theocracy · Italy

Vatican City

1929 CE – present · capital Vatican City

The world's smallest sovereign state, an enclave in Rome created in 1929 to guarantee the independence of the pope and the Holy See.

Origins

After Italy took Rome from the Papal States in 1870, the popes refused to recognise the loss and considered themselves prisoners in the Vatican. The Roman Question was settled by the Lateran Treaty of 11 February 1929, signed by Cardinal Pietro Gasparri for Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini for the Kingdom of Italy, creating Vatican City.

Rule and society

The state covers about 44 hectares around Saint Peter's Basilica and the Apostolic Palace. The pope is an absolute elective monarch, elected by cardinals in conclave, and governs through a commission and a governor; the Swiss Guard protects him. Vatican City supports the worldwide government of the Holy See, with Vatican Radio founded in 1931, the Vatican Museums and the Apostolic Library.

To the present

The Second Vatican Council of 1962–1965 transformed the Church's relations with the modern world. The concordat with Italy was revised in 1984. Vatican City continues today; Pope Leo XIV was elected in 2025.

Lineage

Papal States 754 CE – 1870 CEVatican City

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Vatican City. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/vatican-city
MLA
“Vatican City.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/vatican-city. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Vatican City.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/vatican-city.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Vatican City’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/vatican-city (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻