Napoleonic Europe Church State Conflict Papal Excommunication Issued by Pope Pius VII Against the Annexation of Rome 1809

Pope Pius VII Napoleon I.

Pamphlet or Ephemera

Pius VII, Pope. Writ of Excommunication of the Authors, Executors, and Instigators of the Usurpation of Rome, and of the States belonging to the Holy See, issued in 1809 during the conflict between the Papacy and the French Empire following Napoleon Bonaparte’s seizure of the Papal States. The document records the formal condemnation issued by the Pope after Napoleon’s government annexed Rome and absorbed papal territories into the French imperial system. Beginning in 1808 French forces occupied Rome and incorporated regions of the Papal States including Urbino, Ancona, Macerata, and Camerino into the Kingdom of Italy under Napoleon’s authority. In May 1809 Napoleon formally decreed the annexation of Rome to the French Empire, leaving the papacy stripped of its territorial sovereignty. The papal response was the issuance of an excommunication directed at those responsible for the usurpation of papal authority. Rare, found in only 3 libraries worldwide and none in the North America as per OCLC Worldcat at the time of this writing.

Pius VII. Writ of Excommunication of the Authors, Executors, and Instigators of the Usurpation of Rome, and of the States belonging to the Holy See. London: Vogel & Schulze, 1809. Pamphlet printed in French. The text condemns those who “usurp, encourage, advise or perform” the seizure of papal territory, placing the annexation of Rome within a moral and religious framework that challenged the legitimacy of Napoleonic rule over the Papal States. Although the decree clearly targeted the imperial policy responsible for the occupation, Napoleon himself was not explicitly named within the text. The pamphlet circulated during a period of escalating confrontation between the French Empire and the Vatican as the papacy attempted to defend its remaining authority after the loss of its territories.

The confrontation soon intensified following the issuance of the excommunication. Napoleon ordered the arrest of the Pope, instructing General Étienne Radet to seize the pontiff. On the night of July 5–6, 1809 French forces entered the Vatican and removed Pius VII from Rome, beginning a period of captivity that lasted several years while Napoleon attempted to compel papal cooperation with imperial policy. The conflict between Napoleon and the papacy became one of the most dramatic church state confrontations of the Napoleonic era. Pamphlet measuring approximately 9 x 6 inches and comprising 13 pages. Minor wear and chipping present along the edges of the paper; interior text remains clean and legible. Overall condition very good.

Item #18926

Price: $1,550.00