State · 754 – 1870
Papal States
A state of 754 – 1870 — 1,116 years in Europe. It replaced Duchy of Spoleto, Duchy of Rome and Republic of Cospaia and 5 more and followed Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire). It was replaced by Vatican City and Roman Republic (1849–1850) and followed by Kingdom of Italy. The atlas records 81 things within it — wars and battles 20 · treaties 5 · people 55 · works and ideas 1. Its line of rulers holds 162 people.
For the full story, the article on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); this page holds what the record says of the state.
- Stood
- 1,116 years
- 754 – 1870
- Rulers
- 162
- the Governatore di Roma
- Most ground
- 41,700 km²
- in 1600
- Within it
- 81
- recorded rows
- Symbols
- 5
- on record, with years
755 · first mapped · 12,800 km²
1600 · at its largest · 41,700 km²
1861 · last mapped · 14,100 km²
Where it sits in time
Five thousand years, 3000 BCE to 2026; the state in gold, what it replaced or followed and what replaced or followed it in grey.
Before and after
The states the record files it as replacing or following, and those that replaced or followed it - Wikidata's own statements, each read from this state's side.
Before it
- Lordship of Forlì · replaces
- Trasimène · replaces
- Republic of Cospaia · replaces · 1441 – 1826
- Duchy of Spoleto · replaces · 570 – 1203
- Italian United Provinces · replaces · 1831
- Commune of Rome · replaces · 1143 – 1193
- Exarchate of Ravenna · replaces
- Duchy of Rome · replaces · 590 – 754
- Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire) · follows · 774 – 1806
After it
- Roman Republic (1849–1850) · replaced by · 1849
- Vatican City · replaced by · 1929 – present
- Kingdom of Italy · followed by · 1861 – 1946
Rulers
The line of Governatore di Roma.
161 terms are shared from [object Object].
| Ruler | Reign | Length | How it ended · source | To the ruler before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope Paul I · from the line of Vatican City | 757 – 767 | 10 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Stephen III · from the line of Vatican City | 768 – 772 | 4 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Adrian I · from the line of Vatican City | 772 – 795 | 23 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Leo III · from the line of Vatican City | 796 – 816 | 20 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Stephen IV · from the line of Vatican City | 816 – 817 | 1 year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Paschal I · from the line of Vatican City | 817 – 824 | 7 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Eugene II · from the line of Vatican City | 824 – 827 | 3 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Valentine · from the line of Vatican City | 827 – 827 | under a year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Gregory IV · from the line of Vatican City | 827 – 844 | 17 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Sergius II · from the line of Vatican City | 844 – 847 | 3 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Leo IV · from the line of Vatican City | 847 – 855 | 8 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Benedict III · from the line of Vatican City | 855 – 858 | 3 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Joan · from the line of Vatican City | 855 – 858 | 3 years | ending not on record | |
| Nicholas I · from the line of Vatican City | 858 – 867 | 9 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Adrian II · from the line of Vatican City | 867 – 872 | 5 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope John VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 872 – 882 | 10 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Marinus I · from the line of Vatican City | 882 – 884 | 2 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Adrian III · from the line of Vatican City | 884 – 885 | 1 year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Stephen V · from the line of Vatican City | 885 – 891 | 6 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Formosus · from the line of Vatican City | 891 – 896 | 5 years | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Boniface VI · from the line of Vatican City | 896 – 896 | under a year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Stephen VI · from the line of Vatican City | 896 – 897 | 1 year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Romanus · from the line of Vatican City | 897 – 897 | under a year | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Theodore II · from the line of Vatican City | 897 – 897 | under a year | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| John IX · from the line of Vatican City | 898 – 900 | 2 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Benedict IV · from the line of Vatican City | 900 – 903 | 3 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Leo V · from the line of Vatican City | 903 – 904 | 1 year | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Sergius III · from the line of Vatican City | 904 – 911 | 7 years | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Anastasius III · from the line of Vatican City | 911 – 913 | 2 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Lando · from the line of Vatican City | 913 – 914 | 1 year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope John X · from the line of Vatican City | 914 – 928 | 14 years | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Leo VI · from the line of Vatican City | 928 – 928 | under a year | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Stephen VII · from the line of Vatican City | 929 – 931 | 2 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| John XI · from the line of Vatican City | 931 – 935 | 4 years | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Leo VII · from the line of Vatican City | 936 – 939 | 3 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Stephen VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 939 – 942 | 3 years | ending not on record | |
| Marinus II · from the line of Vatican City | 942 – 946 | 4 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Agapetus II · from the line of Vatican City | 946 – 955 | 9 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope John XII · from the line of Vatican City | 955 – 964 | 9 years | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Benedict V · from the line of Vatican City | 964 – 964 | under a year | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Leo VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 964 – 965 | 1 year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| John XIII · from the line of Vatican City | 965 – 972 | 7 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Benedict VI · from the line of Vatican City | 973 – 974 | 1 year | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Benedict VII · from the line of Vatican City | 974 – 983 | 9 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| John XIV · from the line of Vatican City | 983 – 984 | 1 year | ending not on record | |
| John XV · from the line of Vatican City | 985 – 996 | 11 years | ending not on record | |
| Gregory V · from the line of Vatican City | 996 – 999 | 3 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Sylvester II · from the line of Vatican City | 999 – 1003 | 4 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| John XVII · from the line of Vatican City | 1003 – 1003 | under a year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| John XVIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1003 – 1009 | 6 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Sergius IV · from the line of Vatican City | 1009 – 1012 | 3 years | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Benedict VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1012 – 1024 | 12 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| John XIX · from the line of Vatican City | 1024 – 1032 | 8 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | sibling |
| Benedict IX · from the line of Vatican City | 1032 – 1045 | 13 years | left office aliveread off the dates alone | nephew or niece |
| Sylvester III · from the line of Vatican City | 1045 – 1045 | under a year | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Gregory VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1045 – 1047 | 2 years | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Clement II · from the line of Vatican City | 1047 – 1047 | under a year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Benedict IX · from the line of Vatican City | 1047 – 1048 | 1 year | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Damasus II · from the line of Vatican City | 1048 – 1048 | under a year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Leo IX · from the line of Vatican City | 1049 – 1054 | 5 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Clement V · from the line of Vatican City | 1305 – 1314 | 9 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope John XXII · from the line of Vatican City | 1316 – 1334 | 18 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Benedict XII · from the line of Vatican City | 1335 – 1342 | 7 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Clement VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1342 – 1352 | 10 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Innocent VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1353 – 1362 | 9 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Urban V · from the line of Vatican City | 1362 – 1370 | 8 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Gregory XI · from the line of Vatican City | 1371 – 1378 | 7 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Urban VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1378 – 1389 | 11 years | died by accidentWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Boniface IX · from the line of Vatican City | 1389 – 1404 | 15 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Innocent VII · from the line of Vatican City | 1404 – 1406 | 2 years | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Gregory XII · from the line of Vatican City | 1406 – 1415 | 9 years | ended by a named eventWikidata's end cause on the term | |
| Pope Martin V · from the line of Vatican City | 1417 – 1431 | 14 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Eugene IV · from the line of Vatican City | 1431 – 1447 | 16 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Nicholas V · from the line of Vatican City | 1447 – 1455 | 8 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Callixtus III · from the line of Vatican City | 1455 – 1458 | 3 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Pius II · from the line of Vatican City | 1458 – 1464 | 6 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Paul II · from the line of Vatican City | 1464 – 1471 | 7 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Sixtus IV · from the line of Vatican City | 1471 – 1484 | 13 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Innocent VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1484 – 1492 | 8 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Alexander VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1492 – 1503 | 11 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pius III · from the line of Vatican City | 1503 – 1503 | under a year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Julius II · from the line of Vatican City | 1503 – 1513 | 10 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Leo X · from the line of Vatican City | 1513 – 1521 | 8 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Adrian VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1522 – 1523 | 1 year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Clement VII · from the line of Vatican City | 1523 – 1534 | 11 years | killedWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Paul III · from the line of Vatican City | 1534 – 1549 | 15 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Julius III · from the line of Vatican City | 1550 – 1555 | 5 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Marcellus II · from the line of Vatican City | 1555 – 1555 | under a year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Paul IV · from the line of Vatican City | 1555 – 1559 | 4 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Pius IV · from the line of Vatican City | 1560 – 1565 | 5 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Pius V · from the line of Vatican City | 1566 – 1572 | 6 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Gregory XIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1572 – 1585 | 13 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Sixtus V · from the line of Vatican City | 1585 – 1590 | 5 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Urban VII · from the line of Vatican City | 1590 – 1590 | under a year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Gregory XIV · from the line of Vatican City | 1590 – 1591 | 1 year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Innocent IX · from the line of Vatican City | 1591 – 1591 | under a year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Clement VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1592 – 1605 | 13 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Leo XI · from the line of Vatican City | 1605 – 1605 | under a year | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Paul V · from the line of Vatican City | 1605 – 1621 | 16 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Gregory XV · from the line of Vatican City | 1621 – 1623 | 2 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Urban VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1623 – 1644 | 21 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Alessandro Vittrici | 1647 – 1650 | 3 years | died in office, manner not recordedWikidata's end cause on the term | |
| Alexander VII · from the line of Vatican City | 1655 – 1667 | 12 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pompeo Varese | 1668 – — | no end recorded | ending not on record | |
| Pope Clement X · from the line of Vatican City | 1670 – 1676 | 6 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Innocent XI · from the line of Vatican City | 1676 – 1689 | 13 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Alexander VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1689 – 1691 | 2 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Innocent XII · from the line of Vatican City | 1691 – 1700 | 9 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Alessandro Falconieri | 1717 – 1724 | 7 years | left office aliveread off the dates alone | |
| Benedict XIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1724 – 1730 | 6 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Clement XII · from the line of Vatican City | 1730 – 1740 | 10 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Benedict XIV · from the line of Vatican City | 1740 – 1758 | 18 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Clement XIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1758 – 1769 | 11 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Clement XIV · from the line of Vatican City | 1769 – 1774 | 5 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Pius VI · from the line of Vatican City | 1775 – 1799 | 24 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Pope Pius VII · from the line of Vatican City | 1800 – 1823 | 23 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Leo XII · from the line of Vatican City | 1823 – 1829 | 6 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pius VIII · from the line of Vatican City | 1829 – 1830 | 1 year | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death | |
| Gregory XVI · from the line of Vatican City | 1831 – 1846 | 15 years | died in office, manner not recordedread off the dates alone | |
| Pope Pius IX · from the line of Vatican City | 1846 – 1878 | 32 years | died in office of natural causesWikidata's manner of death |
The first and last 60 of 163 reigns; the 43 between them are in the atlas.
162 rulers, 162 with terms dated as terms, covering 757 – 1878. Median reign 5 years. 14 of 162 handovers irregular - a killing, a deposition, a rival claimant, a rising or a coup beside it. The violent-handover count is withheld: power changed hands so often that any rising falls beside one (exposure 0.64, limit 0.6). A blank in the last column means no kin on record, which is coverage, never “unrelated”.
Ground held, by year
km² inside its borders as the borders dataset draws them, measured on an equal-area grid; a step series, held between the years the dataset maps.
15,100 km² in 804, 14,100 km² in 1870; at its largest 41,700 km² in 1604. Cliopatria, CC BY 4.0.
Flags and arms, in order
Each symbol with the years its own statement gives; the timeline flies the one of the year on screen.
coat of arms, undatedCoA Pontifical States 02 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gambo7 
coat of arms, undatedCoA Pontifical States 01 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gambo7 .svg/120px-Flag_of_the_Papal_States_(pre_1808).svg.png)
flag, 754 – 1803Flag of the Papal States (pre 1808) · Public domain .svg/120px-Flag_of_the_Papal_States_(1803-1825).svg.png)
flag, 1803 – 1825Flag of the Papal States (1803-1825) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tibetan Pop Rocks .svg/120px-Flag_of_the_Papal_States_(1825-1870).svg.png)
flag, from 1825Flag of the Papal States (1825-1870) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tibetan Pop Rocks
What happened within it, by century
Every row the atlas hosts under this state, by the century it began in: wars and battles in red, risings, regime changes and massacres beside them, everything else in grey. A tall bar is a century the record is full for, which is partly a fact about Wikipedia.
700 – 7991 row
- Pope Gregory IV · writer · 795 – 844
800 – 8994 rows · 2 wars and battles
- Pope John VIII · writer · 820 – 882
- Pope John X · writer · 860 – 929
- Arab raid against Rome · war · 846
- Battle of Ostia · battle · 849
900 – 9993 rows · 1 wars and battles
- Pope John XII · ruler · 937 – 964
- Pope Sylvester II · scientist · 938 – 1003
- Battle of Garigliano · battle · 915
1000 – 10991 row
- Antipope Anacletus II · writer · 1091 – 1138
1100 – 11995 rows
- Pope Innocent III · writer · 1160 – 1216
- Pope Gregory IX · writer · 1170 – 1241
- Pope Honorius III · religious leader · 1148 – 1227
- Pope Celestine III · politician · 1106 – 1198
- Pope Innocent II · writer · 1100 – 1143
1200 – 12998 rows
- Thomas Aquinas · philosopher · 1225 – 1274
- Pope Boniface VIII · writer · 1235 – 1303
- Bonaventure · philosopher · 1221 – 1274
- Pope Gregory X · writer · 1210 – 1276
- Pope Alexander IV · religious leader · 1200 – 1261
- Treaty of Anagni · treaty · 1295
- Treaty of Viterbo · treaty · 1267
- Treaty of Orvieto · treaty · 1281
1300 – 13993 rows
- Pope Nicholas V · religious leader · 1397 – 1455
- Pope Martin V · writer · 1368 – 1431
- Julian Cesarini · religious leader · 1398 – 1444
1400 – 149915 rows · 4 wars and battles
- Pope Leo X · religious leader · 1475 – 1521
- Pope Paul III · religious leader · 1468 – 1549
- Pope Pius IV · religious leader · 1499 – 1565
- Pope Sixtus IV · religious leader · 1414 – 1484
- Pope Julius III · religious leader · 1487 – 1555
- Cesare Borgia · religious leader · 1475 – 1507
- Federico da Montefeltro · commander · 1422 – 1482
- Ercole I d'Este · person · 1431 – 1505
and 7 more in the atlas.
1500 – 159917 rows · 6 wars and battles
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina · artist · 1525 – 1594
- Pope Gregory XIII · religious leader · 1502 – 1585
- Pope Pius V · religious leader · 1504 – 1572
- Pope Paul V · religious leader · 1552 – 1621
- Pope Leo XI · politician · 1535 – 1605
- Pope Clement VIII · politician · 1536 – 1605
- Pope Sixtus V · religious leader · 1521 – 1590
- Pope Innocent X · politician · 1574 – 1655
and 9 more in the atlas.
1600 – 16995 rows
- Pope Benedict XIV · religious leader · 1675 – 1758
- Pope Innocent XI · religious leader · 1611 – 1689
- Pope Clement XI · religious leader · 1649 – 1721
- Luigi Ferdinando Marsili · inventor · 1658 – 1730
- Alessandro Falconieri · ruler · 1657 – 1734
1700 – 179910 rows · 1 wars and battles
- Giacomo Leopardi · philosopher · 1798 – 1837
- Pope Pius IX · politician · 1792 – 1878
- Gioachino Rossini · artist · 1792 – 1868
- Pope Pius VII · religious leader · 1742 – 1823
- Pope Pius VI · religious leader · 1717 – 1799
- Luigi Galvani · inventor · 1737 – 1798
- Galvanic cell · discovery · 1786
- Henry Benedict Stuart · religious leader · 1725 – 1807
and 2 more in the atlas.
1800 – 18999 rows · 6 wars and battles
- Pope Leo XIII · religious leader · 1810 – 1903
- Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli · politician · 1856 – 1941
- Capture of Rome · battle · 1870
- Neapolitan War · war · 1815
- Battle of Tolentino · battle · 1815
- Aurelio Saffi · politician · 1819 – 1890
- Battle of Mentana · battle · 1867
- Battle of Castelfidardo · battle · 1860
and 1 more in the atlas.
Among all states
Each measure against the states that carry it, never against all of them: a bar is the share of those states below this one.
- How long it stood1,116 years
stood longer than 98% of 3,187 states with a recorded end or still standing.
- The most ground it held41,700 km²
held more ground at its peak than 32% of 1,465 states with a border in Cliopatria.
- Wars recorded per century0.9
had more wars on record per century than 93% of 3,187 states, counting the wars the atlas hosts under each.
- How long a reign lasted, at the median5 years
had longer reigns, at the median, than 18% of 967 states whose dated line can carry a median.
- Rulers on record162
has more rulers on record than 100% of 1,968 states with a line of rulers.
What led to it, and what came of it
The investigation's own picture: 8 causes the record names and 2 results, the strongest six of each at their own years, joined to the state by the kind of claim - a recorded statement solid, the article's sentence dashed, a theory dash-dot.
Open the investigation: every row with its evidence, the conditions at the time, the theories condition by condition, and the succession analysed.
Open in the atlas
- On the timeline, 642 – 1982, with everything that stood beside it.
- On the map in 1600, live: scrub the year and watch its borders move.
- Investigate it: what led to it, what came of it, and its succession analysed.
Wikidata Q170174 (CC0) · borders Cliopatria, CC BY 4.0 · coast and rivers Natural Earth · symbols from Wikimedia Commons, each credited above · data built 2026-10-06 · Pastlas v2.9.1, by Oleh Voronko. The published atlas and its data are for non-commercial use.