A prisoner in the Vatican is the description given to the popes from Pope Pius IX through Pius XI, after the invading armies of King Victor Emmanuel II captured the Papal States and ended the millenial temporal rule of the popes (see Italian unification). Early in the following year, 1871, the Italian capital was moved from Florence to Rome. For the next 59 years, the popes refused to recognize the new Italian state and refused to leave the Vatican. The Italian Law of Guarantees required the pope to be accorded honors similar to those given the king, and guaranteed him the right to send and receive ambassadors. The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Catholic Church. ... Pope Pius IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti (May 13, 1792 – February 7, 1878), was pope for a record pontificate of over 31 years, from June 16, 1846 until his death. ... Pius XI (born Achille Ratti May 31, 1857 - Rome, February 10, 1939) was Pope from February 6, 1922 until February 10, 1939. ... A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state, whose titles and ascent are often inherited, not earned, and who represents a larger monarchical system which has established rules and customs regarding succession, duties, and powers. ... King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel II (Italian: Vittorio Emanuele II; March 14, 1820—January 9, 1878) was the King of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia from 1849–1861, and King of Italy from 1861 until his death in 1878. ... The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) was one of the historical states of Italy before the peninsula was unified under the crown of Savoy. ... Italian unification process Italian unification (Italian: Risorgimento) was the political and social process that unified disparate countries of the Italian peninsula into the single nation of Italy between the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana or Italia) is a country in Southern Europe. ... After the overthrow of the Papal States in 1870, Italys Law of Guarantees accorded the Pope certain honors and privileges similar to those enjoyed by the King of Italy, including the right to send and receive ambassadors as if he still had temporal power as ruler of a state. ...

Following the fall of Rome, no diplomatic relations existed between the popes and the Italian State. The Italian rulers took up residence in the pope's Quirinal Palace, and seized church property throughout Rome and Italy, but did not have the political support to seize the Vatican. Even prior to the fall of Rome, Italian republicans, had sought to eliminate the papacy, with Giuseppe Garibaldi seeking international support for that end at an 1867 congress in Vienna, where he proposed "The papacy, being the most harmful of all secret societies, ought to be abolished." (Giuseppe Guerzoni, Garibaldi: con documenti editi e inediti, Florence, 1882, Vol. 11, 485.) However, unlike the earlier invasions of Italy by Napoléon, when Pope Pius VI died in French captivity, and Pius VII was taken captive for six years, the tension between the Italian state and the Papacy continued for 59 years, during which time the popes claimed to be unable to leave the Vatican. While some of the Italian revolutionaries thought that the papacy would disappear without the continuance of the papal states, the popes, relieved of their temporal concerns, grew in stature during their years of "imprisonment." Eventually, it became impossible for the Italian state not to recognize the independence of the Vatican, and on February 11, 1929, the Lateran treaties established political relations between Italy and Vatican City. The Quirinal Palace (known in Italian as the Quirinale) is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic. ... Republicanism is the view that a republic is the best form of government. ... Garibaldi in 1866 Giuseppe Garibaldi (July 4, 1807 – June 2, 1882) was an Italian patriot and soldier of the Risorgimento. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Hungarian: Bécs) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine federal states (Bundesland Wien). ... Bonaparte as general, by Antoine-Jean Gros. ... Pius VI, né Giovanni Angelo Braschi (December 27, 1717 – August 29, 1799), pope from 1775 to 1799, was born at Cesena. ... Pius VII, O.S.B., born Giorgio Barnaba Luigi Chiaramonti (August 14, 1740 – August 20, 1823), was Pope from March 14, 1800 to August 20, 1823. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Lateran Treaties of February 11, 1929 provided for the mutual recognition of the then-Kingdom of Italy and the Vatican City. ...