Roundtable: The Roman Archives and the Study of Religious Communities and Interreligious Relations in the Early Modern Ottoman Europe

This roundtable explores the rich potential of the Roman archives – particularly those of the Vatican and various religious congregations – for advancing the study of religious communities and interreligious relations in the early modern Ottoman Europe. Bringing together scholars working across diverse regions and themes, the session highlights insights drawn from archival collections such as those of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide), the Holy Office, the Vatican, and the Society of Jesus. The participants aim to demonstrate how these sources, including a growing body of published archival materials, illuminate the lived experiences, negotiations, and entanglements of Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Armenian, and Muslim communities under Ottoman rule. In addition to emphasizing the unique value of these sources, they will address key methodological challenges – such as how to contend with archival silences and biases, and how to bridge Christian and Ottoman sources within a unified analytical framework. In this sense, the roundtable seeks to foster dialogue on more fully integrating Roman archival materials into mainstream Ottoman studies, while also encouraging scholars working with Catholic sources to engage more deeply with Ottoman primary materials. This event is jointly organized by “SMALLST – The Diplomacy of Small States in Early Modern Southeastern Europe” (ERC CoG 101043451), “ORTHPOL – Orthodoxies and Politics: The Religious Reforms of Mid-17th Century in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe” (ERC StG 950287), “Global Catholicism, Local Power Networks and Intermediary Agencies in Early Modern Ottoman Europe” (APART-GSK 12067), and “Early Modern Bulgaria and « Ottoman Catholicism »” (APART-GSK 12176). The participants are: Antal Molnár (Budapest), Emese Muntán (Vienna), Ovidiu Olar (Vienna), and Lena Sadovski (Vienna).