The Geopolitical Character of the Post-Tridentine Apostolic Nunciatures (1562–1605): A Prosopographical and Comparative Study
This website was created to familiarise researchers and the general public with the research project entitled The Geopolitical Character of the Post-Tridentine Apostolic Nunciatures (1562–1605): A Prosopographical and Comparative Study, and to present its scientific results gradually. The project is being carried out by a research team led by Dr. Dorota Gregorowicz, including Doc. Dr. Tomas Černušák and Professor Paolo Carta. It is being conducted at the University of Silesia in Katowice and is fully funded by the National Science Centre as part of the SONATA 16 programme (project no. 2020/39/D/HS3/00742).
Our studies focus on the history of early modern papal diplomacy. The gradual emergence of early modern state organisations was accompanied (and stimulated) by the establishment of a system of mutual contact and control tailored to the evolving geopolitical situation in Europe. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, diplomacy developed to maintain political balance between centres of power, providing an alternative to military solutions. Throughout these processes, the diplomatic service of the Holy See exhibited exceptional and distinctive characteristics. Indeed, at the beginning of the early modern period, the Pope exhibited characteristics of both a secular ruler and the head of the Catholic Church. This ‘two souls’ hybrid profile led to the need to create a new system of institutions to guarantee and control Rome’s centrality in religious and political life in Europe. This concept was realised through the organisation of a unique network of permanent diplomatic representations — apostolic nunciatures — which operated at all the major Catholic courts of the Old Continent.
Our project is not only concerned with the activities of the nunciatures as institutions, but focuses primarily on the individuals who served as apostolic nuncios during the period under study, using the prosopographical method. One of the project’s two main scientific objectives is to compile a collective biography of apostolic nuncios in the post-Tridentine period (1562–1605) and to assemble an updated list of these, organised by the geography of papal missions. The second research aim is to establish the geopolitical nature of specific apostolic nunciatures from a comparative perspective and to link these characteristics to the Roman Curia’s appointment policy for its diplomatic staff.
In order to implement the project, we make use of extensive documentary editions of the European nunciatures and the existing bibliography on the subject. However, we also conduct thorough archival research in the Vatican City, Italy, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Our source material consists mainly of correspondence, instructions and diaries, as well as the political and literary legacy of the nuncios.
In order to carry out the project, it was necessary to build a database containing all the information gathered on the figures of apostolic nuncios under study, allowing for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Upon completion of the project in November 2026, the data will be published on this website and in an appropriate scientific data open repository. Here, it will be presented as a database with dedicated search engines and an interactive map of Europe.