Governare, tollerare, inquadrare “l’altro” tra ragion di fede e ragion di stato. Le minoranze ortodosse intradiocesane a Livorno e Trieste fra potere ecclesiastico e secolare nel secolo XVIII

This research offers a comparative analysis of the Greek Orthodox communities of Livorno and Trieste in the XVIII century, shifting the traditional focus from the minorities themselves to the ecclesiastical and political authorities charged with governing their presence: it therefore examines the practices of persecution, toleration, integration, and control implemented in the two port cities, situated within the Habsburg system. Drawing on extensive archival documentation and a substantial body of international bibliography, the study investigates the relationships between Orthodox communities, diocesan ordinaries, local clergy, civil authorities, and the Holy See. The comparison between these two contexts highlights the impact of different institutional and geopolitical conditions on confessional dynamics, and illuminates the role played by Catholic bishops in managing groups perceived as ‘deviant’ from the dominant religion. At the same time, the study situates the presence of Orthodox diasporas within a broader network of relations connecting the Habsburg Monarchy, the Papacy, the Ottoman Empire, and the Russian Empire. By placing ecclesiastical and political authorities at the centre of the analysis, the research sheds new light on the mechanisms through which religious diversity was negotiated, regulated, and incorporated within the complex confessional and geopolitical landscape of eighteenth-century Europe.