Istria in the 16th and 17th century with an emphasis on the problem of "Differenzia"

Abstract

This paper, written under the mentorship of prof. Dr. sc. Stjepan Ćosić during the course “Croatian History in Early Modern Period“ deals with a complicated part of Istrian history: the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th. Istria was then the centerpoint of conflict between two great powers, the Venetian Republic and the Habsburg Monarchy. This paper will touch upon the administration of those two powers over Istria. This period was characterized by two major conflicts: the War of the Cambrey league and the Uskok War. These events, as well as the process of colonization, Turkish invasions, epidemics, plagues, droughts and the death of the livestock had a massive impact on the demographic state of Istria. This all led to the creation of differenzia, upon which this paper will take a closer look.