ABSTRACT
From the end of the Roman Empire to the middle of the nineteenth century Italy was, to use Prince Metternich's famous phrase, 'a geographical expression'. Divided and contentious, the Italian states fought each other until they fell prey to foreigners. The key to stability in Italy and the permanent focus of the power balance was the international position of the Popes. The Popes saw themselves with some justice as the heirs of the Caesars and ruled not only in Rome but in a huge slice of territory stretching across the centre of the peninsula. No scheme to unify Italy and to drive out the foreigners could ignore the sovereignty of the Papacy. Hence Italian liberalism and nationalism necessarily made an enemy of the Pope.
