Bibliograph

Prisoner of the Vatican, the popes' secret plot to capture Rome from the new Italian state, David I. Kertzer

Type

Label

Prisoner of the Vatican, the popes' secret plot to capture Rome from the new Italian state, David I. Kertzer

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Prisoner of the Vatican

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Responsibility statement

David I. Kertzer

Sub title

the popes' secret plot to capture Rome from the new Italian state

Summary

A Pulitzer Prize winner's fascinating account of the political battles that led to the end of the Papal States. David Kertzer's absorbing history presents an astonishing account of the birth of modern Italy and the clandestine politics behind the Vatican's last stand in the battle between church and the newly created Italian state. Drawing on a wealth of secret documents long buried in the Vatican archives, Kertzer reveals a fascinating story of outrageous accusations, mutual denunciations, raucous demonstrations, and secret dealings. When Italy's armies seized the Holy City and claimed it for the Italian capital, Pope Pius IX, outraged, retreated to the Vatican and declared himself a prisoner, calling on foreign powers to force the Italians out of Rome. The action set in motion decades of political intrigues that hinged on such fascinating characters as Garibaldi, King Viktor Emmanuel, Napoleon III, and Chancellor Bismarck. No one who reads this eye-opening book will ever think of Italy, or the Vatican, in quite the same way again

Target audience

adult

Classification