In short

My name is Leo van Snippenburg (but since you're here - you probably know). I am a PhD candidate @ Radboud University. My research project is tentatively titled: Turncoats & Apostates, migrants from the Low Countries and Lower Germany in early modern Livorno (1591–1791).

This research examines how Flemish, Dutch, and German migrants in early modern Livorno navigated identity formation amid a predominantly Catholic environment. Focusing on the intersection of confession, social class, and origin, the study considers how these communities asserted their place within Medici-ruled Livorno. Through archival analysis, prosopography, and microhistory, it investigates strategies of integration, religious coexistence, and transformations in allegiance and belonging. By including understudied groups such as women, artisans, and non-elite individuals, it questions traditional narratives centred on elites and merchants. The research employs theoretical concepts from borderlands history, nationalism studies, and religious identity, contributing to debates on migration, cosmopolitanism, and communal identity in early modern Europe.