Michael Davies recounts the showdown between Napoleon and Pius VII. Napoleon was finally excommunicated and Pius VII taken prisoner. Napoleon never wanted a truly independent Catholic Church, but he did want hegemony in Europe and a son. When both these goals got him into trouble with Pius VII, excommunication on the part of an independent-minded Pope ensued. Michael Davies describes the drama of the confrontation involved, and Pius VII's abduction to house arrest in seclusion in France.