Editing Pope Pius VII (section)

===Relationship with Napoleon I===
[[File:Jacques-Louis David - The Coronation of Napoleon (1805-1807).jpg|thumb|Pope Pius VII presided over the [[coronation of Napoleon I]], as depicted by [[Jacques-Louis David]].]]
{{Main|Napoleon and the Catholic Church}}
From the time of his election as pope to the fall of [[Napoleon]] in 1815, Pius VII's reign was completely taken up in dealing with France.<ref>J. M. Thompson, ''Napoleon Bonaparte: His Rise and Fall'' (1951) pp 251-75</ref>
He and the Emperor were continually in conflict, often involving the French military leader's wishes for concessions to his demands. Pius VII wanted his own release from exile as well as the return of the Papal States, and, later on, the release of the 13 "Black Cardinals", i.e., the cardinals, including Consalvi, who had snubbed the marriage of Napoleon to [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie Louise]], believing that his previous marriage was still valid, and had been exiled and impoverished in consequence of their stand,<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10687a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia 1914 entry on Napoleon I]</ref> along with several exiled or imprisoned prelates, priests, monks, nuns and other various supporters.
[[File:David-wilkie-Napoleon-and-pope-pius-vii-at-fontainebleau-1836.png|thumb|''[[Napoleon and Pius VII at Fontainebleau]]'' by [[David Wilkie (artist)|David Wilkie]], 1836]]