“La devotissima, e fedelissima natione de Morlacchi”. The Morlachs/Vlachs about Themselves. Discursive Identity Practices of the Morlachs under Venetian rule during the War of Candia (1645-1669)

Abstract

One of the pivotal events during the War of Candia, with profound implications for Dalmatian history, was the rebellion of Ottoman Christian subjects living along the Venetian-Habsburg-Ottoman border, recorded in the Venetian sources as Morlachs. Encouraged by the successes of Venetian troops in 1647 and 1648, entire Morlach communities rose against Ottoman rule, and thousands migrated to Venetian territory, becoming new subjects of the Republic. This paper aims to reconstruct the key determinants that shaped the self-perception of these new subjects of the Republic of Venice in their adopted homeland.