Papal States

The Papal States, officially the State of the Church (Italian: Stato della Chiesa), is a sovereign state located on the Italian Peninsula in southern Europe. It is bordered by the Northern Italian Republic to the north and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to the south. The Papal States is a sacerdotal state ruled by the Pope who is, religiously speaking, the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Papal States is also a founding member of the Italian Confederation.

Medieval History
c. 756: Following his victories over the Lombards, Frankish king Pepin the Short gifts the newly conquered Duchy of Rome to the Papacy.

c. 781: Charelmagne formally codifies the regions under Papal control, expanding them into parts of Lombardy, Tuscany, and Corsica.

c. 1177: The Treaty of Venice confirms the Independence of the Papal States after years of squabbling between Popes and Emperors.

Modern History
1798: The territories of the Papal States are seized by Revolutionary French forces and incorporated into the Cisalpine Republic. They are briefly restored in 1800 only to be annexed by Napoleon again in 1808.

1814: Pope Pius VII is freed from French captivity and the Congress of Vienna restores the Papal States following Napoleon's defeat.

1870: Rome is captured by the forces of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy, marking the beginning of a forty-eight year long period described by Pope Pius IX and his successors as being a "Prisoner in the Vatican".

1918: The Papal States are restored for a third time by the victorious Central Powers under the terms of the Treaty of Nuremberg. Pope Benedict XV becomes the first sovereign Pope in almost half a century.

1951: The Papal States joins the Northern Italian Republic and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in establishing the Italian Confederation.