During July and August 2026, Dr Nikša Varezić conducted archival research at the State Archives in Dubrovnik. As part of this research, he began the systematic identification, recording, and analysis of correspondence sent by the Dubrovnik Senate to Petar Beneša in Rome, as well as Beneša’s replies to the authorities in Dubrovnik. This correspondence represents a valuable source for reconstructing the ways in which the Dubrovnik authorities maintained communication with their representatives and associates in Rome, as well as for gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms employed by the Republic of Dubrovnik in pursuing its political, diplomatic, and economic interests at the centre of the Catholic world.
Petar Beneša spent most of his life and career in Rome, where he established a significant career within the Roman Curia and served as a respected official and associate of the institutions of the Holy See, particularly in connection with the work of the Secretariat of State. Consequently, existing historiography has primarily viewed him as an actor within the Roman, or specifically curial, milieu. His correspondence with Dubrovnik, however, opens up the possibility of viewing his role from a different and more nuanced perspective.
The systematic recording of the correspondence between the Dubrovnik Senate and Petar Beneša will make it possible to identify more precisely the subjects, frequency, and dynamics of their communication, as well as the specific issues on which Beneša intervened in support of Dubrovnik’s interests. Particular attention in the continuation of the research will be devoted to his contacts with individual curial officials and cardinals, the ways in which he acted as an intermediary before Roman institutions, and the role he played in the transmission of information between Dubrovnik and Rome.
The research conducted so far represents the initial stage of a more systematic study of Beneša’s correspondence with Dubrovnik. Further examination and comparison of the relevant archival holdings is expected to make it possible to reconstruct the broader network of his connections and activities and to shed additional light on the role of Dubrovnik’s representatives and agents within the political and ecclesiastical world of Rome during the first half of the seventeenth century.
