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The Pope Who Would Be King The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe David I Kertzer 9780812989915 Books

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The Pope Who Would Be King The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe David I Kertzer 9780812989915 Books

Giovanni Mastai Ferretti became Pope Pius IX in 1846 at age 54 and reigned until his death in 1878, the longest pontificate in history. With a limited education but a deep desire to love and guide his Church he might have made an admirable but unremarkable pontiff in quieter times, but it was his fate to be elected at the precise moment Italy and most of Western Europe were poised for insurrection. Absolute monarchies based on divine right were overthrown and replaced with constitutional monarchies or republics and Italy became a unified modern nation state during Pio Nono (as he was known in Italian)'s reign. How the Pope coped (or failed to cope) with the changes he was faced with in the first few years of his papacy makes up the heart of this well written, scholarly but very approachable work.

In 1846 Italy was a patchwork quilt of states. In the south lay the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, ruled by an incompetent reactionary. In the north was the prosperous Kingdom of Piedmont, the Austrian territories of Lombardy-Veneto, and several semi-independent but Austrian dominated duchies. In between were the Papal States, directly ruled by the Popes for over a thousand years. The Papal States were a by-word for corruption and poor governance whose population, in common with most of the rest of Italy, desired a less repressive society. Pio Nono's election seemed to promise reform: he allowed Rome's Jews to move out of their ghetto and made a few other minor changes which, along with his pleasant, unassuming manner, made him extremely popular. But the Pope and all of Italy were soon caught up in the revolutions that spread throughout Western Europe in 1848. When he refused to consider greater changes in how the Papal States were governed Pio Nono was driven out of Rome and into exile in Gaeta, where he spent most of the next two years. Civil unrest tore much of Italy apart, and both Austria and France sent in troops to try to stabilize the peninsula. A French army seized control of Rome while partisans led by Garibaldi and Mazzini fought to create a unified nation. When the Pope returned to Rome he was seen as a symbol of the old despised order, a perception he did little to alter over the next decades as Italy gradually unified despite his protests. Eventually shorn of any political power, with the Papal States absorbed into an Italy ruled by the Kings of Piedmont, Pio Nono became "The Prisoner of the Vatican," refusing to leave its confines and steadfastly asserting his papal infallibility. Thus a pope who began his reign with a liberal image became an arch-conservative by its end.

David Kertzer's account is well researched and documented, with extensive Notes. It is a lively tale with many colorful characters and incidents which helps its readers better understand a climactic period in the history of Europe, Italy, and the Roman Catholic Church.


Tags : The Pope Who Would Be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe [David I. Kertzer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of  The Pope and Mussolini</i> tells the story of the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Europe.</b> <b>“[David I.] Kertzer’s brilliant treatment of the crisis in the papacy between 1846 and 1850 reads like a thriller. All the characters,David I. Kertzer,The Pope Who Would Be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe,Random House,0812989910,Christianity - History,Europe - Western,Religious,Europe - Church history - 19th century,Europe - Politics and government - 1848-1871,Europe;Church history.,Europe;Church history;19th century.,Europe;Politics and government;1848-1871.,Pius,19th century history;biography books;biography;biographies;Catholic history;modern European history;history books;history;the Papacy;the Pope;political power;religious history;Catholic Church;history of Catholicism;European history;Pope Pius IX;the Papal States;Italy;divine right;divinely ordained;religious biography;rule by divine right;the Vatican;history of the Vatican;church;god;19th century;1800s;politics;church and state;separation of church and state;spiritual leader;theology;ordained,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Religious,Biography,Biography & AutobiographyReligious,EUROPE - HISTORY,General Adult,HISTORY Europe Western,HistoryWestern Europe - General,InspirationalDevotional,Non-Fiction,RELIGION Christianity History,ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH,Religion,ReligionChristianity - Catholic,ReligionEthics,United States,Western Europe,the Papacy; the Pope; political power; religious history; Catholic Church; history of Catholicism; European history; Pope Pius IX; the Papal States; Italy; divine right; divinely ordained; religious biography; rule by divine right; the Vatican; history of the Vatican; church; god; 19th century; 1800s; politics; church and state; separation of church and state; spiritual leader; theology; ordained; 19th century history; biography books; biography; biographies; Catholic history; modern European history; history books; history,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Religious,Biography & AutobiographyReligious,HISTORY Europe Western,HistoryWestern Europe - General,RELIGION Christianity History,ReligionChristianity - Catholic,Europe - History,Roman Catholic Church,Religion

The Pope Who Would Be King The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe David I Kertzer 9780812989915 Books Reviews

I enjoyed the history of the political birth of modern Italy. The story of Pius IX is clearly political and shows the struggle when man believes he hears the voice of God...and acts in such awful ways to true enlightenment
The problem with this book is that Pius IX is just not that interesting a person and despite Kertzer's attempts to surround him with lots of people much more interesting than him it doesn't work for a lot of the book.

Pius was malleable, inconstant, weak, vacillating and a truly awful politician and judge of people. He had no compelling philosophy of life or sense of his mission and, so, it's nearly impossible to make his tribulations all that interesting or the man a compelling protagonist.

He exists. He responds to people. People attempt, usually successfully, to manipulate him. After 100 pages it's just not that interesting.

I debated whether to push on after those 100 pages and began actively skimming. No big pay-off. And Kertzer's competent but not very lively writing doesn't help.

In the end, Kertzer couldn't make the argument he wanted to about the transformative importance of the man as spiritual or political leader.

All very meh.....
Book takes a complicated subject and provides an excellent expansion of the situation. My only complaint is that I wish it covered more of the papal situation, ending with the withdrawal of France and the establishment of the Italian Nation.
This is the second of Kertzer’s books I have read. Much detail, great detail. If you like history and even more love Church History, read this important book. If the Church survived Pio Nono the Church will survive the current situation. Starting The Pope and Mussolini. The Kidnapping Of Edgardo M is really worth the read, too.
Pro Nono was Pope for thirty-two years. His was the longest reign in the history of the papacy. Kertzer’s book focuses on the two years of his exile in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He delves deeply into the diplomacy, machinations and intrigue of the period. This is not a book for the lay reader.
Western history had its theocracies just as the near east does today. The unification of Italy was really about breaking the stranglehold of the priests. Fascinating history seldom told.
Very detailed account of the issues surrounding the period from 1846 to 1849 in Rome. The portrait of Pius IX changed my opinion of him. It traces his move from a 'liberal' to an archconservative. It also gives a long, detailed description of the moves made by France, Austria, and, to a lesser extent Spain, in the crisis of getting Pio Nono back to Rome. I did not realize the fighting between French forces and those of the "republic' in Rome reached such an intensity. For anyone interested in serious history, this is the book to read.
Giovanni Mastai Ferretti became Pope Pius IX in 1846 at age 54 and reigned until his death in 1878, the longest pontificate in history. With a limited education but a deep desire to love and guide his Church he might have made an admirable but unremarkable pontiff in quieter times, but it was his fate to be elected at the precise moment Italy and most of Western Europe were poised for insurrection. Absolute monarchies based on divine right were overthrown and replaced with constitutional monarchies or republics and Italy became a unified modern nation state during Pio Nono (as he was known in Italian)'s reign. How the Pope coped (or failed to cope) with the changes he was faced with in the first few years of his papacy makes up the heart of this well written, scholarly but very approachable work.

In 1846 Italy was a patchwork quilt of states. In the south lay the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, ruled by an incompetent reactionary. In the north was the prosperous Kingdom of Piedmont, the Austrian territories of Lombardy-Veneto, and several semi-independent but Austrian dominated duchies. In between were the Papal States, directly ruled by the Popes for over a thousand years. The Papal States were a by-word for corruption and poor governance whose population, in common with most of the rest of Italy, desired a less repressive society. Pio Nono's election seemed to promise reform he allowed Rome's Jews to move out of their ghetto and made a few other minor changes which, along with his pleasant, unassuming manner, made him extremely popular. But the Pope and all of Italy were soon caught up in the revolutions that spread throughout Western Europe in 1848. When he refused to consider greater changes in how the Papal States were governed Pio Nono was driven out of Rome and into exile in Gaeta, where he spent most of the next two years. Civil unrest tore much of Italy apart, and both Austria and France sent in troops to try to stabilize the peninsula. A French army seized control of Rome while partisans led by Garibaldi and Mazzini fought to create a unified nation. When the Pope returned to Rome he was seen as a symbol of the old despised order, a perception he did little to alter over the next decades as Italy gradually unified despite his protests. Eventually shorn of any political power, with the Papal States absorbed into an Italy ruled by the Kings of Piedmont, Pio Nono became "The Prisoner of the Vatican," refusing to leave its confines and steadfastly asserting his papal infallibility. Thus a pope who began his reign with a liberal image became an arch-conservative by its end.

David Kertzer's account is well researched and documented, with extensive Notes. It is a lively tale with many colorful characters and incidents which helps its readers better understand a climactic period in the history of Europe, Italy, and the Roman Catholic Church.