![Vatican City map](/pix/mini-maps/vt-map.gif)
![Vatican City flag](/pix/mini-flags/vt-flag.gif)
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further c...more history