Papal States

Okay kiddo, so let’s talk about the Papal States! Do you know who the Pope is? He’s like the leader of the Catholic Church, and he lives in a place called the Vatican City – it’s like a little country within Rome, Italy.

Before Italy became a country, a long long time ago, the Pope had his own special land called the Papal States. It was kind of like a bunch of different cities and territories that all belonged to the Pope. Imagine if you had your own special playground that was only for you and your friends – that’s kind of what the Papal States were like for the Pope!

Now, the Papal States were around for a very very long time - hundreds of years! The Pope was kind of like a king in his own special land, and he had his own army and everything. But things changed in the 19th century. People in Italy started to want to create their own country, and they saw the Pope’s land as a part of their country – kind of like how your backyard is a part of your house.

So, eventually the Papal States became a part of Italy, and the Pope no longer had his own special land. But don’t worry, he still has the Vatican City and he’s still the leader of the Catholic Church!