At the close of the project’s first year, our newest research assistant, Matea Marušić, visited the State Archives in Zadar and Split, marking the beginning of her archival research journey. These visits form part of her wider investigation into key figures of Catholic (Counter-)Enlightenment thought in Dalmatia under Napoleonic rule.
Zadar, as the first and indispensable stop, yielded a wealth of archival material relating to administrative and ecclesiastical affairs during the period. Unfortunately, several important collections—such as those of the Governor of Dalmatia, Baron Thomas de Brady, and the confidential archive of the General Provveditore Vincenzo Dandolo—were undergoing cataloguing and therefore inaccessible. This will necessitate a return visit to the Zadar State Archives.
Of particular significance is the material concerning Fra Andrija Dorotić, one of the principal leaders of the uprising against French authority. These sources will be studied in detail as part of the project’s ongoing work with primary materials. In addition to the State Archives, Marušić also consulted holdings at the Scientific Library in Zadar.
At the State Archives in Split, the volume of relevant material was more limited—an outcome that was largely expected, given Zadar’s status as the political and administrative capital of Dalmatia at the time. Nevertheless, a valuable manuscript by Radoš Antun Michieli-Vitturi, describing conditions in Dalmatia following the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, was identified. Written in Italian and Latin, the manuscript is preserved within the Michieli-Vitturi family collection and will undoubtedly prove useful for the research.
Despite the relative scarcity of material in the State Archives, Split remains an important centre due to its Archdiocesan Archive, Franciscan collections, and its role as a base for future research. In the project’s next year, Marušić will use Split as a starting point for investigating monastic archives in the surrounding region, including Sinj, Makarska, and Sumartin on the island of Brač.
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