The Papal States

Also known as the Papal State - although the plural is usually preferred, the singular is equally correct.

The territories are also referred to variously as the State(s) of the Church, the Pontifical States, the Ecclesiastical States, or the Roman States (Italian: Stato Pontificio, also 'Stato della Chiesa', 'Stati della Chiesa', 'Stati Pontifici', and 'Stato Ecclesiastico'; Latin: Status Pontificius, also 'Dicio Pontificia' "papal rule"). To some extent the name used varis with the preferences and habits of the European languages in which it is expressed.

The Papal States consist of the majority of the lands of the Italian peninsula. Its capitol, Rome, is considered the seat of Catholic Christianity worldwide. While the circumstances leading to the modern Papal State, and its unification of Italy have left it a decidedly militarized nation, thanks to its vast wealth and ancient history, it is still considered by many to be a center for art, learning, and philosophy throughout the Christian world.

Formation
While the Papacy as a sovereign nation has been a fixture of the Italian peninsula since the 8th century, it is only in recent times that Italy Itself has been united as a single nation under the direction of the Holy See.

The unification of Italy by Rome would begin in 1409, with the disastrous Council of Pisa resulting in the annexation of said city and its entire surrounding region by the Papacy, and would end with the culmination Wars of Papal Annexation in the 1440's.

Though this process, the Papal government would move from a rich and lavish series of courts, to a highly efficient and militarized state, in which large regions - and arguably the nation itself - could be said to be under direct military rule.

Timeline
1372 : Pope Gregory XI (Pierre Roger de Beaufort), recognizing the rapidly deteriorating situation in central and western Europe (the collapse of the HRE, partition of France, etc) rallies as many loyal French nobles as possible, and, with a largely mercenary army, returns to Rome, viciously putting down any internal dissent and ending the period known as the Avignon Papacy.

1378 : With the death of Gregory XI, a new pope, Urban VI (Severino Sabbatini) a man of decidedly martial bent, is elected in Rome. However, a rival faction of cardinals - a number of whom had themselves voted for [POPE] - grew distressed and fearful of his violent outbursts and clear desire to reform the Papal State into a much more militant organization. These dissenting cardinals removed themselves to Anagni, where, even though [POPE] was still reigning, they elected Robert of Geneva as a rival pope on September 20 of the same year. Robert took the name Clement VII and reestablished a papal court in Avignon, thus beginning the period known as the ''Western Schism. ''

1406 : [POPE #](Name), shortly after his election, reveals the Chinon Parchment, authored by Pope Clement V, absolving the Templars of all accusations and wrongdoing. The order is formally reestablished, and soon becomes integrated into the Papal government as a major fighting arm of the Church. Later that same year, he would issue the bull [BULL NAME], renouncing decadence in the Church.

1409 : A council, consisting of cardinals from both the Roman and Avengian delegations, meet in Pisa to resolve the Western Schism. Already suspicious of the council, [POPE #], upon learning of the council's intention to demand the resignations of both Popes, in favor of one elected by the council itself, gathered together as many knights, loyal nobles, and condottiere as he could muster, and marched on the city of Pisa to demand the council disperse. However, upon their arrival, the Papal forces were met with heavy resistance (whether this was a deliberate act on behalf of the Pisans, or due to confusion and miscommunication remains unknown). Hostilities soon escalated to full-blown warfare, with Papal forces eventually capturing the city, forcing the council to name him sole Pope and to denounce all other claimants as Antipopes. The cardinals from the Avengian delegation are returned to Rome as prisoners, to be tried as schismatics (and have any lands and wealth they may possess in Italy confiscated), leaving the Avingian See in a state of disarray. As a result of this action, the city of Pisa, as well as its surrounding territory, are annexed by the Papacy.

1412 : [FRANCE], embroiled in its own affairs, and unwilling to risk open hostilities with the Papal armies, which had demonstrated their might at Pisa, combined with increasing frustrations with the inefficacy of [ANTIPOPE], has him deposed and returned to Rome as a prisoner, thus putting a de facto end to the Western Schism

The Kingdom of Sicily (Naples), outraged at this treatment of their preferred Papal candidate, has [ANTIPOPE] smuggled out of Rome before he can be tried for schism and heresy. The Holy See demands his return, and, when this is refused, declares war on Naples. The kingdom is quickly caught off guard, having been weakened by a recent succession crisis, and not expecting the level of military might the Papacy had proven capable of purchasing/accruing over the last decade. The Kingdom is eventually annexed and its rulers deposed, resulting in the Papacy for the first time controlling the vast majority of the Italian peninsula.

1422 : After a period of upheaval in the Kingdom Sicily (Sicily), the former nobility of the Kingdom of Naples are installed its rulers. The Papal State, seeing this as a direct challenge to its authority, invades, and eventually annexes, he island of Sicily.

1426 : [POPE #], having largely completed the reforms, begun by his predecessors, necessary to transform the Ecclesiastical State into a highly efficient and militarized organization, begins the Wars of Papal Annexation, with the express stated goal of bringing all of Italy under the direct control of Holy Mother Church. Though the Papacy would be stymied in its attempts to annex those lands already under the control of the rich and powerful Republic of Venice, it would prove largely successful in its aims, even peaceably annexing several regions, while others would be annexed by condottiere, given the blessing of the Vatican to conquer in its name.

1440 : The Pope, in exchange for annulling a number of debts accrued by the Vatican to the Medici bank during its many wars, reorganizes many of the lands in north western Italy, including Florence and Pisa, into the "Grand Duchy of Tuscany," awarding the title of Grand Duke to Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici.

1444 : In recognition of his aid in the Papacy's wars, condottiere Federico da Montefeltro is given the Duchy of Urbino, as well as a Papal sanction to annex as much of the surrounding land as he can hold, provided that he govern it in the name of the Holy Father. This would complete the Papal annexation of Italy, barring those lands held by the Republic of Venice.

1450 : [POPE #], in exchange for the Knights Templar providing a large and permanent standing army for the Vatican, agrees to cede to the Order the whole isle of Corsica as permanent home for the Order. Though the Knights would remain a vassal of the Papacy, they would conduct their affairs in a semi-autonomous form from this point onward.

1456 : In exchange for numerous favors, which would later result in his election to the Papacy, Cardinal Niccolo Caligari, a former chaplain of the Templar order, agrees to divulge a map, retrieved during the time of the Crusades, and smuggled out of France during the Order's dissolution, which depicts two new continents, as well as possible sea routs to reach them.

Pope Callixus III (Alfonso de Borja), issues a Papal Bull titled "Terra Bella" describing a "new world" revealed in a previously unknown map, long buried in the Templar archives. In it, he issues authority to all Christians to explore this new world and to spread the word of Christ among the inhabitants, for, "It may be that the peoples of this new land have been untouched by the sacred word and the holy sacrament, and are thus in a state of grave sin. As such, the duty falls to every Christian so able to take sail and to bring these peoples into the welcoming arms of Holy Mother Church."

The Pope
The pope (Latin: papa from Greek: πάππας pappas, "father"), also known as the supreme pontiff (from Latin pontifex maximus "greatest priest"), is the Bishop of Rome and ex officio leader of the Catholic Church.

The Pope, as head of the Catholicism, possesses vast powers to determine the dogmatic and theological doctrines of the Church, and, as de facto King of Italy, enjoys vast temporal and military powers as well.

In current times, the Pope also often serves in the role of arbitrator, utilizing his authority to mediate international and colonial disputes.

List of Popes

 * Gregory XI (Pierre Roger de Beaufort). 1370-1378
 * Urban VI (Severino Sabbatini) 1378-1389
 * 1389-1404
 * 1404-1406
 * 1406-1417
 * 1417-1431
 * 1431-1447
 * 1447-1455
 * Callixus III (Alfonso de Borja). 1455-
 * Michael I (Niccolo Caligari).

The Templar Order
The Reconstituted Order of the Knights of the Tempe of Solomon 

The Teutonic Order
The Order of the German and Livonian House of St. Mary

The Knights Hospitallers
Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem