Papal States

The **Papal States**, officially the **State of the Church** (, ; ; also __), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the Pope, from the 8th century until 1870.

By 1861, much of the Papal States' territory had been conquered by the Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the Pope lost Lazio and Rome and had no physical territory at all, except the Vatican.

## Related pages

- History of Rome
- Donation of Constantine
- Italian unification

## Other websites

- Papal States Coinage
- WorldStatesmen: Italy
- WHKMLA Historical atlas: here the page offering numerous links to maps of/containing Italy

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**: _Stato della Chiesa_
_Status Ecclesiasticus_
- **conventional long name**: State of the Church
- **common name**: Papal States
- **region**: Italy
- **government type**: Theocracy, Theocratic Absolute monarchy, absolute elective monarchy
- **life span**: 754–1870
<small>Interregna (Roman Republic (18th century), 1798–1799, Napoleon and the Catholic Church#Papal states, 1809–1814 and Roman Republic (19th century), 1849)</small>
- **year start**: 754
- **year end**: 1870
- **event start**: Establishment
- **event end**: Capture of Rome, 2nd disestablishment
- **date end**: September 20,
- **event1**: Charlemagne#Conquest of the Lombard kingdom, Codification
- **date event1**: 781
- **event2**: Treaty of Venice (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)
- **date event2**: 1177
- **event3**: Roman Republic (18th century), 1st disestablishment
- **date event3**: February 15, 1798
- **event4**: Napoleon and the Catholic Church#Papal states, Schönbrunn Palace Declarations
- **date event4**: May 17, 1809
- **event post**: Lateran Treaty, Vatican City
- **date post**: February 11, 1929
- **p1**: Byzantine Empire
- **flag p1**: Simple Labarum.svg
- **border p1**: no
- **p2**: Roman Republic (18th century)
- **flag p2**: Flag of the Repubblica Romana (1798).svg
- **p3**: First French Empire
- **flag p3**: Flag of France.svg
- **p4**: Roman Republic (19th century)
- **flag p4**: Flag of the Roman Republic (19th century).svg
- **s1**: Roman Republic (18th century)
- **flag s1**: Flag of the Repubblica Romana (1798).svg
- **s2**: First French Empire
- **flag s2**: Flag of France.svg
- **s3**: Roman Republic (19th century)
- **flag s3**: Flag of the Roman Republic (19th century).svg
- **s4**: Kingdom of Italy
- **flag s4**: Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg
- **s5**: Prisoner in the Vatican
- **flag s5**: Flag of the Papal States (1808-1870).svg
- **image flag**: Flag of the Papal States (1825-1870).svg
- **flag type**: Flag (1825–1849, 1849–1870)
- **flag**: Flag of Vatican City
- **symbol type article**: Coat of arms of the Holy See
- **symbol type**: Coat of arms until 19th century
- **image coat**: CoA_Pontifical_States_02.svg
- **coa size**: 70px
- **image map**: Papal_States_1815.svg
- **image map caption**: The Papal States in 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars
- **image map2**: PapalStates1700.png
- **image map2 caption**: Map of the Papal States (green) in 1700, including its exclaves of Benevento and Pontecorvo in Southern Italy, and the Comtat Venaissin and Avignon in Southern France.
- **capital**: Rome
- **common languages**: Latin, Italian, Occitan language, Occitan
- **religion**: Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic
- **title leader**: List of popes, Pope
- **leader1**: Pope Stephen II, Stephen II <small>(first)</small>
- **year leader1**: 754–757
- **leader2**: Pope Pius IX, Pius IX <small>(last)</small>
- **year leader2**: 1846–1870
- **title representative**: Cardinal Secretary of State
- **representative1**: Girolamo Dandini (1509–1559), Girolamo Dandini <small>(first)</small>
- **year representative1**: 1551–1555
- **representative2**: Giacomo Antonelli <small>(last)</small>
- **year representative2**: 1848–1870
- **title deputy**: List of Prime Ministers of the Papal States, Prime Minister
- **deputy1**: Gabriele Ferretti <small>(first)</small>
- **year deputy1**: 1848
- **deputy2**: Giuseppe Galletti  <small>(last)</small>
- **year deputy2**: 1848
- **stat year1**: 1853
- **stat pop1**: 3,124,668