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History of Vatican City

The smallest country in the world both by area and by population. 2 eras, 754 CE to today.

Papal States, 754 CE–1870 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Papal States, officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. The state was legally established in the 8th century when Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, gave Pope Stephen II, as a temporal sovereign, lands formerly held by Arian Christian Lombards. At their zenith, the Papal States covered most of the modern Italian regions of Lazio (which includes Rome), Marche, Umbria, Romagna, and portions of Emilia. In 1870, all of Lazio, including Rome, was annexed by the Italian kingdom, which refrained from occupying the Leonine City militarily.

Seat of power: Rome

Rulers

Vatican City, 1929 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, often shortened as the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state in Southern Europe. Ruled by the pope, it is an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy, and serves as the administrative centre of the Catholic Church. The independent state of Vatican City came into existence in 1929 via the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. With an area of 44 hectares (109 acres) and a population of about 882 in 2024, it is the smallest country in the world both by area and by population.

Seat of power: Vatican City

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.