Latin Dominions in the Greek Territories (13th-17th centuries): Institutions

The Greek territories under Latin dominion were fragmented not only among various Western European rulers but also within the jurisdiction of a single sovereign. As a result, numerous political entities emerged —some independent, others subject to direct or indirect control by a metropolitan centre. These entities were continually reshaped by shifting historical circumstances over a broad and dynamic period, extending from the late Middle Ages into the early modern era. The region also encompassed two distinct worlds: the Catholic West and the Orthodox East, whose divide steadily deepened from the thirteenth century onward. These conditions fostered a variety of administrative structures, within which numerous institutions operated and evolved over time. A distinct aspect of this institutional landscape was the role of the Church and religious foundations, which assumed particular importance in this doctrinally heterogeneous context.

A central focus of the Research Area’s research is the case of the Venetian territories in the Greek world. From its inception as an independent state, Venice established a complex and distinctive administrative system aimed at exercising power in a more representative manner. This system, rooted in the Republic’s political ideology, underwent continuous development until the fall of Venice in 1797 and encompassed multiple institutional levels. It was applied across its overseas possessions with varying degrees of adaptation, shaped by the size of each political unit, its degree of connection—direct or indirect—to Venice, and the particular features of the heterogeneous societies within them. The analysis undertaken by the Research Area considers not only the nature and function of these institutions but also the political relationship between each dominion and Venice’s central government, the Republic’s territorial strategies, and the dynamics between the ruling groups and the local Greek populations. Special attention is also given to the role of the Latin Church and Western religious orders, particularly in relation to the Orthodox Church, its monastic institutions, and the predominantly Orthodox local communities.