Why Does Vatican City Exist?

The Pope Was Literally a Prisoner for 60 Year

VATICAN CITY IS 0.17 SQUARE MILES. WHY DOES IT EVEN EXIST AS A COUNTRY? THE ANSWER IS WILD.

You've probably wondered: Why is Vatican City an independent country? It's smaller than most shopping malls. It has 800 residents. And it's completely surrounded by Italy.

The story behind it is absolutely bonkers.

THE POPE USED TO RULE A KINGDOM:

For over 1,000 years, the Pope wasn't just a religious leader—he was a KING. The Papal States controlled 16,000 square miles of central Italy. That's bigger than Belgium. The Pope had armies, collected taxes, and ruled millions of people.

Rome? That was his capital.

THEN ITALY WANTED TO UNIFY:

In 1861, Italy became a unified kingdom. But there was a problem: the Pope's territories were right in the middle of the new nation.

So on September 20, 1870, Italian forces stormed Rome and took it by force. The Pope's army didn't stand a chance.

THE POPE BECAME A "PRISONER":

Pope Pius IX was furious. He refused to recognize Italy's right to Rome. So he locked himself inside the Vatican walls and declared himself a "Prisoner of the Vatican."

And here's the crazy part: He stayed there. For the rest of his life.

And so did the next Pope. And the next one. And the next one.

FIVE POPES. SIXTY YEARS. NEVER LEFT THE VATICAN.

They blessed crowds from the balcony. They ran the Catholic Church. But they absolutely refused to set foot in Italy.

Imagine being the spiritual leader of a billion Catholics worldwide... and you can't walk down the street in your own city.

THEN MUSSOLINI MADE A DEAL:

In 1929, Italy's fascist leader Benito Mussolini wanted the Catholic Church's support. So he offered a compromise.

The Lateran Treaty did this:

Recognized 0.17 square miles around St. Peter's as a sovereign country

Gave the Pope complete independence

Paid the Vatican 1.75 billion lire in compensation

Made Catholicism Italy's official religion

The Pope finally stepped outside. After 60 years.

AND THAT'S WHY VATICAN CITY EXISTS:

It's not ancient. It was created in 1929—less than 100 years ago.

It went from ruling 16,000 square miles to owning 0.17 square miles. But that tiny patch of land is 100% sovereign.

The Pope traded an empire for independence.

TODAY:

Vatican City is the world's smallest country, but it has:

Its own postal service

Its own radio station

Its own army (135 Swiss Guards)

Diplomatic relations with 180+ countries

Observer status at the UN