Census in the Papal States

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Form used in Perugia for the 1656 census Formula usata nella Diocesi di Perugia per la rilevazione della popolazione del 1656.jpg
Form used in Perugia for the 1656 census

The Papal States carried out several censuses and territorial surveys between the 17th and 19th centuries.

According to Alberto Ferrantini, the main demographic documentation of the Papal States consists of the censuses of 1656, 1701, 1708, 1736, 1782, 1844, and 1853, as well as the Riparti territoriali (administrative and demographic distributions) of 1816, 1827, and 1833. [1]

The French administration (1809–1814) also compiled demographic statistics for the departments of the Tibre and the Trasimène, but these were later judged by Ferrantini to contain significant errors and to be unreliable. [1]

Riparto territoriale of 1816

The Riparto territoriale of 1816 was published in two editions (1816 and 1817), each based on different demographic sources. [2] Ferrantini's archival research established that:

Overall, comparison across the available documents shows a high level of consistency: for Lazio, Umbria, and the Marche, 89.3% of communes had identical figures between the 1802 census and the first edition of the 1816 Riparto. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ferrantini, Alberto (1949). "Osservazioni sui riparti territoriali dello Stato Pontificio". Bollettino della Società Geografica Italiana: 303–304.
  2. Tabella del riparto territoriale delle delegazioni dello Stato ecclesiastico prescritta all'articolo 3o. del Titolo 1 (in Italian). Stato pontificio: Consiglio dei ministri. 1816. Retrieved 3 September 2025.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)