The Papal Navy ( it, Marina Pontificia, "Pontifical Navy"; la, Classis Pontificiae) was the maritime force of the Papal States. Loosely construed, it was in sporadic existence from approximately the Battle of Ostia (849) during the pontificate of Leo IV until the ascension of Pope Leo XIII in 1878.

History

Originally protected by the

Byzantine navy The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than ...

, the Papal States found themselves in need of a naval force of their own following a Muslim raid on Rome in 843 and the sack of the city's basilicas ''extra muros'' in 846. Under the leadership of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

, prince of Naples, a force of Neapolitan, Amalfitan,

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

n, and Papal ships repulsed the pirates off

Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...

in 849. Later, the Papal States subsidized various fleets during the Crusades and outfitted some squadrons of their own, which participated with

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and others against the Ottoman Empire following the

fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

. With hired and affiliated ships from Tuscany and Malta, one Papal squadron participated in the Battle of Lepanto. Papal ships often assisted the Republic of Venice in her wars with the Ottoman Empire. In 1715,

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

constructed the Pontifical Arsenal near Porta Portese in

Ripa Grande Porto di Ripa Grande was the river port of Rome, just downstream the former ''Pons Sublicius'', where the wares, going up and down the Tiber towards the dock of Fiumicino, were handled. The building of the ''muraglioni'' (massive walls) has erased ...

on the Tiber. In 1802, Napoleon donated two brigs to

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

and the Papal Navy: the somewhat aged ''Saint Paul'', and the brand-new ''Saint Pierre''. Under the names ''San Paolo'' and ''San Pietro'' they sat in the

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

at Civitavecchia for some years until they were discarded. Pontifical ships were protected by international treaty in 1819, but the navy only slowly recovered from the seizure of its vessels during the Napoleonic Wars. One was captured by Muslim pirates in 1826, but following a show of force by two

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s and a

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

from Piedmont under Captain Arnous, the

Bey of Tripoli Pasha of Tripoli was a title that was held by many rulers of Tripoli in Ottoman Tripolitania. The Ottoman Empire ruled the territory for most time from the Siege of Tripoli in 1551 until the Italian invasion of Libya in 1911, at the onset of t ...

freed the ship with 10,600 francs compensation. By 1823, the navy comprised the 12-gun

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''San Pietro'', a

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

, a felucca, and a pinnace."La Marina dello Stato Pontificio."
Italian Ministry of Defense Website. Accessed 2 June 2010. Another twelve patrol boats armed with mortars performed coast guard duties in two squadrons, eight vessels in the Adriatic Sea and four in the Tyrrhenian. Lt. Col. Alessandro Cialdi directed an expedition to Egypt and then led three British steamers to Rome for navigation on the Tiber. A fourth steamer, the ''Roma'', participated during the unrest of 1848, opposing the Austrian siege of Ancona. In 1856, the separate Navy (''Marina da Guerra''), Finance Navy (''Marina di Finanza''), and Tiber Navy (''Marina del Tevere'') administrations were combined into the Pontifical Navy (''Marina Pontificia''). New Armed Screw Steam-Yacht

As part of his break from the diplomatic policies of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

, Leo XIII sold off the last ship in the Papal Navy, the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

''Immacolata Concezione'', during his first year in office. As the papacy had already been confined to Vatican City following the

capture of Rome The Capture of Rome ( it, Presa di Roma) on 20 September 1870 was the final event of the unification of Italy (''Risorgimento''), marking both the final defeat of the Papal States under Pope Pius IX and the unification of the Italian Peninsula ...

, it had been docked at Toulon, France. Its flag and a scale model of the vessel are in the

Vatican Historical Museum The Vatican Historical Museum ( it, Museo storico vaticano) is one of the sections of the Vatican Museums. It was founded in 1973 at the behest of Pope Paul VI, and was initially hosted in environments under the Square Garden. In 1987 it was move ...

in the Lateran Palace, Rome.

Ships

*At Lepanto: ** ''Capitana'' ("flagship") ** ''Padrona'' ("squadron flagship") ** ''Suprema'' (''Supreme'') ** ''Serena'' (''Serene'') ** ''Pace'' (''Peace'') ** ''Vittoria'' (''Victoria'') ** ''Grifona'' (''Gryphon'') ** ''Santa Maria'' ** ''San Giovanni'' ** ''Regina'' (''Queen'') * ''San Bonaventura'' (''St. Bonaventure'')Laudonio, Marco. ''La Repubblica''. "Arsenale Pontificio, la rinascita." Op. cit
''Ordine degli Architetti di Roma e Provincia.''
Accessed 4 June 2010. * ''San Pietro'', a schooner * , an earlier brig broken up in 1807 * ''Roma'', a steamer * ''Immacolata Concezione'' (''Immaculate Conception''), a

References

{{Authority control Navy Military history of the Mediterranean Navies by country Disbanded navies 840s establishments 9th-century establishments in the Papal States 1878 disestablishments in the Papal States Naval warfare of the Early Modern period Naval warfare of the Middle Ages Naval history of Italy

History

Ships

See also

References