Those things that today seem quite natural to us, in most cases, were the result of lengthy transformations. This is characteristic of many historical events that were the consequence of a particular deed of the monarch who lived hundreds of years ago. For example, we all heard that the Vatican is a state in a state. Here, the head of the Catholic Church controls everything and their own laws apply. If some people are surprised by the presence of such a phenomenon in Italy, then they almost never think about why it happened so historically. But in fact, the formation of the Vatican as a state was preceded by a long path of formation of the Papal region. It was she who became the prototype of the model of the leadership of the Catholic Church, which now seems quite natural.
The history of the papal region originates in the middle of the eighth century and is filled with a mass of dramatic events. Today we will tell you about these unique territories, which later became part of the Vatican. From our article you will learn how the formation of the Papal Region happened, in what year it happened and who initiated this complex process. We will also touch on the difficult topic of how the lands fell into ownership of the popes.
What is the Papal Region: Definition
Historians have long abandoned attempts to figure out the intricacies that once allowed the popes to literally soar to the heights of power. From there, they controlled not only their territories, but also entire states, as well as their monarchs. In their own words, they could ignite the war or stop it. And absolutely any European king was afraid to fall out of favor with the head of the Catholic Church. And it all started with the formation of the Papal Region.
If we consider it from the point of view of history, then we can give these territories an accurate and comprehensive definition. The papal region is the state that existed in Italy for more than one thousand years and was ruled by the pope. During all this time, pontiffs actively fought for power, gradually achieving almost undivided dominion over the minds and souls of people. However, this was given to them by long years of real battles and endless intrigues.
Many historians believe that the prerequisites for the fact that today Rome is the center of Catholicism in Europe was precisely the formation of the Papal States. In what year did this momentous event happen? You can learn about this from every school textbook. Usually they indicate seven hundred and fifty-second year. Although in this period of time there were no clear boundaries of the popes' possessions. Moreover, the Papal region in the Middle Ages could not finally determine the territories subject to it. Periodically, the boundaries changed, either in a smaller or a larger direction. Indeed, often the pontiffs did not disdain to falsify gifts of land, and the monarchs did not hesitate to give the popes territories that were not even conquered by them.
But let's turn to the beginning of this story and find out how the Papal region came about.
Prerequisites for the formation of the state of popes
To understand how the Papal region came about, it is necessary to turn to the times when Christianity was just beginning its procession on the planet. During this period of time, the followers of the new religious movement were persecuted and destroyed in every possible way. In each country, they were forced to hide and preach about God so as not to attract the attention of the monarchs. This situation lasted a little over three hundred years. It is not known how the history of Christianity would have developed and Rome would have become the capital of the Papal region if the Roman emperor Constantine had not believed and accepted Christ.
The church gradually began to gain influence, an increase in the flock always brought an impressive income to the clergy. In the hands of the bishops not only gold and precious stones began to accumulate, but also the earth. Christian priests boasted territories in Africa, Asia, Italy and other countries. To a greater extent, they were not interconnected, so the bishops could not even claim real political power.
For almost one fourth century, the heads of the Christian church concentrated in their hands a huge number of territories and began to be weighed by the power of the monarchs over themselves. They were eager for secular power, believing that they could well cope with the management of peoples.
Over time, they were able to strengthen their position due to the gradual decline of the Roman Empire. Rulers became weaker and popes became more ambitious. By the end of the sixth century, they already confidently took upon themselves all the functions of the monarchs and even took part in military battles, protecting their territories from raids.
Rome - The eternal city in which popes live
If you think about where the Papal region is located, then you will not be mistaken if you circle Rome on the map. The fact is that this city has always attracted bishops, and they considered it the best residence for themselves. Long before these territories became officially owned by popes (however, historians often dispute the legitimacy of this fact), they confidently settled on them.
However, Rome itself and all the lands adjacent to it were part of the Ravenna exarchate. Once these areas were one of the provinces of the Byzantine Empire. But at that time, almost the rest of Italy belonged to the Lombards, who steadily expanded their possessions. The popes could not resist them, so they were horrified at the loss of Rome.
Of course, with such a course of events, the bishops would not have been destroyed, because most of the Lombards did not consider themselves barbarians for a long time. They adopted Christianity and sacredly worshiped the rites adopted in it. However, the popes conquered by the Lombards would no longer be able to maintain their independence from secular rulers and, possibly, would lose part of their other lands.
The situation looked critical, but Pipin Korotky came to the aid of the bishops, who played a very important role in the history of the papacy.
Why is the Papal region called the "gift of Pepin"?
The beginning of the Papal region is considered to be seven hundred and fifty-second year, it was then that the Frankish king Pepin Korotky went on a campaign against the Lombards. He managed to defeat them, and the popes as a gift received Rome and the surrounding lands for undivided use. Thus the Church Region was formed, which was later renamed the Papal Region. The territory of the state at that time was not yet determined, because Pipin continued his campaigns and periodically added new lands to the already donated lands. In parallel, he strengthened his power in Italian lands. However, a similar outcome was quite suitable for the bishops. They felt more relaxed surrounded by Frankish lands. In addition, Pepin Short with great respect for Christianity.
When and how did the papal region arise in the conventional sense of this definition? Historians believe that this happened around seven hundred and fifty-sixth, when the former lands of the Ravenna exarchate finally passed to the bishops. Moreover, this was announced very solemnly and presented under the guise of returning the territories to their true owners.
Expansion and formation of the state
If it seems to you that now you know exactly how the Papal region came about, then this statement will be put forward by you prematurely. In fact, the historical events described by us were only the beginning of a long way of becoming a state. By the end of the eighth century, church possessions expanded significantly. The work of his father Pepin Korotky was continued by Charlemagne, who also supported the popes and presented them with new lands. However, the bishops did not manage to organize centralized management on them.
The monarchs were satisfied with the dependent position of the popes, and they did not allow them to secular power. They occupied only the nominal position of the owners of certain regions, because their decisions and orders of the Frankish kings could freely cancel. After the coronation of the new ruler, the head of the church was the first to swear allegiance to the monarch. This tradition proved that the popes were only vassals, and not full-fledged rulers within their territories.
However, gradually, the popes nevertheless expanded their rights and powers. In addition to the new lands, they received the right to mint coins of the Papal Region. Two abbeys did this. But increasingly, bishops were faced with the need to back up their authority with official documents. Thus arose various gift papers, the authenticity of which historians doubt. For example, a document that went down in history under the name "Constantine's Gift", which stated that even during the reign of Byzantium in Central Italy, Rome was presented to the popes, is openly considered false. And there were a lot of such papers, so almost until the ninth century it was impossible to determine exactly where the Papal Region was located.
Features of the church state
In the process of establishing their power, the popes faced one very important problem - the system of transfer of power. The fact is that the head of the Catholic Church accepted celibacy. Celibacy deprived the next pope of the right to inherit his power and the election of a new chapter brought all the inhabitants of Rome a lot of difficulties.
Initially, the entire population of the territories belonging to the popes had the right to take part in the elections. At the same time, various groups of feudal lords often united to elevate their proteges to the throne. The monarchs also took part in this political game, so the clergy had little real chance to express their will.
Only in the middle of the eleventh century was a new regulation on the election of popes introduced. Only cardinals took part in this process, which almost completely deprived the people of the opportunity to influence the election of the head of the clergy.
The path to independence
The numerous rulers of the Papal region were well aware that they must achieve complete freedom and independence from the kings of Europe. However, it was extremely difficult to do. From the ninth and almost the eleventh centuries, some church leaders succeeded each other with incredible speed. Often they could not hold out on the holy throne for four years. The Roman nobility chose one of his protege after another as the pope. Often, pontiffs were killed or removed from office through a serious scandal. The fall of the Carolingian dynasty contributed to this process of decay of papal statehood. They simply had no one to rely on and the stake eventually fell on the German kings.
However, this decision did not bring the long-awaited independence. German monarchs openly played as popes, they put them at their discretion. Some of them, such as Leo VIII, did not even have a dignity. But at the behest of the German emperor, they were boldly seated on the holy throne.
By the beginning of the eleventh century, when only cardinals began to choose pontiffs, the power of the popes began to gradually strengthen. Despite the fact that they often entered into confrontation with emperors, the last word was still theirs. Even after the uprising in Rome, which lasted thirty years, during which the popes completely lost their influence, they were able to negotiate and compromise with the new Senate. Papal authority at that time proved to be a strong and independent system, ready to declare itself as a full-fledged state.
Independence of the Papal Region
By the twelfth century, the pontiffs managed to gain a foothold in Rome. The people recognized the clergy as real power and the popes began to take the oath. Over time, a managerial apparatus was formed in the city, which was based on certain agreements between the clergy and Roman patricians. The loyalty of the townspeople allowed the popes to intervene in the affairs of European monarchs.
They could support one and oppose other kings. An excellent lever of pressure on royal houses was excommunication. With it, the pontiffs achieved almost everything they wanted. However, sometimes they had to enter into open military conflicts with the monarchs of the ruling dynasties. This situation occurred in the thirty-ninth year of the thirteenth century, when Frederick II with the army occupied the entire Papal region.
By the end of the thirteenth century, the pontiffs managed to significantly expand their borders through the accession of new cities. The composition of their lands included Bologna, Rimini and Perugia. Gradually, other cities joined them. Thus, the borders of the Papal Region were determined, which remained almost unchanged until the second half of the nineteenth century.
We can say that during this period of time, popes gained real power, which they often disposed of in order to satisfy their ambitions and greed. This led to a serious crisis in the power of the pontiffs, which nearly destroyed the Papal region.
Avignon crisis and the way out of it
At the beginning of the fourteenth century, Rome and other areas of Italy rebelled against papal authority. The country entered a stage of feudal fragmentation, when cities everywhere declared their independence and formed new governments.
The popes lost their power and moved to Avignon, where they became completely dependent on the French kings. This period went down in history under the name "Avignon Captivity" and lasted sixty-eight years.
It is noteworthy that during the crisis, the popes managed to form their own administrative apparatus. Every year he improved and gradually the Privy Council, the Chancellery and the judiciary became separate structures. Historians consider this period to be the most paradoxical in the history of the Papal Region. Pontiffs, deprived of their territories and power, continued to form an effective administrative apparatus, which they hoped to use later.
Despite their unenviable position, the popes continued to collect taxes from the population. Moreover, they improved this mechanism, introducing new taxes and options for their payment. For example, for the first time in history, attempts were made to pay by bank transfer. The largest banks in Europe took part in this, which strengthened relations between wealthy families and the clergy.
The main goal of the popes considered the return of control over Rome and their territories. This required them to have remarkable diplomatic abilities and financial injections. At the end of the fourteenth century, Gregory XI managed to do this. But this did not bring the long-awaited power, but rather only exacerbated the situation of the Papal region.
At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Papal region and its territory was attacked by the Neapolitan king Vladislav. According to the results of numerous military battles, as well as the open confrontation between the Roman and Avignon popes, Italy practically lay in ruins, which the pontiffs took advantage of. Now they did not see serious resistance from the population and noble families, and therefore easily captured the main leadership posts. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the papal region had almost returned to the borders established in the thirteenth century. In Europe, the hand of the clergy was traced in almost every political decision and event. Pontiffs triumphed - they received unlimited influence, vast territories and untold wealth.
Brief description of the Papal region from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries
From the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries, the papal region literally flourished. During this period of time, it can already be compared with a state that lives by its own laws. It had its own tax system, legislative base and even peculiar ministries. Popes actively traded with the whole world and strengthened their position. Agriculture flourished on their lands and new cities were erected. However, the pontiffs gradually turned to autocracy, restricting the people in their rights and freedoms.
The population of cities could less and less influence the elections to local government bodies, and the fear of the Inquisition forced even the most dissatisfied to fall silent. In addition, popes often waged aggressive wars under specious pretexts. Their goal was to expand the land and obtain new wealth.
The French Revolution had a devastating effect not only on the papal state, but also on the entire institution of the clergy. It can be said that the Reformation of the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries virtually destroyed the Papal Region. . VII . , . VII , . , . .
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In the seventieth year of the nineteenth century, the papal region was completely liquidated, but the pontiffs refused to leave the Vatican. For many years they tried to resolve their issue and called themselves "captives." The situation was resolved in the twenty-ninth year of the last century, when the Vatican received the status of a state whose area does not exceed forty-four hectares.