The Pope Who Would Be King : The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe

**The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of __The Pope and Mussolini__ takes on a pivotal, untold story: the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe.** Days after his prime minister was assassinated in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The wave of revolution that had swept through Europe now seemed poised to end the popes’ thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not to the papacy itself. Disguising himself as a simple parish priest, Pius escaped through a back door. Climbing inside the Bavarian ambassador’s carriage, he embarked on a journey into a fateful exile. Only two years earlier Pius’s election had triggered a wave of optimism across Italy. After the repressive reign of the dour Pope Gregory XVI, Italians saw the youthful, benevolent new pope as the man who would at last bring the Papal States into modern times and help create a new, unified Italian nation. But Pius was caught between a desire to please his subjects and a fear—stoked by the conservative cardinals—that heeding the people’s pleas would destroy the church. The resulting drama—with a colorful cast of characters, from Louis Napoleon and his rabble-rousing cousin Charles Bonaparte to Garibaldi, Tocqueville, and Metternich—was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer is one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican and has a rare ability to bring that history vividly to life. With a combination of gripping, cinematic storytelling and keen historical analysis, rooted in an unprecedented richness of archival sources, __The Pope Who Would Be King__ sheds fascinating new light on the end of rule by divine right in the West and the emergence of modern Europe. **Advance praise for __The Pope Who Would Be King__**“In this original—and even thrilling—book, David Kertzer gives us a brilliant and surprising portrait of the role of Pius IX in the making of a new democratic reality in the West. Engaging, intelligent, and revealing, __The Pope Who Would Be King__ is essential reading for those seeking to understand the perennial human forces that shape both power and faith.”**—Jon Meacham, author of __Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power__**“In this riveting tour de force, Kertzer shows how and why Pope Pius IX turned Roman Catholicism into the nemesis of modernity, with drastic consequences not only for the church but for the West.”**—James Carroll, author of __The Cloister__** The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini takes on a pivotal, untold story: the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe. Days after his prime minister was assassinated in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The wave of revolution that had swept through Europe now seemed poised to end the popes' thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not to the papacy itself. Disguising himself as a simple parish priest, Pius escaped through a back door. Climbing inside the Bavarian ambassador's carriage, he embarked on a journey into a fateful exile. Only two years earlier Pius's election had triggered a wave of optimism across Italy. After the repressive reign of the dour Pope Gregory XVI, Italians saw the youthful, benevolent new pope as the man who would at last bring the Papal States into modern times and help create a new, unified Italian nation. But Pius was caught between a desire to please his subjects and a fear--stoked by the conservative cardinals--that heeding the people's pleas would destroy the church. The resulting drama--with a colorful cast of characters, from Louis Napoleon and his rabble-rousing cousin Charles Bonaparte to Garibaldi, Tocqueville, and Metternich--was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer is one of the world's foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican and has a rare ability to bring that history vividly to life. With a combination of gripping, cinematic storytelling and keen historical analysis, rooted in an unprecedented richness of archival sources, The Pope Who Would Be King sheds fascinating new light on the end of rule by divine right in the West and the emergence of modern Europe. Advance praise for The Pope Who Would Be King"In this riveting tour de force, Kertzer shows how and why Pope Pius IX turned Roman Catholicism into the nemesis of modernity, with drastic consequences not only for the church but for the West--consequences felt to this day, when religion and politics form a lethal brew. Elegant writing, the pace of a novel, scrupulous scholarship--these hallmarks of Kertzer's body of work are all in evidence here, wonderfully so."--James Carroll, author of The Cloister "Kertzer provides an exceptionally deep archival and scholarly foundation and has a rare capacity to tell the story of a critical chapter in European history with novelistic verve."--Kevin Madigan, author of Medieval Christianity The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Pope and Mussolini takes on a pivotal, untold story: the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe. Days after his prime minister was assassinated in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The wave of revolution that had swept through Europe now seemed poised to end the popes’ thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not to the papacy itself. Disguising himself as a simple parish priest, Pius escaped through a back door. Climbing inside the Bavarian ambassador’s carriage, he embarked on a journey into a fateful exile. Only two years earlier Pius’s election had triggered a wave of optimism across Italy. After the repressive reign of the dour Pope Gregory XVI, Italians saw the youthful, benevolent new pope as the man who would at last bring the Papal States into modern times and help create a new, unified Italian nation. But Pius was caught between a desire to please his subjects and a fear—stoked by the conservative cardinals—that heeding the people’s pleas would destroy the church. The resulting drama—with a colorful cast of characters, from Louis Napoleon and his rabble-rousing cousin Charles Bonaparte to Garibaldi, Tocqueville, and Metternich—was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer is one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican and has a rare ability to bring that history vividly to life. With a combination of gripping, cinematic storytelling and keen historical analysis, rooted in an unprecedented richness of archival sources, The Pope Who Would Be King sheds fascinating new light on the end of rule by divine right in the West and the emergence of modern Europe. Advance praise for The Pope Who Would Be King “In this original—and even thrilling—book, David Kertzer gives us a brilliant and surprising portrait of the role of Pius IX in the making of a new democratic reality in the West. Engaging, intelligent, and revealing, The Pope Who Would Be King is essential reading for those seeking to understand the perennial human forces that shape both power and faith.” —Jon Meacham, author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power “In this riveting tour de force, Kertzer shows how and why Pope Pius IX turned Roman Catholicism into the nemesis of modernity, with drastic consequences not only for the church but for the West.” —James Carroll, author of The Cloister The Pulitzer Prizewinning author of#160; The Pope and Mussolini #160;tells the story of the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe. [David I.] Kertzers brilliant treatment of the crisis in the papacy between 1846 and 1850 reads like a thriller. All the characters, from the poor of Rome to the king of Naples, stand out with a vividness that testifies to his mastery of prose.Jonathan Steinberg, #160;The New York Review of Books NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY#160; THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR#160; AND#160; THE SEATTLE TIMES Only two years after Pope Pius IXs election in 1846 had triggered great popular enthusiasm across Italy, the pope found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The revolutions that swept through Europe and shook Rome threatened to end the popes thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not the papacy itself. The resulting dramawith a colorful cast of characters, from Louis Napoleon and his rabble-rousing cousin Charles Bonaparte to Garibaldi, Tocqueville, and Metternichwas rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer, one of the worlds foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican, brings this pivotal moment vividly to life.#160; Praise for#160; The Pope Who Would Be King Engaging, intelligent, and revealing . . . essential reading for those seeking to understand the perennial human forces that shape both power and faith.#160; Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of#160; The Soul of America Subtle and brilliantly told. Christopher Clark,#160; London Review of Books Richly rewarding . . . church history at its most fascinating. The #160; Christian Science Monitor Required, and riveting, reading that shares many of the qualities of Kertzers Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece:#160;an exceptionally deep archival and scholarly foundation, and a rare capacity to tell the story of a critical chapter in European history with novelistic verve. Kevin Madigan ,#160; author of #160; Medieval Christianity A#160;remarkable achievementboth a page-turner and a major contribution to scholarship accomplished with outstanding clarity and economy. Kertzer gives this story a notable degree of freshness, and brings out vividly the determination, passions, blood, and gore of this dramatic moment in European history. John Davis, editor, Journal of Modern Italian Studies The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Pope and Mussolini tells the story of the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe. “[David I.] Kertzer’s brilliant treatment of the crisis in the papacy between 1846 and 1850 reads like a thriller. All the characters, from the poor of Rome to the king of Naples, stand out with a vividness that testifies to his mastery of prose.”—Jonathan Steinberg, The New York Review of Books NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR AND THE SEATTLE TIMES Only two years after Pope Pius IX’s election in 1846 had triggered great popular enthusiasm across Italy, the pope found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The revolutions that swept through Europe and shook Rome threatened to end the popes’ thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not the papacy itself. The resulting drama—with a colorful cast of characters, from Louis Napoleon and his rabble-rousing cousin Charles Bonaparte to Garibaldi, Tocqueville, and Metternich—was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican, brings this pivotal moment vividly to life. Praise for The Pope Who Would Be King “Engaging, intelligent, and revealing . . . essential reading for those seeking to understand the perennial human forces that shape both power and faith.” —Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Soul of America “Subtle and brilliantly told.” —Christopher Clark, London Review of Books “Richly rewarding . . . church history at its most fascinating.” — The Christian Science Monitor “Required, and riveting, reading that shares many of the qualities of Kertzer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece: an exceptionally deep archival and scholarly foundation, and a rare capacity to tell the story of a critical chapter in European history with novelistic verve.” —Kevin Madigan , author of Medieval Christianity “A remarkable achievement—both a page-turner and a major contribution to scholarship accomplished with outstanding clarity and economy. Kertzer gives this story a notable degree of freshness, and brings out vividly the determination, passions, blood, and gore of this dramatic moment in European history.” —John Davis, editor, Journal of Modern Italian Studies The Pulitzer-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini , takes on a central, untold story of the Papacy, the revolution that stripped the Pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe. The longest-reigning pope, Pope Pius IX, also oversaw one of the greatest periods of tumult and transition in Church history. When Pius IX was elected, the pope was still a king as well as a spiritual leader, welcomed by the citizens of the Papal States who hoped he might bring in modern reforms, such as a constitutional government, after the repressive rule of Pope Gregory XVI. In the first year of his rule, Pius IX tried to please his subjects with incremental changes while holding onto absolute authority he believed was divinely ordained. But, as the revolutionary spirit of 1848 swept through Europe, the Pope found he could not have it both ways. By the end of his rule, the Papacy--and Europe--had completely transformed. In The Pope Who Would Be King , David Kertzer tells the story of the revolution that spelled the end of the papacy as an earthly rule and the birth of modern Europe. Documents the story of the violent revolution that signaled the end of the political power of the popes and resulted in the emergence of modern Europe. Days after his prime minister was assassinated in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. Only two years earlier Pius's election had triggered a wave of optimism across Italy: he was seen as a youthful, benevolent new pope who would at last bring the Papal States into modern times and help create a new, unified Italian nation. Kertzer documents the story of the violent revolution that signaled the end of the political power of the popes and resulted in the emergence of modern Europe. Part one: The beloved The conclave The fox and the crow An impossible dilemma Papal magic The tide turns Fending off disaster The assassination The escape Part two: The reviled The reactionary turn Revolution Pressuring the Pope The friendly army The French attack Negotiating in bad faith Battling for Rome The conquest The occupation Part thee: The feared Applying the brakes Louis Napoleon and the Pope The unpopular Pope "Those wicked enemies of God" Returning to Rome Epilogue.