Invitation to the Conference at the Launch of the VENIKO Project

The Institute of Historical Studies at ZRS Koper cordially invites you to a conference marking the launch of the VENIKO project – “(Dis)Empowering Interactions: Venetian Statehood and Koper in Late Medieval Istria (14th–16th Century)”. The event will take place on March 24, from 17:30 to 18:00, at the Centre for Humanities, Kreljeva ulica 6, in Koper.

The project, co-financed by ARIS (the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency), focuses on examining the functioning of the Venetian state in the late Middle Ages, using Koper as a key regional center in Istria.

The research analyzes the relationships between the central authorities in Venice and local communities, with particular emphasis on mechanisms of power, the judiciary, and the role of local elites in governing and mediating state authority. A particularly important source is the Liber Niger, a collection of Venetian ducal letters and mandates, which provides insight into everyday communication between the state and its subjects, as well as the practical implementation of authority.

The project combines archival research, analysis of legal and administrative practices, and interdisciplinary approaches (legal anthropology and discourse analysis) with the aim of shedding light on the complex and often contradictory nature of premodern statehood. The results will significantly contribute to understanding the political, legal, and social history of Istria, as well as the Venetian state system.

The event is financially supported by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).