In the 19th century, various states on the Italian peninsula united to became a single, new country. While some papal states merged with the others, the Vatican refused to be under the control of an earthly ruler. The Pope even considered moving the seat of the Holy See to Malta.

This article explains what the fuss was all about, and how realistic such plans to move were.

International interest in Rome

On 9 February 1849, the short-lived Roman Republic took over the Papal States. The Pope had already fled to the city of Gaeta on the Italian coast, rejecting all claims made by this Republic¹.

In July 1849, French forces intervened, restoring Pope Pius IX to power¹. Being head of the Catholic Church meant the Pope had allies he could count on. It also meant that whatever was important to Rome was important to other countries too.

The capture of Rome

On 18 February 1861 the first parliament met in Turin¹. The Parliament declared Rome to be the capital of the Kingdom of Italy on 27 March 1861. The Italian government could not take up its seat in Rome because the French military still had a garrison there, so they moved to Florence instead¹.

In 1862, the Pope considered leaving Rome, fearing for his life. Garibaldi was in Sicily gathering volunteers for his Roma o morte (Rome or death) campaign¹. On 26 July 1862, the Pope confided his fears to the British minister in Rome Lord Odo Russell. He asked if Britain would grant him asylum, if he asked for it. Russell told him Britain would do so, but he also reassured the Pope this was not likely.

In December 1866, Napoleon III withdrew his troops because of the Franco-Prussian war¹. Italians demonstrated, wanting to take Rome. King Victor Emmanuel preferred biding his time till Napoleon’s defeat. He then sent Count Gustavo San Martino to negotiate with the Pope for a peaceful manner by which the Italian army could enter Rome².

Pius rejected these claims and insulted San Martino³.

Legitimacy

Neither Pius nor any of the following 4 popes recognised the Italian government. The Italians knew that Rome must be the capital of the country, if the country were to survive.

King Victor Emmanuel was reluctant to take up his residence in the Quirinal Palace, which used to be where the Pope lived. European powers tried to work with both parties but there was no solution acceptable to both.

In time, the King moved to Rome. When he asked for the keys to the Quirinal Palace the Pope sulked and told him to break the doors down instead. A locksmith helped defuse the tense situation between the two.

Moving the Holy See

Pius continued the tradition of his recent predecessors to remain in the Vatican. He feared there may be a secret takeover if he left and felt his continued presence in Rome was a must.

Still, he also feared a military takeover and made enquiries to see if he could move the Holy See elsewhere:

• He asked Otto von Bismarck if Prussia would grant him asylum. King Wilhelm was against this because of the strong Protestant presence in Prussia. He was in no position to refuse a formal request for asylum, and so he planned to grant Cologne or Fulda to the Pope.
• The First Vatican Council started in 1869 but the Pope interrupted it in 1870 after the Italians captured Rome. On 08 March 1872 Bismarck received news that the Pope would reconvene the Council in another location – Malta⁴.

Italian reunification also affected the Maltese money supply and banking system.

Final agreement

On 13 May 1871, the Italian government passed laws granting the Pope privileges that the King had⁵. The Pope could receive and send ambassadors who would all have diplomatic immunity⁵. The Pope rejected these⁵, refusing to accept that the Italians had any right to decide what the Pope could do.

On 11 September 1890, the Italian army crossed into the region of Lazio and approached Rome¹. Pius knew he couldn’t win but he wanted to put up a fight and show he would not accept this takeover. On 20 September, Rome was under siege. After a 3 hour cannonade breached the Aurelian walls, the Italians captured Rome.

On 11 February 1929, Mussolini’s government and the Pope signed the Lateran treaties. These created the Vatican City as the micro-state we know today⁶.

References

1. Prisoner of the Vatican; David I Kertzer; 2006[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. The last days of Papal Rome 1850-1870; Cesare, Raffaele de, Trevelyan, George Macaulay, and Zimmern, Helen; Constable – London; 1909[↩]
3. The last days of Papal Rome 1850-1870; Cesare, Raffaele de, Trevelyan, George Macaulay, and Zimmern, Helen; Constable – London; 1909[↩]
4. Bismarck; Some Secret Pages of His History; Being a Diary Kept by Dr. Moritz Busch during Twenty-Five Years’ Official and Private Intercourse with the Great Chancellor – Vol. 2; Moritz Busch; New York; 1898[↩]
5. Law of guarantees; Encyclopedia Brittanica; 2020-05-06[↩][↩][↩]
6. The Lateran Treaty; Vatican.com; 2018-05-17[↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.