Written in France during Napoleon’s quarrel with Pius VII, Daunou’s essay traces the rise of the popes’ worldly power from its origins through the ninth to the eighteenth centuries: their claims over kings and emperors, the contests with the Hohenstaufen, Guelfs and Ghibellines, and the abuse of excommunication and interdict.
A learned Gallican polemic, useful to anyone studying church and state in Europe. Download the free EPUB.