History Fact Finder | Eras and Their Highlights - What Was A Papal State?

What was a papal state?

A papal state was a manor (a large self-sufficient estate) or fief (a collection of several manors) headed by a lord (landowner) who was a member of the clergy (church official). A papal state was part of the political and economic system called feudalism that was practiced during the Middle Ages (A.D. c. 450–c. 1500; also called medieval period). In 754 Carolingian king Pepin the Short (714?–768) granted extensive lands to the pope (head of the Roman Catholic Church). The church organized these territories—including much of what is now the Mediterranean coast of France and most of central Italy—into states, which played an important role in medieval life. Like the fiefs, the papal states collected taxes and maintained courts of law. Unfortunately, papal states were prone to war and invasion. The last of the church territories was in central Italy, which also included Rome. After 1871, these lands...

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