Pius IX
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
- Categories: Religion, Ethics
- Subcategories: Christianity, Christians, Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics, Popes, Papacy, Cardinals
- Curriculum: Italian History, 19th Century European History
Article abstract: Pius was elected pope in 1846, on the eve of the year of revolutions (1848). His was to be the longest papal reign in history. He led the Church through a difficult period into the era of Italian unity; in spite of the bitter conflict between church and state, he left the Church stronger at his death.
Early Life
Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti was born into a family of lesser nobility in the Marches only a few years before Napoleon I marched into Italy. He studied at Viterbo and at a seminary in Rome, where he developed a vocation for...
[The entire page is 2228 words long]
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