Editing Papal States (section)

===Reformation===
The [[Reformation]] began in 1517. In 1527, before the Holy Roman Empire fought the Protestants, troops loyal to Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] brutally [[Sack of Rome (1527)|sacked Rome]] and imprisoned [[Pope Clement VII]], as a side effect of battles over the Papal States.<ref name="Durant1">
{{cite book |title=The Renaissance |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.547401 |first=Will |last=Durant |year=1953 |chapter=Chapter XXI: The Political Collapse: 1494–1534}}</ref> Thus Clement VII was forced to give up [[Parma]], [[Modena]], and several smaller territories.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.themaparchive.com/papal-states-in-the-16th-century.html |title=Papal States in the 16th Century |website=themaparchive.com |access-date=26 August 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806025822/https://www.themaparchive.com/papal-states-in-the-16th-century.html}}</ref><ref name="Durant1"/> A generation later the armies of King [[Philip II of Spain]] defeated those of [[Pope Paul IV]] in the [[Italian War of 1551–1559]], fought to prevent growing Spanish dominance in Italy.<ref name="Durant2">{{cite book |title=The Renaissance |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.547401 |first=Will |last=Durant |year=1953 |chapter=Chapter XXXIX: The popes and the Council: 1517–1565}}</ref>

This period saw a gradual revival of the pope's temporal power in the Papal States. Throughout the 16th century, virtually independent [[fief]]s such as Rimini (a possession of the Malatesta family) were brought back under Papal control. In 1512 the state of the church annexed Parma and Piacenza, which in 1545 became an independent [[Duchy of Parma and Piacenza|duchy]] under an illegitimate son of [[Pope Paul III]], albeit as a Papal fief. This process culminated in the reclaiming of the [[Duchy of Ferrara]] in 1598,{{sfn|Hanlon|2008|page=134}}{{sfn|Domenico|2002|page=85}} and the [[Duchy of Urbino]] in 1631.{{sfn|Gross|2004|page=40}}

In 1649, after the annexation of the [[Duchy of Castro]], the Papal States reached their greatest extent, including most of central Italy – [[Latium]], [[Umbria]], [[Marche]], and the legations of [[Ravenna]], [[Ferrara]], and [[Bologna]] extending north into the [[Romagna]]. It also included the small enclaves of [[Benevento]] and [[Pontecorvo]] in southern Italy and the larger [[Comtat Venaissin]] around [[Avignon]] in southern France.