When looking at the Republics of medieval Italy it's always shocking to see on the map a northern central Italian country with Rome in it known as the Papal States. The Papal States were a territory under the direct control of the Pope for over a thousand years from AD 756 to 1870. In this episode, we look into why the Pope became a sovereign king over earthly territory, how he protected this land from Huns, Goths, Vandals, and Lombards, how the territories forced the Pope to crown 2 Roman Emperors in France 1000 years apart (Charlemagne and Napoleon), and how the territories eventually got reduced to just the Vatican Hill near Rome. Finally, we look at the modern state of Vatican City and compare it to its past iterations, as well as discuss how even though the Pope's earthly power has waned, his influence is more relevant than ever.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/pope-titles/1937813/

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-bishop.html

https://religion.fandom.com/wiki/Papal_supremacy