The Papal States, officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the ma
The Quirinal Palace, 1777
Barricades at Porta San Giovanni, photographed on 21 September 1870, after the breach of the Aurelian Walls
Men and women in traditional dress seated on a rocky outcrop in the Roman countryside, c. 1850–1853
The Kingdom of Italy was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 18 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished, followi
Papal States
…Italian states from the 8th century until the unification of Italy, which took place between 1859 and 1870, culminating in their incorporation into the Kingdom of Italy. The state was legally established in the 8th century when Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, gave Pope Stephen II, as a temporal sovereign, lands…
Notice of the proclamation of the Statuto Albertino in 1848 by King Charles Albert of Sardinia
The Iron Crown of Lombardy, for centuries a symbol of the kings of Italy
The Altare della Patria in Rome, a national symbol of Italy celebrating King Victor Emmanuel II, and resting place of the Italian Unknown Soldier since the end of World War I. It was inaugurated in 1911, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
Golden 20 lire coin with the effigy of King Victor Emmanuel II of 1873. Minted in Milan (M BN); other mints included Rome (R) and Turin (T BN).