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How Vatican City Became the Smallest Country in the World
Vatican City is officially the smallest country in the world. Situated in the middle of Rome as an enclave, it is only about 20% of the size of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City. Its population is about 1,000, only made up of the Pope, Bishops, and Clergies that run the theocratic country of the Vatican. It is also the only monarchy in the world that elects its monarch (aka. the pope). Despite its size, its influence on the world is quite large, considering the large Catholic population in Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as other continents.
The existence of such a country is bizarre, considering its unique position and size. How did Vatican City become the smallest, yet one of the most influential countries in the world?
Origin
Vatican City can trace its origin back to 533 AD when the Byzantine Empire established the Duchy of Rome when the Empire restored its old Roman territories under Emperor Justinian. Even prior to the founding of the Duchy, the Catholic Church amassed a massive amount of wealth from donations, holding large political and economic influence in Rome. After Western Roman Empire fell to the Germanic tribes, the papal authority began expanding its religious and secular authority in the region around Rome, becoming the de facto ruling government of the region. Although by 533, Rome was under the authority of the Byzantine Empire, its practical influence only reached Naples and Southern Italy.
When the Byzantine was defeated by the Lombards in Italy in 751, Pope Stephen II requested protection from Pepin II of the Frankish Kingdom, who with papal authority behind him dethroned the Merovingian king and became king himself. Pope Stephen II was granted a plot of land surrounding Rome from Pepin II, establishing the first official papal state. Under King Charlemagne, Pope Leo III declared Charlemagne the Emperor of Rome, creating a millennium-long bond between the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire.
Modern History
For most of history after the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Italian Peninsula was divided among many small states and city-states. This state…
