Documents hidden behind a wall: an episode in the long-term archival conflict between the Este and the Roman Apostolic Chamber, 1633

Abstract This article examines the correspondence between Duke Francesco I d’Este (1629–58) and his agents regarding the documents the papal authorities found in 1633 behind a wall of Ferrara’s castle, following the devolution of the city to the Papal States (1598). This article argues that this correspondence discloses the mentality behind the uses and the notions of archives that guided the protagonists of this story – that is, expectations that reveal reliance on the authority of written records as well as a desperate hope in the power of archives.