Prisoner of the Vatican: The Popes' Secret Plot to Capture Rome from the New Italian State

The Prisoner of the Vatican chronicles the tumultuous period from 1870-1878 when Pope Pius IX refused to accept Italy's unification and declared himself a "prisoner" inside the Vatican walls. Through extensive archival research, historian David Kertzer documents the Vatican's political machinations against the new Italian state and its efforts to maintain temporal power. The book follows multiple interconnected narratives, including the actions of European Catholic powers, Italian politicians, and Vatican officials during this pivotal transition. Kertzer examines diplomatic correspondence, personal letters, and government documents to reconstruct the complex international crisis that emerged as the Church fought to retain its territorial sovereignty. This work presents the conflict between Church and State as more than a religious dispute - it reveals the intersection of faith, nationalism, and modernization in 19th century Europe. The implications of this power struggle continue to influence Vatican-Italy relations and the Catholic Church's role in global politics today.

Readers describe this as a detailed account of the Vatican's political maneuvering in the 1870s, backed by thorough research and primary sources. Many note it reads more like a political thriller than traditional history. Positive feedback: - Clear explanation of complex political relationships - Reveals lesser-known historical events - Balances scholarly depth with accessible writing - Extensive documentation and citations Common criticisms: - Too much detail on minor political figures - Repetitive coverage of certain events - Dense diplomatic passages slow the pace - Some readers found the chronological jumps confusing Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (520 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (168 ratings) Sample reader comment: "Kertzer manages to make 19th century Vatican politics fascinating, though you need a scorecard to keep track of all the players." - Goodreads reviewer Another notes: "The diplomatic minutiae can be overwhelming, but the core story of papal resistance is compelling." - Amazon reviewer

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🏛️ David Kertzer won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for his book "The Pope and Mussolini," demonstrating his expertise in Vatican-Italian relations 🗝️ The Vatican's "prisoner" status was self-imposed; popes refused to leave Vatican grounds for 59 years (1870-1929) to protest Italy's seizure of the Papal States ⚔️ Pope Pius IX secretly negotiated with Prussia's Otto von Bismarck to potentially invade Italy and restore papal temporal power 🗳️ The Catholic Church forbade Italian Catholics from participating in national elections until 1919, significantly impacting Italy's early democratic development 📜 The conflict was finally resolved by the Lateran Treaty of 1929, signed by Mussolini and Pope Pius XI, which created Vatican City as a sovereign state