On This Day: The Lateran Treaty is signed
Vatican City independence was formally established on 11 February 1929, when the Lateran Treaty was signed between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy.
The agreement created Vatican City as a sovereign state, making it the world’s smallest independent country and an enclave within Rome.
The treaty was signed by Cardinal Pietro Gasparri on behalf of Pope Pius XI and by Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini for King Victor Emmanuel III.
Ending decades of dispute
The agreement resolved the so-called “Roman Question”, a dispute that had persisted since 1870, when Italian forces captured Rome and incorporated the Papal States into the Kingdom of Italy.
For nearly six decades, popes had considered themselves “prisoners in the Vatican”, refusing to recognise the authority of the Italian state over former papal territories.
The Lateran Treaty recognised the sovereignty of Vatican City and defined its territory, financial arrangements and the relationship between church and state.
The world’s smallest country
Covering just 44 hectares (110 acres), Vatican City became- and remains- the smallest country in the world by both area and population.
Despite its size, it holds significant global influence as the spiritual and administrative centre of the Roman Catholic Church.
Today, Vatican City has its own governance system, postal service, currency arrangements, and diplomatic relations with countries around the world.
The signing of the treaty marked a historic turning point in European political and religious history, cementing Vatican City independence and shaping relations between Italy and the Holy See for generations to come.
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