section_path: Politics and functions of the Holy See/Political role
section_name: Political role
paragraph_text: Political role
  
  Though the progressive Christianization of the Roman Empire in the 4th century did not confer upon bishops civil authority within the state, the gradual withdrawal of imperial authority during the 5th century left the pope the senior imperial civilian official in Rome, as bishops were increasingly directing civil affairs in other cities of the Western Empire. This status as a secular and civil ruler was vividly displayed by Pope Leo I's confrontation with Attila in 452.
  
  The first expansion of papal rule outside of Rome came in 728 with the Donation of Sutri. In 754, the Frankish ruler Pippin the Younger gave the pope the land from his conquest of the Lombards. The pope may have utilized the forged Donation of Constantine to gain this land, which formed the core of the Papal States. This document, accepted as genuine until the 15th century, states that Constantine the Great placed the entire Western Empire of Rome under papal rule.
  
  In 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish ruler Charlemagne as Roman emperor, a major step toward establishing what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire. From that date onward the popes claimed the prerogative to crown the emperor. The right fell into disuse after the coronation of Charles V in 1530. In 1804, Pius VII was present at the coronation of Napoleon I but did not actually perform the crowning. As mentioned above, the pope's sovereignty over the Papal States ended in 1870 with their annexation by Italy.
  
  Popes like Alexander VI, an ambitious if spectacularly corrupt politician, and Julius II, a formidable general and statesman, were not afraid to use power to achieve their own ends, which included increasing the power of the papacy. This political and temporal authority was demonstrated through the papal role in the Holy Roman Empire, especially prominent during periods of contention with the emperors, such as during the pontificates of Pope Gregory VII and Pope Alexander III.
  
  Papal bulls, interdict, and excommunication, or the threat thereof, have been used many times to exercise papal power. The bull Laudabiliter in 1155 authorized King Henry II of England to invade Ireland. In 1207, Innocent III placed England under interdict until King John made his kingdom a fiefdom to the pope, complete with yearly tribute, saying, "we offer and freely yield...to our lord Pope Innocent III and his catholic successors, the whole kingdom of England and the whole kingdom of Ireland with all their rights and appurtenences for the remission of our sins".
  
  The Bull Inter caetera in 1493 led to the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which divided the world into areas of Spanish and Portuguese rule. The bull Regnans in Excelsis in 1570 excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England and declared that all her subjects were released from allegiance to her. The bull Inter gravissimas in 1582 established the Gregorian calendar.
  
  In recent decades, although the papacy has become less directly involved in politics, popes have nevertheless retained significant political influence. They have also served as mediators, with the support of the Catholic establishment. John Paul II, a native of Poland, was regarded as influential in the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. He also mediated the Beagle conflict between Argentina and Chile, two predominantly Catholic countries. In the 21st century, Francis played a role in brokering the 2015 improvement in relations between the United States and Cuba.
  
  Though the progressive Christianization of the Roman Empire in the 4th century did not confer upon bishops civil authority within the state, the gradual withdrawal of imperial authority during the 5th century left the pope the senior imperial civilian official in Rome, as bishops were increasingly directing civil affairs in other cities of the Western Empire. This status as a secular and civil ruler was vividly displayed by Pope Leo I's confrontation with Attila in 452.
  
  The first expansion of papal rule outside of Rome came in 728 with the Donation of Sutri. In 754, the Frankish ruler Pippin the Younger gave the pope the land from his conquest of the Lombards. The pope may have utilized the forged Donation of Constantine to gain this land, which formed the core of the Papal States. This document, accepted as genuine until the 15th century, states that Constantine the Great placed the entire Western Empire of Rome under papal rule.
  
  In 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish ruler Charlemagne as Roman emperor, a major step toward establishing what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire. From that date onward the popes claimed the prerogative to crown the emperor. The right fell into disuse after the coronation of Charles V in 1530. In 1804, Pius VII was present at the coronation of Napoleon I but did not actually perform the crowning. As mentioned above, the pope's sovereignty over the Papal States ended in 1870 with their annexation by Italy.
  
  Popes like Alexander VI, an ambitious if spectacularly corrupt politician, and Julius II, a formidable general and statesman, were not afraid to use power to achieve their own ends, which included increasing the power of the papacy. This political and temporal authority was demonstrated through the papal role in the Holy Roman Empire, especially prominent during periods of contention with the emperors, such as during the pontificates of Pope Gregory VII and Pope Alexander III.
  
  Papal bulls, interdict, and excommunication, or the threat thereof, have been used many times to exercise papal power. The bull Laudabiliter in 1155 authorized King Henry II of England to invade Ireland. In 1207, Innocent III placed England under interdict until King John made his kingdom a fiefdom to the pope, complete with yearly tribute, saying, "we offer and freely yield...to our lord Pope Innocent III and his catholic successors, the whole kingdom of England and the whole kingdom of Ireland with all their rights and appurtenences for the remission of our sins".
  
  The Bull Inter caetera in 1493 led to the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which divided the world into areas of Spanish and Portuguese rule. The bull Regnans in Excelsis in 1570 excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England and declared that all her subjects were released from allegiance to her. The bull Inter gravissimas in 1582 established the Gregorian calendar.
  
  In recent decades, although the papacy has become less directly involved in politics, popes have nevertheless retained significant political influence. They have also served as mediators, with the support of the Catholic establishment. John Paul II, a native of Poland, was regarded as influential in the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. He also mediated the Beagle conflict between Argentina and Chile, two predominantly Catholic countries. In the 21st century, Francis played a role in brokering the 2015 improvement in relations between the United States and Cuba.