history
Just how did we end up with this tiny nation?
There once was a country called the Papal States that took up most of modern-day Italy. The popes ruled the Papal States. During the year 1506, Pope Julius II decided to order the construction of a new church, St Peter's Basilica (the largest church in the world) , on a hill called Vatican. He also decided to have a wall around his huge church.
But the neighbouring kingdom of Italy thought that Rome would be an impressive capital for their country and so conquered the Papal States in 1870.
While his land was being annihilated, the pope hid behind the walls of Vatican and refused to believe that Italy existed and at the same time complained that he was being held a prisoner of Italy, which according to him didn't exist.
Instead of risking a civil war to lure the pope out, Italy, waited the pope out, assuming he would eventually give up and come out from the walls but he was completely mistaken and the reign of five popes and sixty years later, the situation was exactly the same.
In 1929, Benito Mussolini, the prime minister of Italy at that time, was tired of this and so made a deal with the pope, Pius XI. Italy gave the land to the popes along with financial compensation and in return, the pope acknowledged that Italy existed and promised not to take sides in wars and politics.
The treaty was signed and the new country on a hill had begun.
There once was a country called the Papal States that took up most of modern-day Italy. The popes ruled the Papal States. During the year 1506, Pope Julius II decided to order the construction of a new church, St Peter's Basilica (the largest church in the world) , on a hill called Vatican. He also decided to have a wall around his huge church.
But the neighbouring kingdom of Italy thought that Rome would be an impressive capital for their country and so conquered the Papal States in 1870.
While his land was being annihilated, the pope hid behind the walls of Vatican and refused to believe that Italy existed and at the same time complained that he was being held a prisoner of Italy, which according to him didn't exist.
Instead of risking a civil war to lure the pope out, Italy, waited the pope out, assuming he would eventually give up and come out from the walls but he was completely mistaken and the reign of five popes and sixty years later, the situation was exactly the same.
In 1929, Benito Mussolini, the prime minister of Italy at that time, was tired of this and so made a deal with the pope, Pius XI. Italy gave the land to the popes along with financial compensation and in return, the pope acknowledged that Italy existed and promised not to take sides in wars and politics.
The treaty was signed and the new country on a hill had begun.
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