Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Papal Power & Family Feuds
In an odd twist, the minority religion that Emperor Diocletian had tried so hard to stamp
out saved the glory of the city of Rome. Through the chaos of invasion and counter-inva-
sion that saw Italy succumb to Germanic tribes, the Byzantine reconquest and the Lombard
occupation in the north, the papacy established itself in Rome as a spiritual and secular
force.
The popes were, even at this early stage, a canny crowd. The papacy invented the Dona-
tion of Constantine, a document in which Emperor Constantine I had supposedly granted
the Church control of Rome and surrounding territory. What the popes needed was a guar-
antor with military clout. This they found in the Franks and a deal was done.
In return for formal recognition of the popes' control of Rome and surrounding
Byzantine-held territories henceforth to be known as the Papal States, the popes granted the
Carolingian Franks a leading (if ill-defined) role in Italy and their king, Charlemagne, the
title of Holy Roman Emperor. He was crowned by Leo III on Christmas Day 800. The bond
between the papacy and the Byzantine Empire was thus broken and political power in what
had been the Western Roman Empire shifted north of the Alps, where it would remain for
more than 1000 years.
The stage was set for a future of seemingly endless struggles. Similarly, Rome's aristo-
cratic families engaged in battle for the papacy. For centuries, the imperial crown would be
fought over ruthlessly and Italy would frequently be the prime battleground. Holy Roman
Emperors would seek time and again to impose their control on increasingly independent-
minded Italian cities, and even on Rome itself. In riposte, the popes continually sought to
exploit their spiritual position to bring the emperors to heel and further their own secular
ends.
Europe's first modern banks appeared in Genoa in the 12th century. The city claims the first re-
corded public bond (1150) and the earliest known exchange contract (1156). Italy's Banca
Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the world's oldest surviving bank, counting coins since 1472.
The clash between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV over who had the right to
appoint bishops (who were powerful political players and hence important friends or dan-
gerous foes) in the last quarter of the 11th century showed just how bitter these struggles
could become. They became a focal point of Italian politics in the late Middle Ages and
