“Comincia a prendere il nome”. Growth and Urban Development in Trieste at the Time of Maria Theresa

Abstract

Maria Theresa was born on May 13th 1717 in Vienna. In June of the same year, her father, the Emperor, declared the freedom of navigation in the Adriatic Sea. In 1718, he signed the Peace of Passorowitz and reached a commercial agreement with the Ottoman Empire. In 1719, the cities of Trieste and Rijeka were declared free ports. There is a traditional narrative in Trieste, which considers the creation of the free port by Charles VI as the “mythical” starting point of the city’s growth and sees Trieste as the result of the centralistic and modern approach of the Emperor. Without forgetting the role of the Habsburg, however, it is possible to tell the story of Trieste by taking other hypotheses, players, paths and stories into consideration. This interpretation increases the role of Trieste in shaping its history and the importance of local forces, making them protagonists of their fate. Moreover, it traces the growth of Trieste back to the network of the sea routes crossing the Mediterranean.