This article is about the specific polity Papal States and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
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Was the territory in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the Pope from 756 until 1870. It was one of the major states of Italy from the 8th century until the unification of Italy, between 1859 and 1870. It originated from the Byzantine rule in Latium and from donations to the church made by the Frankish kings.
Establishment
January 729: Having just overwhelmed the Byzantine forces, though it was left to his heirs to make the final vestige of the Exarchate of Ravenna Lombard at last, Liutprand advanced towards Rome along the Via Cassia. He was met at the ancient city of Sutri by Pope Gregory II (728). There the two reached an agreement, by which Sutri and some hill towns in Latium (see Vetralla) were given to the Papacy, "as a gift to the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul" according to the Liber Pontificalis. They were the first extension of Papal territory beyond the confines of the Duchy of Rome.
January 729: Pope Gregory II (715-731) directly addressed the Lombard king Liutprand, asking him to renounce the territories already conquered and to return them to the Byzantine exarch as legitimate owner. Liutprand, on the other hand, donated the castrum of Sutri to the pontiff. According to historians, with the "Donation of Sutri" the pontiff acquired formally recognized temporal power for the first time.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was the cession, made in 728 by the Lombard King Liutprand to Pope Gregory II, of some castles in Latium important for the defense of Rome, the largest of which was that of Sutri.
Was the invasion of the italian Peninsula, recently reconquered by the Eastern Romans from the Ostrogoths, by the Germanic people of the Lombards.
2.1.Conquest of papal cities by the lombards
Military campaign of Lombard king Liutprand against the Ducatus Romanus, the province around Rome.
January 739: Liutprand immediately began the conquest of the Ducatus Romanus, the province around Rome. After capturing Orte and Bomarzo, he arrived at Rome and besieged it. The Pope sent an embassy to Charles Martel to beg for aid, promising favour then and in the future world: the cover letter survives.
February 739: Liutprand immediately began the conquest of the Ducatus Romanus, the province around Rome. After capturing Orte and Bomarzo, he arrived at Rome and besieged it. The Pope sent an embassy to Charles Martel to beg for aid, promising favour then and in the future world: the cover letter survives.
January 743: With the appointment of Zacharias as pope, Liutprand returned to seek papal consent: the two met in Terni in 743 where the Lombard king made an act of renunciation of possession of some Umbrian cities occupied in 742, when he had annexed the duchies of Spoleto and of Benevento, donating Narni, Blera, Orte, Bomarzo and Terni to the Roman duchy.
January 744: With the appointment of Zacharias as pope, Liutprand returned to seek papal consent: the two met in Terni in 743 where the Lombard king made an act of renunciation of possession of some Umbrian cities occupied in 742, when he had annexed the duchies of Spoleto and of Benevento, donating Narni, Blera, Orte, Bomarzo and Terni to the Roman duchy.
2.2.Occupation of Ceccano
Lombard occupation of Ceccano.
January 754: Astolfo was the King of the Lombards from 749 to 756. Ceccano was a strategic stronghold in the Duchy of Rome. Astolfo's raids were part of his efforts to assert control over the region and demonstrate his military power.
Were a series of wars between the Frankish and Lombard Kingdoms. Charlemagne finally incorporated the Kingdom of the Lombards in the Frankish Kingdom.
3.1.Siege of Rome (756)
Was the Siege of Rome by Lombard King Aistulf.
February 756: Shortly after the withdrawal of the Frankish army Aistulf returned to the offensive, besieging Rome again (756). The siege lasted from January to March. In early April, Astolfo lifted the siege and returned to Pavia. In April the Alpine passes became passable again, so Pippin could have gone down to Italy and invaded its territories.
May 756: Shortly after the withdrawal of the Frankish army Aistulf returned to the offensive, besieging Rome again (756). The siege lasted from January to March. In early April, Astolfo lifted the siege and returned to Pavia. In April the Alpine passes became passable again, so Pippin could have gone down to Italy and invaded its territories.
3.2.Second War of Aistulf
Was the second War between Pepin the short, King of the Franks, and Aistulf, King of the Lombards.
July 756: Aistulf capitulated and had to suffer even harsher peace conditions (Second Peace of Pavia, June 756). Pepin donated the conquered lands to the Apostolic See.
3.3.War against Pope Hadrian
Was a military campaign of Lombard King Desiderius against the Papal States.
April 772: In January 772 Pope Stephen III died, succeeded by Adrian I, who got rid of the head of the pro-Lombard party. Desiderio grasped the danger of a new alliance between the pope and the Franks and attempted to thwart it diplomatically. However, Hadrian remained adamant in his demand for the complete execution of the previous agreements, with the cession to the papacy of all the territories he claimed. Desiderio then went on the offensive, again invading the Exarchate, reconquering Faenza, Ferrara and Comacchio and threatening Ravenna.
November 772: At the end of 772, Desiderius intensified military pressure by occupying Senigallia, Jesi and Gubbio, entering the Roman Duchy and threatening Rome itself.
3.4.Frankish Invasion of Italy (775)
Was the second military campaign of Frankish king Charles the Great against the Kingdom of the Lombards, which was annexed to the Frankish possessions.
January 775: In 774 the pontiff gave him the title of patricius Romanorum. Charles donated Roman Tuscia (with the centers of Ronciglione, Viterbo, Tuscania, Soana) together with some centers of Longobard Tuscia (Populonia, Rusellae and Castrum Felicitatis) and to Ancona, Numana and Osimo: a total of ten cities;.
January 783: Pope Adrian renounced Terracina and, in exchange, obtained Sabina from the Franks.
January 789: Territorial gains of the Holy see by 788 based on maps.
The Magyars (or Hungarians) successfully conquered the Carpathian Basin (corresponding to the later Kingdom of Hungary) by the end of the ninth century, and launched a number of plundering raids thoughout Europe.
January 900: In 899, the Magyars defeated Berengar of Friuli's army in the Battle of Brenta River and invaded the northern regions of Italy.
February 900: The Magyars leave northern Italy after a raid.
January 902: In 901, the Magyars attacked Italy again.
February 902: In 901, the Magyars attacked Italy again. The territories were left after the raid.
January 922: In 921, the Hungarians raided Italy, reaching Apulia in 922.
February 922: In 921, the Hungarians raided Italy, reaching Apulia in 922. The territories were left after the raid.
January 928: The Hungarians marched up to Rome and imposed large tribute payments on Tuscany and Tarento.
February 928: The Hungarians marched up to Rome and imposed large tribute payments on Tuscany and Tarento. After the raid, the Hungarians left these territories.
January 938: In 937, the Hungarians raided France as far west as Reims, Lotharingia, Swabia, Franconia, the Duchy of Burgundy and Italy as far as Otranto in the south.
February 938: In 937, the Hungarians raided France as far west as Reims, Lotharingia, Swabia, Franconia, the Duchy of Burgundy and Italy as far as Otranto in the south. After the ride they left these territories.
January 941: In 940, the Magyars ravaged the region of Rome.
February 941: In 940, the Magyars ravaged the region of Rome. The territories were left after the raid.
January 948: In 947, Bulcsú, a Hungarian chieftain of Taksony, led a raid into Italy as far as Apulia.
February 948: In 947, Bulcsú, a Hungarian chieftain of Taksony, led a raid into Italy as far as Apulia.
Were a series of incursions by the Muslim settlement of Traetto (France) to expand its territories.
January 911: Arabs from Traetto settle in Farfa, Nepi, Orte and Narni.
January 912: Arabs from Traetto leave Farfa, Nepi, Orte and Narni.
The Frankish Kingdom was partitioned and reuinited several times as the Frankish rulers used to divide their territories equally among their heirs. This lead also to a number of wars and revolts.
6.1.Incoronation of Otto I
East Frankish King Otto I was crowned first Holy Roman Emperor.
February 962: Foundation of the Ceccano County.
February 962: The first member of the family to boast the title of count was instead Hildebrand II.
Were a series of wars between the Byzantines and the Normans in southern italy and the Balkan Peninsula.
7.1.Norman conquest of southern Italy
Were a series of military campaigns by Norman forces that slowly conquered southern Italy from the Bizyntine Empire and from local Lombard rulers.
7.1.1.Norman conquest of the Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy of Benevento is conquered by the Normans.
January 1082: In 1081, the city of Benevento was returned to the Papacy again. Benevento was now reduced to a small marginal city and this was all that remained of a once powerful principality.
Were the military campaigns of Ladislaus I of Hungary during his reign.
January 1409: In 1408 Ladislaus of Hungary besieged Rome. In short, the city was forced to surrender to the sovereign, as other important strongholds such as Perugia would later fall. Before long, the king of Naples had effectively extended his control as far as Umbria.
January 1411: The weak Neapolitan garrisons left to defend Rome were unable to repel the attack of the allied forces of Florence and Siena and the city was handed over to them in early 1410, followed by other castles in the area including Tivoli.
July 1412: In June 1412 the pope gave up supporting Louis of Anjou and invested Ladislaus with the Kingdom of Naples. Ladislaus left the territories occupied by his troops in the Papal States.
July 1413: In June 1413, King Ladislaus of Naples led his army, commanded by Lucanian mercenary captain Angelo Tartaglia, to sack Rome. The city fell almost effortlessly to the Angevin Kingdom of Naples.
November 1413: With a certain ease, King Ladislaus I took possession of the entire State of the Church.
August 1414: Struck by an illness, King Ladislaus I left Rome and returned to Naples, where he died on August 6, 1414 at the age of just 38.
Were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy.
9.1.First Lombard War
Was the first of a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan over the hegemony in Northern Italy.
January 1427: Visconti, who had already ceded Forlì and Imola to the Pope to gain his favour, called a mediation.
Was a war between the Signoria (Lordship) of Ferrara and an alliance of Italian states that included The Republic of Venice and the Papal States.
August 1482: The duke of Calabria Alfonso, who was the son of King Ferdinand I of Naples, invaded the Papal State in 1482 in order to reach Ferrara.
August 1482: Battle of Campomorto.
Were a series of conflicts covering the period between 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the Valois kings of France, and their Habsburg opponents in the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.
11.1.Italian War of 1499-1504
Was the second of the so-called Italian Wars. The first phase of the war was fought for control of the Duchy of Milan by an alliance of Louis XII of France and the Republic of Venice against Ludovico Sforza, the second between Louis of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon for possession of the Kingdom of Naples.
11.1.1.French conquest of Naples
Was a military campaign by French king Charles VIII against the Kingdom of Naples.
January 1495: Charles VIII of France took Civitavecchia.
11.1.2.Borgia's War in Romagna
Were a series of military campaigns by Cesare Borgia, the son of the Pope, in central Italy.
November 1499: Borgia took possession without a shot being fired (November 25).
January 1500: Cesare Borgia besieged Caterina Sforza, who had barricaded herself in the fortress of Forlì for three weeks. On 12 January 1500 the decisive battle was bloody and fast and Caterina continued to resist fighting until she was taken prisoner.
January 1501: Pesaro is conquered by Cesare Borgia.
January 1501: The Papal States conquer Rimini.
January 1501: Faenza conquered by the Papal States.
January 1502: At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, Senigallia fell briefly under the dominion of Cesare Borgia.
January 1503: Cesare Borgia, the son of pope Alexander VI, proclaimed himself duke of the city Città di Castello.
September 1503: In the period immediately following the First Italian War, Pope Alexander VI had extended, with French help, papal control far beyond central Italy, thus conquering Romagna. Cesare Borgia, as Gonfaloniere of the papal armies, had expelled the Bentivoglios from Bologna, who had governed as a fiefdom, and was moving towards the creation of a permanent state governed by the Borgias.
January 1504: In 1503, with the death of his father Pope Alexander VI, the short-lived reign of Cesare Borgia collapsed. Immediately afterwards, the families of Romagna who had been overthrown by Cesare Borgia offered to submit to the Republic of Venice on condition that they would regain their dominions over their respective cities. The Venetian Senate accepted and the Serenissima took possession of Rimini, Faenza and other places.
January 1504: Forlimpopoli is acquired by the Signoria of Forlì.
January 1505: With the death of his father Pope Alexander VI, the short-lived reign of Cesare Borgia collapsed
11.2.Italian War of 1494-1498
Was the first of the so-called Italian Wars. The war pitted Charles VIII of France, initially aided by Milan, against the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and an alliance of Italian powers led by Pope Alexander VI, known as the League of Venice.
11.2.1.Expulsion of the French from Italy (1495)
Was the expulsion of the invading French army from the italian peninsula during the Italian War of 1494-1495.
July 1495: Charles VIII left Naples on 20 May and marched north to reach Lombardy, but met the League army at the Battle of Fornovo on 6 July 1495. Strategically it was a partial victory for the League, since that, although it had failed to annihilate the king of France, it had achieved the aim of having him withdraw from the peninsula.
11.3.War of the League of Cambrai
Was one of the so-called Italian wars.
11.3.1.First Phase - The league of Cambrai
Was the first phase of the War of the League of Cambrai, one of the so-called Italian Wars.
11.3.1.1.French invasion of Venice (War of the League of Cambrai)
Was a French invasion of the Republic of Venice during the War of the League of Cambrai.
May 1509: Julius II, who in the meantime issued an interdict against Venice, excommunicating every citizen of the Republic, invaded Romagna and took Ravenna.
11.3.1.2.Venetian Counterattack (War of the League of Cambrai)
Was the Venetian counterattack against the invasion of its territories by Louis XII of France.
January 1510: Venice conquers Rimini.
11.3.2.Second Phase - Alliance between Venice and the Papal States
Was the second phase of the War of the League of Cambrai, one of the so-called Italian Wars.
February 1510: Romagna and Marche (the parts controlled by Venice) are ceded to the Papal States.
August 1510: On July 12, the French reinforcements were forced to retreat, allowing the Pope to take Sassuolo and Concordia.
October 1510: In 1510, Charles II of Amboise, a French military leader, led an invasion of Bologna, which was under papal control. By early October, he had successfully divided the papal forces and advanced to within a few kilometers of the city.
November 1510: Pope Julius II excommunicated the French commander d'Amboise in 1510 after the French forces withdrew from Bologna. The French were persuaded by the English ambassador to avoid attacking the Pope, leading them to retreat to Ferrara.
January 1511: In 1510, Pope Julius II conquered the territories of Modena, Reggio, Parma, and Piacenza, adding them to the Papal States.
April 1511: The French led by Gian Giacomo Trivulzio reconquered Concordia and Castelfranco Emilia.
May 1511: Cardinal Francesco Alidosi, left in command of the defense of Bologna by the Pope, was not appreciated by the Bolognese and when, on May 23, 1511, a French army commanded arrived at the gates of the city, it quickly surrendered .
11.3.3.Third Phase - The Holy League
Was the third phase of the War of the League of Cambrai, one of the so-called Italian Wars.
June 1511: In 1511, Pope Julius II successfully recaptured the territories of Rimini, Ravenna, Cesena, and Romagna from the French forces. Meanwhile, the French commander de La Palice sought refuge in the city of Pavia.
July 1511: In June 1511 most of Romagna was in French hands.
11.3.4.Fourth Phase - Alliance between Venice and France
Was the fourth phase of the War of the League of Cambrai, one of the so-called Italian Wars.
January 1516: The French conquer Modena and Reggio.
11.4.War of the League of Cognac
Was one of the so-called Italian Wars. It was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V —primarily the Holy Roman Empire and Spain— and the League of Cognac, an alliance including the Kingdom of France, Pope Clement VII, the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of England, the Duchy of Milan, and the Republic of Florence.
January 1528: The Republic of Siena looses control of Porto Ercole, which is conquered by Papal troops.
11.4.1.Imperial Conquest and Sack of the Papal States
Was the invasion of Central Italy by the Imperial forces that ended with the Sack of Rome, during the War of the League of Cognac.
May 1527: After the conquest and sack of Rome by the troops of Emperor Charles V, the imperial army de facto controlled Latium.
February 1528: The Imperial Army, led by Charles V of Spain, left Latium in 1528 after being brought back under control by new leaders and receiving payment. The army, consisting of approximately 12,000 men, then moved on to Naples on February 17, 1528, following the army of the league.
Were a series of wars over the Duchy of Castro, a small independent state in central Italy. The duchy was eventually inglobated into the Papal States.
12.1.First War of Castro
Was the first of two wars over the Duchy of Castro, a small independent state in central Italy.
September 1641: The occupation of the Duchy of Castro by the papal troops began on September 27, 1641.
October 1641: In 1641, the Farnese troops, led by Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, entered the State of the Church and occupied the city of Acquapendente in response to territorial disputes.
November 1641: The peace negotiations of Castel Giorgio in 1641 led to the withdrawal of the Farnese forces from the occupied regions, returning the territory to the Papal States.
March 1642: Castro's first war ended with the Treaty of Rome of March 31, which, thanks to French diplomatic help, returned the duchy to the Farnese.
Was a conflict between the Papal States and the Holy Roman Empire over territorial rights.
November 1708: Brandenburg units, i.e. Protestant soldiers, marched into the Papal States and advanced rapidly. The papal troops were driven back. Wirich Philipp von und zu Daun had a large part of the Papal States occupied. Ferrara was included. The capital was spared for fear of a second Sack of Rome.
January 1709: Due to the Holy Roman occupation, the pope was forced to accept the imperial peace terms on Januar 1st 1709. This included the Pope’s recognition of Archduke Charles as King of Spain. With the peace treaty the military occupation of the Papal States ended.
The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Philip of Anjou and Charles of Austria, and their respective supporters. It was a global war, with fighting taking place in Europe, Asia, and America. At the end of the war, Philip II, who was the successor chosen by Charles II as a descendant of Charles' paternal half-sister Maria Theresa, became King of Spain and of its overseas empire. The Spanish possessions in Europe were partitioned between various European Monarchies.
14.1.Treaty of Rastatt
Was a peace treaty between France and Austria that was concluded on 7 March 1714 in the Baden city of Rastatt to end the War of the Spanish Succession between both countries.
March 1714: At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, Austria was awarded the Spanish territories in Italy, including Naples, Milan, Sardinia, as well as the Southern Netherlands.
Were a series of conflicts between France and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars against the newly declared French Republic and from 1803 onwards the Napoleonic Wars against First Consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. They include the Coalition Wars as a subset: seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France - later the First French Empire - and its allies.
April 1802: On 9 April 1802, Benevento officially returned to the possession of the Holy See.
June 1806: The principality of Pontecorvo was a tiny sovereign state forming part of the Napoleonic Empire and established in 1806.
June 1806: In February 1806 the kingdom of Naples was assigned to Giuseppe Bonaparte and the principalities of Benevento and Pontecorvo were created.
May 1808: The Metauro department was constituted on 11 May 1808, with the separation of the Marches from the State of the Church and their annexation to the Kingdom of Italy.
May 1809: On May 17, 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte decreed the suppression of the temporal power of the Pope, annexing the territories of Umbria and Latium to the First French Empire. This move was part of Napoleon's efforts to expand his control over Italy and weaken the influence of the Papal States.
15.1.War of the First Coalition
Were a series of wars between the Kingdom of France (later the French Republic) and several European Monarchies. The French Revolution had deteriorated the relations of France with the other European countries, that tried several times to invade France in order to crash the revolutionary government.
January 1793: With an unauthorized plebiscite, under pressure from French revolutionaries, the Comtat Venaissin was annexed by France.
November 1797: The so-called Republic of Ancona was a revolutionary municipality which was proclaimed by the Army of Italy of the young general Bonaparte on 19 November 1797, among the other Jacobin republics. It was based in Ancona and included the territories which, in the Papal State, were part of the Marca of Ancona with the capital Macerata, or the current territory of the Marches.
February 1798: The Tiberina Republic was a provisional government which was proclaimed on February 4, 1798, when the Jacobins took power in the city of Perugia.
February 1798: In February 1798 the ephemeral Roman Republic was proclaimed, closely linked to France.
February 1798: In February 1798, the ephemeral Roman Republic was proclaimed in Rome, Italy. The republic was closely linked to France.
15.1.1.Italian theatre (War of the first coalition)
Was the Italian theatre of the War of the First Coalition.
June 1796: The Bolognese Republic was a French client republic established when Papal authorities escaped from the city of Bologna in June 1796.
February 1797: French troops advanced directly toward Austria over the Julian Alps. General Barthélemy Joubert invaded Tyrol.
June 1797: In June 1797, the territories of Bologna, Ferrara, and Romagna were annexed to the Cisalpine Republic through the Treaty of Tolentino. This agreement was signed between Napoleon Bonaparte, who was leading the French forces in Italy, and representatives of the Papal States.
15.1.2.Treaty of Campo Formio
Was a treaty between France and Austria that ended the War of the First Coalition.
October 1797: The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI). The treaty transferred the Austrian Netherlands to France. The territories of Venice were partitioned, most were acquired by Austria. Austria recognized the Cisalpine Republic and the newly created Ligurian Republic. Extension of the borders of France up to the Rhine, the Nette, and the Roer.
15.2.War of the Second Coalition
Was the second war that saw revolutionary France against most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria, and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples, and various German monarchies. Prussia did not join this coalition, and Spain supported France.
September 1799: In 1799, during the Roman Republic (Napoleonic), the Austrians, led by Archduke Charles, occupied the Legations and the Marches. Meanwhile, the British forces, under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby, landed in Civitavecchia and expelled the French. Subsequently, they set up military administrations in different cities in the region.
September 1799: In 1799, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the Austrians, led by Archduke Charles, occupied the Legations and the Marches in Italy. Meanwhile, the British forces, under the command of Admiral Nelson, landed in Civitavecchia and expelled the French. Subsequently, they set up military administrations in different cities in the region.
June 1800: Napoleon defeated the army of the Second Coalition at Marengo and refounded the Cisalpine Republic. The legations of Bologna, Ferrara and Romagna were once again taken away from the Holy See.
15.3.War of the Sixth Coalition
Was a war between France and a a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States. The coalition emerged after the decimation of the French army in the French invasion of Russia. The coalition ultimately invaded France and forced Napoleon to abdicate and go into exile.
January 1814: After the defeat of Napoleon in Leipzig (Battle of Leipzig), the Papal territories occupied by the French were returned to the Holy See (January 24, 1814).
15.4.Congress of Vienna
Was a series of international diplomatic meetings after the end of the Napoleonic wars whose aim was a long-term peace plan for Europe. It redraw the borders of Europe and partially restored the Monarchies of the pre-revolutionary period.
June 1815: The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of European powers to reorganize the continent after the Napoleonic Wars. The principality of Pontecorvo was ruled by Napoleon's brother-in-law, Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. The return of Pontecorvo to the Papal States was part of the restoration of territories taken by Napoleon during his reign.
June 1815: In 1815, the Congress of Vienna returned the principalities of Pontecorvo and Benevento to the Holy See.
15.5.War of the Seventh Coalition (The Hundred Days)
Napoleon escaped the exile he had been forced after the War of the Sixth Coalition and reorganized the French army. He was defeated by a coalition that included Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia and sent into permanent exile on the island of Saint Helena.
15.5.1.Neapolitan War
Was a conflict between the Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire during the War of the Seventh Coalition. Naples, which was still ruled by the Napoleonic general Joachim Murat, decided to side with Napoleon. The Austrian won the war and reinstated Ferdinand IV as King of Naples and Sicily.
15.5.1.1.Neapolitan attack (Neapolitan War)
Was the invasion of central and northern Italy launched by the Neapolitan armies during the Neapolitan War.
March 1815: Leaving behind a reserve Army of the Interior in case of an invasion from Sicily, Murat sent his two elite Guard Divisions through the Papal States, forcing the Pope to flee to Genoa. With the remainder of his army, Murat established his headquarters at Ancona and advanced on the road towards Bologna. On 30 March, Murat had arrived in Rimini, where he gave the famous Rimini Proclamation, inciting all Italian nationalists to war.
April 1815: The Austrian advance guard under the command of General Bianchi was beaten back at an engagement near Cesena. Bianchi retreated towards Modena and took up a defensive line behind the River Panaro, allowing Murat to take Bologna on 3 April.
15.5.1.2.Austrian counterattack (Neapolitan War)
Was the Austrian invasion of Italy during the Neapolitan War.
April 1815: Ferrara was attacked by Neapolitan troops.
April 1815: On 14 April, Frimont attempted to force a crossing of the Panaro, but was repelled. However, only two days later, Murat and his army retreated from Bologna, which was quickly retaken by the Austrians.
April 1815: Battle of Cesenatico.
April 1815: Murat hurried his retreat and by late April, his main force had arrived safely in Ancona, where he was reunited with his two Guard Divisions.
April 1815: The Austrians reached Foligno.
April 1815: Battle of Pesaro.
April 1815: Neipperg's corps was still in pursuit and by 29 April, his advanced guard had arrived in Fano, just two days' march away.
April 1815: General Nugent had continued to advance from Florence. Having arrived in Rome.
May 1815: A joint Anglo-Austrian fleet began a blockade of Ancona, eventually taking the entire garrison of the city as prisoners.
Was a revolutionary wave in Europe that started in France. The revolutions were essentially democratic and liberal in nature, with the aim of removing the old monarchical structures and creating independent nation-states, as envisioned by romantic nationalism.
16.1.Revolution in the Papal States
Was a revolt in the Papal States during the 1848 Revolutions.
February 1849: On February 9, 1849, it was officially proclaimed by supporters of Giuseppe Mazzini, an important radical democratic revolutionary of the Italian unification movement (Risorgimento).
Was a series of conflicts that led to the unification of the Italian Peninsula into the Kingdom of Italy. It includes the three wars considered the three independency wars of Italy, in addition to a series of military operations like the Expedition of the Thousand and the Sardinian military campaign in Central Italy.
December 1859: The United Provinces of Central Italy, also known as Confederation of Central Italy or General Government of Central Italy, was a short-lived military government established by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. It was formed by a union of the former Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Duchy of Parma, Duchy of Modena, and the Papal Legations.
17.1.First Italian War of Independence
Was the first of the three traditional Italian Wars of Independence. It was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire but it did not led to any territorial modification.
17.1.1.Papal State Front
Was the front in the Papal States of the First Italian War of Independence.
17.1.2.French Invasion of the Papal States
Was a French military campaign against the insurgents that had created the Roman Republic in the Papal States.
17.2.Military Campaign of the Kingdom of Sardinia in Central Italy
Was a military campaign of the Kingdom of Sardinia in central Italy against the Papal States and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It was part of a series of conflicts that resulted in the unification of the Italian Peninsula.
17.2.1.Invasion of the Papal States
Was the invasion of the Papal States by the Kingdom of Sardinia that happened at the same time of Garibaldi's expedition in southern Italy.
September 1860: On 3 September 1860 Salvatore Rampone from Benevento, without an escort, dressed in the red shirt of a Garibaldian colonel, went to the castle to inform the last apostolic delegate, Edoardo Agnelli, of the order to leave the city within three hours. Papal rule was over.
September 1860: The V Army Corps of the Kingdom of Sardinia took Città di Castello, Umbertide and Perugia.
September 1860: Sardinian forces continued their invasion of the Papal States along the coast crossing Pesaro, Fano and Senigallia.
September 1860: The IV Army Corps of the Kingdom of Sardinia invaded the Marches from several points: the 13th Division, under the command of Raffele Cadorna, followed a route close to the Apennines through Urbino, Cagli and Gubbio.
September 1860: Battle of Castelfidardo.
September 1860: Siege of Ancona (1860).
December 1860: Siege of Ancona (1860).
17.3.Capture of Rome
The Capture of Rome on September 20, 1870, was the final event of the long process of Italian Unification, also known as the Risorgimento, marking both the final defeat of the Papal States and the unification of the Italian Peninsula (except San Marino) under the Kingdom of Italy.
April 1870: The Capture of Rome on September 20, 1870, was the final event of the long process of Italian unification also known as the Risorgimento, marking both the final defeat of the Papal States.
January 757: Aistulf capitulated and had to suffer even harsher peace conditions (Second Peace of Pavia, June 756). Pepin donated the conquered lands to the Apostolic See.
January 757: Territorial gains of the Holy see by 756 based on maps.
May 757: Mindful of Aistulf's precedent, Desiderius believed he could avoid new interventions by the Franks in support of the papacy through a policy of small concessions to the pontiff. In 757 he handed over Ferrara, Faenza and some possessions in the Pentapolis to the Pope, but kept most of the territories promised to Pope Stephen II at the time.
January 758: Mindful of Aistulf's precedent, Desiderius believed he could avoid new interventions by the Franks in support of the papacy through a policy of small concessions to the pontiff. In 757 he handed over Ferrara, Faenza and some possessions in the Pentapolis to the Pope, but kept most of the territories promised to Pope Stephen II at the time.
January 847: In 846, the Arab raid in the outskirts of Rome was carried out by the Aghlabids, a dynasty ruling in North Africa.
February 847: End of the Arab raid against Rome.
January 916: The period of Muslim control over Ponza lasted until the year 915.
December 996: The Vangadizza abbey obtained feudal independence on December 26, 996.
January 1001: Gubbio declares itself Free Commune.
January 1001: Only after the year 1000 Padua began to recover, gradually establishing itself as an independent municipality.
January 1001: Starting from the year 1000, self-government of Republic of San Marino was entrusted to the assembly of all the heads of families, called the Arengo.
January 1001: Foundation of the County of Bertinoro.
January 1001: Foundation of the Republic of Ancona.
January 1001: With the Ottonian imperial dynasty (second half of the 10th century) the cities of Arezzo, Chiusi, Perugia, Siena and Orvieto were enfranchised, aiming to break away from the powerful marquisate of Lucca.
January 1021: The area of Montebibico comes under Papal rule.
January 1045: In 1044 Michele di Silvestro Merenda was commissioned by Scarpetta Ordelaffi to build the Civitas Nova. The conquest of municipal autonomy followed: documents of the time inform us of the presence in Forlimpopoli of consuls and subsequently of a mayor.
January 1068: Todi declares itself Free Commune.
January 1100: Viterbo declares itself Free Commune.
January 1101: Urbino declares itself Free Commune.
January 1101: Osimo declares itself Free Commune.
January 1101: Around 1100 Città di Castello was organized into a Commune.
January 1101: In the 12th century Pesaro was a thriving commune; counts and consuls were also represented in the city regiment.
January 1116: Bologna declares itself Free Commune.
January 1116: Ferrara declares itself Free Commune.
January 1118: The Estensi of Ferrara were already present in Rovigo in 1117.
January 1131: Jesi declares itself Free Commune.
January 1140: Perugia declares itself Free Commune.
January 1141: A free commune evolved in Imola in 1140.
January 1151: Rimini declares itself Free Commune.
January 1151: Cagli declares itself Free Commune.
November 1155: On September 29, 1155, the Pope joined the Byzantines in the war, and set out with his army: in a very short time, the Byzantines and the Pope conquered all of Puglia and Campania.
January 1156: The oldest podestà of Faenza appears in a document dated 1155. By the middle of the 12th century, therefore, the municipal government had firmly established itself.
November 1156: William of Sicily reorganized his army, and with only one battle lost for the Byzantines, all the territories lost to the Byzantines and to the Papal States were reconquered.
January 1158: Orvieto declares itself Free Commune.
January 1178: End of the Bertinoro Dynasty. Bertinoro falls under the direct rule of the Papal States.
January 1181: Freed from the archbishop, Cesena can be called a free municipality (1180).
October 1182: The first list of Forlì consuls is taken from a document dated October 15, 1182.
January 1191: Around 1190 the County of Carpegna is founded by the Montefeltro Family.
January 1199: After various vicissitudes, which saw the borders of the Duchy of Spoleto modified and its territories separated from time to time or united with the brand of Ancona and the Romagna, in 1198 the Duchy of Spoleto became part of the Papal State.
January 1200: Fermo became a free municipality in 1199.
January 1200: Assisi declares itself Free Commune.
January 1201: Fano declares itself Free Commune.
January 1201: Foundation of Mercatale, today Borgo Maggiore by the San Marino community to have the possibility of a weekly market. The territory of San Marino extends itself for the first time since its foundation.
January 1214: The County of Urbino was a territorial entity present in the current Marche region founded in 1213.
January 1223: The former Duchy of Spoleto was briefly part of the Holy Roman Empire from 1222.
January 1229: The former Duchy of Spoleto was briefly part of the Holy Roman Empire from 1222 to 1228, when it was ceded by the Holy See.
January 1235: Fabriano declares itself Free Commune.
December 1243: On 19 December 1243 Guido di Cerreto sold to the San Marino citizens every privilege of collecting taxes for the castles of Cerreto, today's Acquaviva and Ventoso.
January 1245: The Papal States conquer Viterbo.
January 1251: Expansion Ferrara in neighboring territory under the Este family.
January 1256: Foligno declares itself Free Commune.
January 1267: On the death of manfred of Sicily in 1266, Pesaro reverted to the Church.
January 1272: In 1271, with the mediation of the podestà and the captain of the people of Forlì, respectively Brandalisio and Filippo di Paolo Ligapasseri, the Guidi counts signed the agreements with the community of Modigliana, thus officially recognizing the birth of the Municipality.
January 1275: The Comtat Venaissin was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France.
January 1276: Guido I da Polenta was the first lord of Ravenna from 1275.
January 1277: Civitella di Romagna is annexed to the Faenza Commune,
September 1283: Guy de Montfort conquers Forlì for the Pope.
January 1286: Pesaro is conquered by the Malatesta Dynasty.
January 1295: Terni declares itself Free Commune.
January 1300: The territory of Porto Viro was divided between the Republic of Venice and the Este family of Ferrara.
January 1300: Comacchio entered the territories controlled by the Este starting from 1299.
January 1301: The area of Firenzuola was under the control of Florence before 1306, as in this year it was decided to found the city as an outpost to counter the Ubaldini family.
January 1301: Fossombrone declares itself Free Commune.
August 1302: In 1299 Maghinardo was elected podestà of Imola, a position he held until his death in 1302. With Maghinardo's death, the Pagani dynasty died out. The city nominally returned under the dominion of the State of the Church.
January 1304: The Ordelaffi family became the most powerful family of Forlì. In 1303 they were able to establish a Signoria in the city.
January 1310: In 1309 the seat of the papacy was transferred to France (beginning of the Avignon captivity). Taking advantage of the pontiff's absence, Imola became independent.
January 1320: In 1318 the political order changed in Padua: the Lordship of the Carraresi began.
February 1320: On 10 February 1320 the inhabitants of the castle of Busignano, today's Chiesanuova, asked to be voluntarily aggregated with all rights and duties in San Marino.
January 1327: In 1326 Cardinal Bertrando del Poggetto occupied the city of Reggio Emilia in the name of Pope John XXII.
January 1328: Bologna conquered by the Papal States.
January 1335: In 1334, Bologna regained independence from the Papal States.
January 1336: In 1335 Reggio Emilia fell under the control of Luigi Gonzaga.
June 1357: Their lordship of the Ordelaffi in Forlì was interrupted in 1357 by the intervention of the papal legate, Cardinal Albornoz, who managed to subjugate the city.
January 1362: After the surrender of Forlì to the papal troops, Forlimpopoli remained the last bastion of the Ordelaffi family. In the first months of 1361 the city eventually capitulated.
January 1364: Bologna is conquered by the Papal States.
January 1368: In 1367 Città di Castello was brought back under the State of the Church by cardinal Albornoz.
January 1369: In 1368 Todi lost its autonomy.
January 1376: Talamone was occupied by Papal militias.
January 1376: Città di Castello regained its freedom in 1375 thanks to the intervention of the Florentines.
January 1377: Bologna regains independence.
August 1377: Modigliana rebelled against the Pope and gave itself to the Florentine republic by deed of the people signed on 2 August 1377.
January 1379: Pope Urban VI assigned the city of Cesena to the lord of Rimini, Galeotto I Malatesta.
January 1379: Based on Gustav Droysen's Map of the Holy Roman Empire in the XIV century.
January 1379: The Republic of Siena reconquers Talamone.
January 1380: Forlimpopoli was handed over by the Pope to Sinibaldo Ordelaffi (Signoria of Forlì) who started the construction work on the new city walls and fortress.
January 1401: Ferrara conquers Adria.
January 1401: Expansion of the Signoria of Rimini by 1400.
January 1405: After the domination of the Guidi family, in 1404 Bagno entered the Florentine orbit.
November 1408: Foundation of the Duchy of Latera by Bartolomeo Farnese.
January 1426: The Papal States rule on Rieti.
January 1431: Sansepolcro reverts to the Papal States.
January 1440: The Papal States conquer Foligno and Terni.
March 1441: The village of Cospaia unexpectedly obtained its independence in February 1441, when Pope Eugene IV, engaged in the conflict with the Council of Basel, ceded the territory of Sansepolcro to the Republic of Florence. By mistake, in the designation of the border, a small strip of land was not included in the treaty delimiting the borders, and the local residents promptly declared that they were not subject to any authority.
January 1442: Sansepolcro was sold to Florence for 25,000 ducats by Pope Eugenio IV.
January 1445: Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini, conquers Senigallia.
January 1446: The Papal States submit Fabriano, Macerata and San Severino.
January 1448: The Papal States submit Jesi.
January 1449: Taddeo Manfredi was count of Faenza from 1448.
January 1451: The Papal States submit Orvieto.
January 1451: In 1450, Ceccano was incorporated into the Papal States under the rule of Pope Nicholas V.
January 1464: Although within the territory of the Kingdom of Naples, the town of Pontecorvo was an exclave of the Papal States from 1463, when the town placed itself under papal jurisdiction.
January 1464: The Papal States submit Fano.
January 1466: Cesena returned to papal rule.
January 1472: In 1471 Galeazzo Maria Sforza, new lord of Milan, conquered Imola. As he sought an alliance with the Holy See, he ceded the city to the Pope.
January 1474: Subsequently, Riario gave it to his brother Girolamo, who married a daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Caterina[45]. The marriage was celebrated in 1477, when the young woman was 14 years old. Imola with its countryside constituted part of the nuptial dowry.
January 1483: The Papal States submit Ascoli Piceno.
January 1501: The Papal States conquer Osimo.
January 1504: With the death of his father Pope Alexander VI, the short-lived reign of Cesare Borgia collapsed
January 1511: Sestino, a Tuscan village near Arezzo, remained under the control of the Papal States until 1510, when it fell under the governance of the Florentine Republic.
January 1517: Piagge, together with other castles in the area, were acquired by the Duchy of Urbino.
January 1522: In 1521 Parma and Piacenza returned to the Papal States.
January 1531: Siena reconquers Porto Ercole.
January 1533: The Papal States conquer Ancona.
January 1538: Foundation of the Duchy of Castro by Pier Luigi Farnese.
January 1539: Since 1538 Fermo has been part of the Papal States.
January 1541: In 1540, the Papal States, under the rule of Pope Paul III, conquered the territories of Assisi, Camerino, and Perugia. This expansion of the Papal States was part of the ongoing power struggles between the Papacy and various Italian city-states during the Renaissance period.
January 1541: In 1540, the Papal States, under the rule of Pope Paul III, conquered the territories of Assisi, Camerino, and Perugia. Assisi is known for being the birthplace of St. Francis, while Camerino and Perugia were important cities in central Italy during the Renaissance.
September 1545: Pier Luigi Farnese is declared Duke of Parma-Piacenza by his father, pope Paul III.
January 1546: Camerino eventually fells under the rule of the Papal States.
November 1563: In 1550, Pope Julius III granted the feud to his sister Giacoma Ciocchi del Monte. On November 19, 1563, her son, Ascanio della Corgna, became Marquis of Castiglione and Chiugi at the behest of Pius IV.
January 1566: Terni became part of the temporal power of the popes (and consequently of the Papal State), definitively, only in 1564, after the tragic event of the Massacre of the Banderari.
January 1569: Erected as a duchy in 1568 by Pope Pius V in favor of Lucrezia Bandini.
January 1577: The Papal States conquer Matelica.
January 1579: Forlimpopoli returned under the direct control of the Pope who would keep it until the arrival of the French troops at the end of the eighteenth century.
January 1599: The Papal States conquer Ferrara and Comacchio.
January 1632: Upon the death of Francesco Maria II Della Rovere in 1631, the Duchy of Urbino returned to papal dominion.
January 1641: The Porto Viro cut was a major hydraulic project carried out in the Po Delta by the Republic of Venice, begun in 1600, and completed in 1604. From 1200 to 1600 alluvial soils advanced 25 meters a year; 70 in the 16th and 17th centuries. If before 1600 the Delta expanded by about 53 hectares a year, from 1604 to 1840 it passed to 135 hectares a year. The formation of new territories continued further. In the 19th century, with the introduction of steam pumps, large reclamation works were carried out which, accompanied by the construction of imposing embankments, definitively subtracted large tracts of land from the marsh.
December 1647: Duke Fulvio II died in 1647 leaving no heirs and so the feud returned under the dominion of the Papal States.
January 1649: The Porto Viro cut was a major hydraulic project carried out in the Po Delta by the Republic of Venice, begun in 1600, and completed in 1604. From 1200 to 1600 alluvial soils advanced 25 meters a year; 70 in the 16th and 17th centuries. If before 1600 the Delta expanded by about 53 hectares a year, from 1604 to 1840 it passed to 135 hectares a year. The formation of new territories continued further. In the 19th century, with the introduction of steam pumps, large reclamation works were carried out which, accompanied by the construction of imposing embankments, definitively subtracted large tracts of land from the marsh.
February 1668: The Papal States conquer the Duchy of Latera.
October 1739: Alberoni's occupation is one of the brief periods in which the Republic of San Marino was militarily occupied by a foreign state, between 1739 and 1740. In 1739 Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, an official of the Pope near Ravenna, attempted the annexation of the Republic to the State of the Church. The pretext came from the arrest on charges of rebellion in 1737 of some leaders of a conspiracy aimed at restoring the Arengo [...] on 17 October 1739 the cardinal entered Serravalle with the support of the cheering population led by the parish priest .
February 1740: The Pope sent the governor of Perugia, Monsignor Enrico Enriquez to verify the effective support of the population. In January 1740 Enriquez provisionally assumed the government and began a survey of the population. Having established unanimity in favor of the Republic, San Marino officially regained its independence on 5 February 1740, the day of Sant'Agata.
October 1816: Renouncing the feudal rights of the last sovereign duke.
January 1820: In 1819, the Counties of Scavolino and Carpegna were annexed to the Papal States. This decision was made under the rule of Pope Pius VII, who sought to expand the territories under papal control in Italy during the early 19th century.
January 1820: In 1819, the territories of Scavolino and Carpegna were annexed to the Papal States under Pope Pius VII. This decision was part of the territorial reorganization following the Congress of Vienna, which aimed to restore and maintain stability in Europe after the Napoleonic Wars.
June 1826: After the Napoleonic interlude, on June 26, 1826, with an act of submission by fourteen representatives of the republic, it became part of the State of the Church.
Disestablishment
April 1870: The Capture of Rome on September 20, 1870, was the final event of the long process of Italian unification also known as the Risorgimento, marking both the final defeat of the Papal States.
Selected Sources
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Papal States
