
The Pope's Army
The Papacy in Diplomacy and War
John Carr(Author)
Pen & Sword Military (Publisher)
Published on 10. June 2019
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-5267-1489-3 (ISBN)
Description
For much of its 2,000-year history, the Roman Catholic Church was a formidable political and military power, in contrast to its pacifist origins and its present concentration on spiritual matters. The period of political and military activism can be dated to roughly between 410, when Pope Innocent I vainly tried to avert the sack of Rome by the Visigoths, and about 1870, when Pope Pius IX was abandoned by his protectors, the French Army, and forced to submit to the new Italian state by surrendering any political power the Vatican had left.
During those centuries, the popes employed every means at their disposal, including direct military action, to maintain their domains centred on Rome. Some pontiffs, such as Alexander VI, Julius II (15th century), plus the energetic Borgia popes later, built the Papal States into a power in their own right. In the following century and a half, Europe's destructive religious wars almost always had a papal component, with the Lateran and later Vatican fielding their own armies. Climaxing the story are the little-known yet bitter late-nineteenth century battles between the papal volunteers from all over Europe and America, and the Italian nationalists who ultimately prevailed. John Carr narrates the story of Papal military clout with engaging verve.
During those centuries, the popes employed every means at their disposal, including direct military action, to maintain their domains centred on Rome. Some pontiffs, such as Alexander VI, Julius II (15th century), plus the energetic Borgia popes later, built the Papal States into a power in their own right. In the following century and a half, Europe's destructive religious wars almost always had a papal component, with the Lateran and later Vatican fielding their own armies. Climaxing the story are the little-known yet bitter late-nineteenth century battles between the papal volunteers from all over Europe and America, and the Italian nationalists who ultimately prevailed. John Carr narrates the story of Papal military clout with engaging verve.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
South Yorkshire
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
20 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5267-1489-3 (9781526714893)
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E-Book
11/2020
Pen & Sword Military
€7.48
Available for download
Person
John Carr has enjoyed a career as a journalist, correspondent and broadcaster (_The Times_, _Wall Street Journal Europe_, Vatican Radio), mainly in the Mediterranean and particularly Greece, where he now resides. He is the author of _On Spartan Wings: The Royal Hellenic Air Force in World War II_; _Sparta's Kings_; _The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-41_; _RHNS Averof_; _Fighting Emperors of Byzantium_; _The Knights Hospitaller_; and _The Komnene Dynasty_, all published by Pen & Sword.