskim emisijama. Za razliku od naših i drugih istraživanja koja su do sada, na temelju objavljenih izvora i dostupne znanstvene literature, razmatrala i tematizirala tek neke aspekte utjecaja modernih europskih diplomacija na prošlost Jadranskoga prostora, istraživanja u okviru predloženoga projekta u planiranom četverogodišnjem trajanju, obuhvatit će i primijeniti suvremene trendove u modernim europskim historiografijama, u analizama i sintezama diplomatskog djelovanja na mikro-prostoru istočne Jadranske obale u širim okvirima utjecaja Papinske i drugih europskih država. Pozornost ćemo usmjeriti i na jezičnu, diplomatičku, političku i povijesnu analizu različitih vrsta diplomatskih izvora u svezi sa Jadranskim prostorom, nastalih djelovanjem diplomatskih predstavnika različitih europskih država akreditiranih pri Svetoj Stolici u različitim povijesnim razdobljima. Razmotrit ćemo eventualne promjene u političkom ili pravnom diskursu, načinu odlučivanja u iznenadnim nepredviđenim situacijama, oblike sudjelovanja u donošenju nepristranih ali i “teških”, nepopularnih odluka, utjecaje na reformske procese, veze pojedinih europskih istaknutih intelektualaca i diplomata sa istočnojadranskim prostorom, poput britanskog diplomate sredine 19. stoljeća A.A. Patona (Paton, 1849), ili ruskoga konzula Ivana Stepanovića Jastrebova, pojedinih uglednih nadbiskupa i biskupa,  redovnika i laika sa prostora istočne Jadranske obale koji su svoja znanja i sposobnosti uložili i posvetili u službi Svete Stolice, odnosno papinih diplomatskih predstavnika koji su od 15. pa sve do sredine 20. stoljeća obavljali diplomatske misije na Jadranskome prostoru.

Postojeća već objavljena istraživanja pružit će uvid u kvalitetu i kvantitetu arhivskih, povijesnih,  pravnih, literarnih i drugih relevantnih izvora, i bit će nam dragocjeno polazište za nove interpretacije. Radovi nastali tijekom ovoga projektnog razdoblja temeljit će se na suvremenoj interpretaciji i analizi poznatih i objavljenih, ali i na novopronađenim, evidentiranim i transkribiranim arhivskim izvorima. Osnovni cilj tako osmišljenoga istraživanja je razumijevanje modela, okolnosti i razloga diplomatskog djelovanja europskih država, koje su u temeljima oblikovanja suvremenoga europskoga identiteta država nastalih na Jadranskom prostoru. Ovaj ćemo osnovni cilj postići prije svega objavljivanjem znanstvenih radova i predstavljanjem istraživačkih rezultata na domaćim i međunarodnim znanstvenim konferencijama. Osobito važnu ulogu u predstavljanju rezultata dajemo i digitalnom repozitoriju koji će biti javno dostupan na mrežnoj stranici projekta. U njemu ćemo donijeti izvatke iz najzanimljivijih ili neobičnih pravnih i administrativnih diplomatskih  dokumenata, literarnih djela, dnevnika, memoara, putopisa, privatne i službene korespondencije raznih diplomatskih predstavnika. Među važne rezultate projekta svakako ubrajamo i konačnu projektnu monografiju naslovljenu “Europa – Diplomacija – Jadran” javno dostupnu na mrežnoj stranici projekta u formi e-knjige, u kojoj će suradnici na projektu predstaviti svoja istraživanja, te niz znanstvenih kolokvija i skupova uz sudjelovanje uglednih međunarodno priznatih domaćih i inozemnih znanstvenika. Time ćemo proširiti znanstvene spoznaje, ostvariti međunarodnu i međuinstitucionalnu suradnju, osnažiti komparativno i interdisciplinarno ozračje među suradnicima na projektu. Nesumnjivo ćemo otvoriti i brojne nove istraživačke teme, što će projektu omogućiti i izglednu međunarodnu perspektivu. Naime, ovako okupljena, snažna i kompaktna istraživačka grupa lako će se uključiti u međunarodne istraživačke konzorcije na natječajima za međunarodno (europsko) financiranje istraživačkih projekata (poput HERA-e, ili nekog budućeg nasljednika programa Horizon 2020).

Jadranka Neralić, voditelj projekta

Section a. State of the art in the research area

Research and scholarship on the papal legates and nuncios (political and diplomatic envoys of the Roman Pontiff, peace-makers and arbiters of international politics) as well as on the apostolic nunciatures from the Medieval to the Contemporary age are vast, as can be said about almost any office of the Papal/Roman Curia. Recently, even in general overviews of medieval papacy, historians have recognised their role within the organism of papal administration, usually in relation to the College of Cardinals and the cardinals’ role outside Rome. They are present in books and studies on national political histories, for their crucial influence on political developments. They are integral part of the history of the Papacy, of the Church, as well as of the canon law, and more specifically, of the papal diplomacy. Somehow, stress has been put much more onto the High Middle Ages (related to the 11th and 13th century efforts to impose the administrative reform of the Papacy and the development of canon law), and the Early Modern Age (related to the 16th and 17th centuries development of the papal nunciatures network) across a wide geographical range. It can be generally stated that studies and research for other periods and some geographical areas (and the Eastern Adriatic is still among them) are not that numerous, although their number constantly grows. Fundamental monographs on papal diplomacy from the Middle Ages to the 19th century were published at the very beginning of the 20th century, however, a historian of papal curia will gladly consult basic narratives on the development of papal diplomacy written or edited by Pierre Blet (1982), Michael F. Feldkamp (1998), Alexander Koller (1998), Isabella Lazzarini (2015) or Antonin Kalous (2017).

The recent Croatian historiography has caught pace with the modern European researches and scholarship with the works of Ivan Majnarić for the 12th and 13th  century papal legates (Majnarić, 2006, 2008), those of the proposed project leader Jadranka Neralić, for the 15th and 16th century numerous papal diplomatic representatives (Neralić, 1999-2019), as well as those of Josip Vrandečić (2017) and Nikša Varezić (Varezić, 2018) for the 17th century papal diplomacy in relation to the the Republic of Dubrovnik and the Eastern Adriatic coast. Important contribution to the understanding of diplomatic negotiations with the Kingdom of Jugoslavia, the role of respective diplomats in the 1920s and the 1930s come from Massimiliano Valente (2011, 2012, 2013), Igor Salmič (2015) and Stipe Kljaić (Kljaić, 2016; Kljaić-Veraja, 2014). As for the systematic study of diplomatic relations of the Roman Curia and the Papacy with the Eastern Adriatic, not much research has been carried out or published, and still much more has to be done. Mostly thanks to the decades long researches financed and published by the Austrian, Italian, Czech, German or Polish Institutions, whose scholarly and editing tradition is far too longer, (just to mention some of them: Friedensburg, 1892; Gaeta, 1958; Stella, 1963; Reiner, 1973; Wojtyska 1990, 1992; Petersohn, 2004; Zingerle, 2012; Pazderová, 2016) we can reach the archival sources attesting papal legates of Dalmatian origin diplomatic activities.

The topic of this project will be approached from general European perspective, even though most of the political, economic, cultural, ecclesiastical, spiritual, social or warring situations and individual legations will be taken from the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Central-european context. Still, we do not have answers on questions like: where does the office of legates de latere fit within the system of papal administration? How were they accepted within the Church, and the local community of their mission? How did they fit into the local Church system? Is there any relation to the new trends in spirituality in the 15th and the following centuries? Did the legates strictly follow general rules designed earlier in the Curia? These questions do not yet have clear and definite anwers as the many local, micro-geographical researches are still in progress, and the members of this research project will attempt to answer some of them.

Section b. The relation of the project proposal to the state of the art in the research area.

This project brings together scholars from a wide variety of humanistic and social disciplines, including history, history of law, art history, modern and classical languages, political sciences, sociology, and is open to scholars working in the field of international exchanges in the Early Modern and Contemporary period. Members of this research project group have already acquired important experience by carrying out extensive researches in various archives of the Holy See (Vatican Secret Archives, Secretary of State Archives, Historic Archives of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide) as well as in different  national (Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik), Italian, Austrian, Hungarian, Polish and Russian state and ecclesiastical archives. Some of them have published monographs bringing new perspectives into both, Croatian and Central-eastern European historiography. The principal investigator and director of this project, scientific adviser dr. Jadranka Neralić is mostly known for her publications, monographs and professional journal articles, on the relations of the 15th and 16th century Dalmatian diocesan and regular clergy and laity with the Roman Curia and Venetian Republic, based on the years long researches of the Vatican Secret Archives holdings (Neralić, 1999-2019). Prof. Massimilano Valente (European University of Rome) and prof. Andreas Gottsmann (director of the Austrian Institute of History in Rome) focused their researches on the Vatican Secret Archives and the Secretary of State holdings relative to the late 19th and early 20th century diplomatic and political relations of the Holy See (Popes Leo XIII, Benedict XV, Pius XII, their secretaries of State, different Congregations and Nunciatures) with various states formed on the Eastern Adriatic in this period (Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Kingdom of Jugoslavia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Albania) and published several important monographs and professional articles in well known Italian and Austrian professional journals (Valente 2011-2014; Gottsmann, 2010, 2017). Dr. Nikša Varezić has recently published a monograph on diplomatic relations of the Republic of Dubrovnik with the Holy See in the 16th  and 17th centuries. Diplomatic sources he discovered in different Nunciatures and Secretary of State archival funds kept in the Vatican Secret Archives shed completely different light on the historic perspective of these relations. (Varezić, 2018). He tackled key themes such as the geopolitical framework, diplomatic rhetoric, and the Republic’s representatives in Rome, and offered detailed analysis of several profound crises: two wars between the Christian leagues and the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century and the dramatic period after the great earthquake of Ragusa in 1667. During his research period in the Vatican Archives dr. Varezić closely collaborated with  both J. Neralić, and  J. Vrandečić who directed the Croatian Scientific Foundation project “Jadranske geopolitike u modernosti 1493.-1914.”/”Megas”: IP-2013-11-8469 (from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2018), and published a monograph on an outstanding papal diplomat, archbishop of Zadar Minuccio Minucci. (Vrandečić, 2017). Dr. Luka Špoljarić has extensively worked in the Florentine, Venetian, Anconitan, Roman and Vatican Archives and Libraries tracing documents to highlight the very successful diplomatic and literary career of Nicholas of Modruš, his network of friends, Curial officials and confidents in Italy and Dalmatia (Špoljarić, 2016, 2019). Dr. Zdenko Dundović, lecturer at the University of Zadar, focused his Vatican archival researches on the 18th century sources in the Congregation of Propaganda Fide Historic Archives to prove constantly close relationships of Zadar archbishops with the Congregation, the reigning Pontiffs and their Curial officials (Dundović, 2016, 2018). Dr. Valerija Macan Lukavečki, lecturer at the Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, put the focus of her research interests on the career in the service of cardinal Alessandro Farnese of the most famous 16th century Croatian/Istrian artist, miniaturist Giulio Clovio/Julije Klović and wrote precious professional articles in international journals (Macan Lukavečki, 2018). Another intriguing career, spent in the 1920s in the service of The Kingdom of Jugoslavia’s Embasy to the Vatican State, that of a priest Nicola Moscatello, was in focus of the archival researches of dr. Stipe Kljaić, scientific associate in the Croatian institute of history (Kljaić, 2014, 2016).

As a team composed of eight experienced researchers, specialists in various disciplines and historic periods, and their skilled younger post doctoral associates with solid professional formation, we propose to carry out our archival and library researches applying cross-disciplinary approach to get a broader and complete insight into the influences of political, cultural, intellectual and economic character utilised in diplomatic activities by the Papacy and various modern European states that exercised their influence in the centuries long coexistence on the Eastern Adriatic. Enormous positive incentive to the researches of project team specialists in Contemporary Croatian history, came from Pope Frances himself, in a recent announcement (March 2019) to open for consultation archival sources produces until 1958 (coinciding with the death of Pope Pius XII, Eugenio Pacelli)  kept in various Vatican archives. Needless to say, we expect that the funds of Nunciatures “Germania”, “Jugoslavia”, “Francia” and “Vienna”, Holy See Secretary of State’s Archives, offer less known and studied archival sources for new sholarly papers and analyses. Furthermore, we will work to improve mutual scholarly communication, mostly through the exchange of research experiences and innovative methodological approaches, firstly within the research project group itself, with our colleagues historians in other Adriatic countries, as well as with other humanistic disciplines, with researchers who belong to different European historiographic traditions, yet carry out their inspiring researches in different Roman libraries and the Vatican Archives. We also intend to make  use of new presentation models, adequately adopted and modified to satisfy the needs and expectations of scientific and informed community. Modern scholary trends in the field of diplomatic activities on the micro-geographic level of the Eastern Adriatic, in the wider frame of Papal – European states’ relations will certainly be applied in the four years research period. Our attention will be directed and dedicated to the linguistic, paleographic and diplomatic, political and historical analyses of different forms and types of diplomatic sources relative to the Adriatic region, produced by various European states’ representatives acredited at the Holy See in various historic periods. We are going to analyse changes in political or legal discourse, ways, forms and models of hard and “tough” decision-making processes in difficult and unpredicted situations, influencing reform processes, relations of outstanding European intellectuals and diplomats with the Eastern Adriatic region (like British diplomat A.A. Paton (Paton, 1849) or Russian consul Ivan Stepanovič Jastrebov), single well known archbishops and bishops, regulars or lay Dalmatian born persons, who dedicated and invested their knowledge and skills in the service of the Holy See, as well as diplomats engaged by the Papacy in diplomatic missions at the Courts of Eastern Adriatic states.

Extant published researches will afford insight into the quantity and quality of archival, legal, literal or other relevant sources, and will be an important starting point for new interpretations. Articles and conference presentations written and presented during this project period will be based on modern interpretations and analyses of both extant, and newly discovered, evidenced and transcribed archival sources, with the primary aim to understand models, political circumstances and reasons for the past diplomatic actions, which formed modern European identity of the states along the Eastern Adriatic.

We plan to achieve the proposed aim by publishing scientific papers and articles in professional journals, conference proceedings organized in Croatia and abroad. Secondly, but not less important, there is the digital repository uploaded on the project web page. Most interesting, or for some reason particularly curious excerpts/extracts from legal, administrative, diplomatic documents, literary texts, diaries, memoires, travellogues, private and official corresponce of diplomats will find their place in it. The final project monograph “Europe – Diplomacy – Adriatic” containing results of team members’ researches, also uploaded in the form of e-book on the project web page, is certainly going to be an important project result. Last, but not least, we are also proud to announce several scientific colloquia organised in the Croatian institute of history with the participation of outstanding international and national scholars. In this way we are going to broaden and strengthen institutional and international cooperation. Inevitably, numerous new research topics will be raised bringing new and strong international prospective to the project itself, and to single team members. The research group can easily become involved into international research consortia seeking financial support under different European schemes like Hera or a future Horizon 2020 programme equivalent.

Section c. Methodology (describe the research methodology in detail.)

The geographical scope of our project is naturally the micro-territory of the Eastern Adriatic coasts, yet, we will also move within the Western Mediterranean as well as the Central and Western Europe, following the diplomats and their missions we propose to study, and wherever their correspondence comes from. We are interested in diplomatic relations between the Western powers, Kingdoms and Empires – first of all, the Papacy (Papal State), Spain, France, Austria and Hungary, that for centuries dominated political, economic and cultural life of the Eastern Adriatic. However, we will also consider the contributions of the Italian regional states like Venice, Naples and Florence (in the Renaissance period) as well as those of the Russian and Ottoman Empires for the 18^th and 19^th centuries diplomatic history.

As for the temporal range of our research project – it will cover almost five centuries of European diplomatic and political history relative to the eastern Adriatic. Starting with the Renaissance period and the late 15^th century reforms in the Papal diplomatic networks of nunciatures and the16^th century reform councils (Lateran, Trent), which brought important changes in the Papal Curia and the administrative handling of diplomatic correspondence. Diplomats, both European/Papal and local/Dalmatian active in the 17^th and the 18^th centuries, had to face difficulties of wars with the Ottoman Empire, fall of the Venetian Republic, natural disasters and various geopolitical turbulences which gave place to important and strategic decision-making processes between warring factions, protectorates and peace conferences, diplomatic missions and secret or public activities to organise. Finally, the contemporary period with terrible wars and post war political turbulences also gave rise to complex geostrategic changes and outstanding political personalities’ activities. Some aspects of the proposed research project will be based on well-defined case studies that address larger issues, taking care that they be relevant and representative, and lead to correct and reliable conclusions.

The extant scholarly literature with the previous research and scholarly results will be the starting point for the researches within the proposed project. However, much archival and library research, both in national (Zagreb, Krk, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik) and international (mostly Italian and Vatican), archives and libraries needs to be carried out. All team members have considerable experience in this aspect of their profession, and will concentrate their researches in the first three years project period. Critical analyses of evidenced and transcribed archival sources will be completed and compared with the published research results in English, Italian, German or French experts belonging to different scholarly traditions.

Possible risks to hamper, or cause delays in the realisation of the proposed project might be connected to the fact that specialists of different humanities and social disciplines, using different methodological approaches typical for their research period and discipline, are involved. These can easily be resolved with the steady communication between the research associates themselves (including tools like e-mail, cloud, drop-box, web page), exchange of experiences and scholarly literature, critical proofreading of papers and texts to be uploaded on the project web page as well as conference presentations. Similarly, regular monthly personal meetings with the project leader will help avoid possible duplication of archival and library research. The strength of our research project group is the fairly balanced ratio of experienced and early stage post-doctoral researchers who formed their experience on delicate, inspiring and extensive archival and library researches. Each of them, a specialist for single proposed research period (Renaissance, Early Modern Age, 19^th century history, Contemporary national and world history) grew up professionally at some of the best European Universities and Institutes ((Špoljarić: Central European University and the Harvard Center Villa I Taati in Florence, Kljaić: Yale University; Gottsmann: Vienna University; Valente, Macan Lukavečki, Neralić, Varezić: l’Università di Roma La Sapienza, Università Pontificia Gregoriana, Archivio Segreto Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana). This sufficiently proves their competence to easily cope with the proposed research aspects, possible surprises, and technical (IT) challenges.

                                                                                                                                                                                           Jadranka Neralić