The Pope Who Would Be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe
David I. Kertzer
Documents the story of the violent revolution that signaled the end of the political power of the popes and resulted in the emergence of modern Europe. Days after his prime minister was assassinated in the middle of Rome in November 1848, Pope Pius IX found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. Only two years earlier Pius's election had triggered a wave of optimism across Italy: he was seen as a youthful, benevolent new pope who would at last bring the Papal States into modern times and help create a new, unified Italian nation. Kertzer documents the story of the violent revolution that signaled the end of the political power of the popes and resulted in the emergence of modern Europe.
Award History
0 wins · 1 total
| Award | Year | Result | Category / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cundill History PrizeMajor | 2018 | Finalist | Secondary source |
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies
This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.
01 Central figures
- Pius IX78%
02 Central places
None extracted with sufficient confidence.
These suggestions did not meet the normal display threshold and are more likely to be wrong.
- Rome62%
- Italy55%
03 Suggested argument
The violent revolution in 1848 ended the popes’ political power and helped produce the emergence of modern Europe.
Model confidence 70%
04 Reading orientation
55 / 100 academicTrade / academic crossover
An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.
Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 72%.