This article aims to provide an overview of the social, legal and political positioning of Austro-Italians within the Habsburg Monarchy at the end of the 19th century. The research is based on material from the Austrian secret police, which is preserved in the Austrian State Archives. After 1867, around 800,000 Italians lived under Austrian rule in Tyrol (Trentino) and the Littoral (Trieste and Istria). Three currents can be identified among them: the first was concerned with preserving their language and culture; the second demanded autonomous structures; and a few radical irredentists demanded annexation to the Kingdom of Italy. The government’s failure to establish an Italian-language university in Trieste led to the greater politicization of public life among Austro-Italians. Many sports and cultural associations had a patriotic orientation and were often supported by associations from the Kingdom of Italy.
