From 11 to 12 June 2026, Aberystwyth University in Wales played host to the international conference Communication and Exchange in the Early Modern 1500–1850: A Continent in Conversation.
The event featured 42 papers from scholars across Europe and the Americas, including representation from British institutions such as Cambridge, Oxford, York, and St Andrews, alongside academics from Spain, Italy, and Greece. Among the presenters was our own Research Assistant, Matea Marušić.
On Thursday, 11 June, Ms Marušić delivered her paper, titled Friar on the Move: Andrija Dorotić in Dalmatian Diplomatic and Clandestine Networks at the Turn of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, as part of the Early Modern Networks panel. Her presentation introduced a central figure of her doctoral research to the international academic community, sparking considerable interest among attendees.
The presentation was followed by a stimulating discussion with fellow panellists Dr James Kendrick (Independent Researcher) and Dr Monica Telodi (University of Milan). Specialists in religious history from the universities of Oxford and York showed particular interest, offering praise and positive feedback on Ms Marušić’s work.
The abstract, photographs, presentation slides, and conference programme can be viewed below.
Abstract:
This paper explores the role of Franciscan friar Andrija Dorotić (1761–1837) in the diplomatic and clandestine political networks that shaped Dalmatia after the French occupation of the Venetian Republic in 1797. As the eastern Adriatic region approached potential reunification with the Croatian Kingdom under Habsburg rule, political and ecclesiastical networks mediated state communication. Dorotić acted as an intermediary, combining ecclesiastical authority with Austrian political interests to influence local and imperial affairs. Central to this study is his anonymously circulated Proclamation to the Dalmatian People (12 June 1797), which called for unification and criticised French democratic administration. The church assembly in Karin authorised Dorotić to petition Austrian Emperor Francis II in Vienna, while Dalmatian urban communities confirmed popular backing. In October 1797, Dalmatia was ceded to Austria, however in 1805 it came under the French rule, during which Dorotić operated within expanding networks of diplomacy and subterfuge as an Austrian intelligence agent and organiser of anti-French resistance. Often in political exile, he undertook political and propaganda missions in Bosnia, Rumelia and Bar, Corfu, Durrës, Vis, and Malta. The paper argues that Franciscan structures shaped religion and reason as instruments of political mobilisation, enabling both diplomatic negotiation and clandestine coordination.
We find it appropriate […] to promote the establishment of a Trading Company, which, by uniting its strength, knowledge, and care, will strive […] to develop the various branches of a necessary and profitable commerce.
