Editing Holy See (section)

== History ==
{{further|History of the papacy|Papal primacy|Temporal power (papal)}}According to Catholic tradition, the [[apostolic see]] of Diocese of Rome was established in the [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st century]] by Saint Peter and [[Saint Paul]]. In 313, the legal status of the Catholic Church and its property was recognised by the [[Edict of Milan]], by [[Roman emperor]] [[Constantine the Great and Christianity|Constantine the Great]]. In 380, it became the [[state church of the Roman Empire]] via the [[Edict of Thessalonica]], by Emperor [[Theodosius I]].

After the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] in 476, the temporal [[Legal history of the Catholic Church|legal jurisdisction]] of the [[papal primacy]] was further recognised as promulgated in [[Canon law of the Catholic Church|Canon law]]. In 728, the Holy See was granted territory in the [[Duchy of Rome]] by the [[Donation of Sutri]] by [[List of kings of the Lombards|King]] [[Liutprand, King of the Lombards|Liutprand]] of the [[Lombards]]. In 756, it was granted [[sovereignty]] by the territorial [[Donation of Pepin]], by [[List of Frankish kings|King]] [[Pepin the Short|Pepin]] of the [[Franks]].

From 756 to 1870, the [[Papal States]] held extensive territory and armed forces. In 800, [[Pope Leo III]] [[Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor|crowned]] [[Charlemagne]] as [[Holy Roman Emperor|Roman Emperor]] by ''[[translatio imperii]]''. The Pope's [[Temporal power (papal)|temporal power]] peaked around the time of the [[papal coronation]]s of the emperors of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] from 858, and the ''[[Dictatus papae]]'' in 1075, which conversely also described [[Papal deposing power]]. Several modern states trace their own sovereignty to recognition in medieval papal bulls.

The sovereignty of the Holy See was retained despite multiple [[Sack of Rome (disambiguation)|sacks of Rome]] during the Early Middle Ages. Relations with the [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Kingdom of Italy]] and the Holy Roman Empire were at times strained, reaching from the ''[[Diploma Ottonianum]]'' and ''[[Libellus de imperatoria potestate in urbe Roma]]'' regarding the "[[Patrimony of Saint Peter]]" in the 10th century, to the [[Investiture Controversy]] in 1076–1122, and settled again by the [[Concordat of Worms]] in 1122.

The exiled [[Avignon Papacy]] during 1309–1376 also put a strain on the papacy, which returned to Rome. In 1648, [[Pope Innocent X]] was critical of the [[Peace of Westphalia]], as it weakened the authority of the Holy See throughout much of Europe. From 1798 to 1799, following the [[French Revolution]], the Papal States were briefly occupied as the "[[Roman Republic (18th century)|Roman Republic]]", as a [[sister republic]] of the [[First French Empire]] under [[Napoleon and the Catholic Church|Napoleon]], before their territory was reestablished.

The Holy See was represented in and identified as a "permanent subject of general customary international law vis-à-vis all states" in the [[Congress of Vienna]] (1814–1815).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.open-diplomacy.eu/blog/moral-diplomacy-of-the-holy-see-multi-level-diplomacy-of-a-tr |title='Moral Diplomacy' of the Holy See: Multi-Level Diplomacy of a Transnational Actor |access-date=14 September 2018 |archive-date=14 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132318/http://www.open-diplomacy.eu/blog/moral-diplomacy-of-the-holy-see-multi-level-diplomacy-of-a-tr |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Papal States were recognised under the rule of the Papacy and largely restored to their former extent. Despite the [[Capture of Rome]] in 1870 by the [[Kingdom of Italy]] and the [[Roman Question]] during the [[Vatican during the Savoyard era (1870–1929)|Savoyard era]], which made the Pope a "[[prisoner in the Vatican]]" from 1870 to 1929, its international legal subject was "constituted by the ongoing reciprocity of diplomatic relationships" that not only were maintained but multiplied.

In 1929, the [[Lateran Treaty]] between the Holy See and Italy recognised Vatican City as an independent [[city-state]], along with extraterritorial [[Properties of the Holy See|properties around the region]]. Since then, Vatican City is distinct from yet under "full ownership, exclusive [[dominion]], and [[sovereignty|sovereign authority]] and [[jurisdiction]]" of the Holy See ({{langx|la|Sancta Sedes}}).{{NoteTag|The Holy See is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and a sovereign entity recognized by international law, consisting of the Pope and the [[Roman Curia]]. It is also commonly referred to as "the Vatican", especially when used as a [[metonym]] for the [[hierarchy of the Catholic Church]].}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-13 |title=Treaty Between the Holy See and Italy |url=https://www.rightofassembly.info/assets/downloads/1929_Lateran_Treaty.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113124504/https://www.rightofassembly.info/assets/downloads/1929_Lateran_Treaty.pdf |archive-date=2024-01-13 |website=rightofassembly.info |at=Article 03}}</ref>