Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did the Papal States obstruct Italian unification during the Risorgimento?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Side-by-side maps of central Italy showing the changing boundaries of the Papal States. The left map highlights the Papal States after the Treaty of Vienna in 1815 in green, showing their greatest extent. The right map shows the Papal States' reduced territory just before absorption into Italy, with orange marking areas annexed in 1860 and yellow showing the final area annexed in 1870, centered ar — Papal States The Papal States in 1815 (left) and at their annexation by Italy in 1870.

During the Risorgimento, the Papal States obstructed Italian unification primarily because their existence geographically divided the Italian peninsula in two, creating a significant barrier to national integration.1

Furthermore, the papacy’s status as a temporal power necessitated the intervention of foreign nations, such as France, to protect papal independence and maintain control over Rome and its surrounding territories. This reliance on foreign military support directly conflicted with the movement's goal of freeing Italian states from foreign domination.12

The conflict persisted because the papacy refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new Italian state or the loss of its temporal authority, leading to a long-standing dispute known as the Roman question. This impasse was not fully resolved until the Lateran Treaty of 1929, which established the independent Vatican City.13