The Vatican, the country with the smallest area and the smallest population recognized by the international mainstream society. The entire country covers an area of only 0.44 square kilometers, which is not as large as the Forbidden City, and is also a scenic spot for tourists.
The population is even more pitiful, with a permanent population of less than 1,000 people (there are almost no real citizens in the Vatican, and the local residents' documents are similar to the work permits that can work in the Vatican), and the strength of the army is better than nothing.
So, the question is, how can such a small Vatican, located in the italian city of Rome, become a country, and why has no other country invaded? Although the fighting power of the Italian army is like a joke, it is more than enough to clean up a few gatekeepers of the Vatican.
In fact, the original Vatican was not so small, but a powerful division.
The Vatican was formerly known as the Papal States (or vaticans below), and after the dissolution of the Roman Empire, the Vatican took the opportunity to annex and control a large number of lands in central Italy. Because it is surrounded by small countries that are divided into small pieces, the Vatican is a big country in Italy.
But the Vatican's religious top brass was not satisfied with the present, and always wanted to lead the country to go public, so they contacted Pepin, the second-in-command of the powerful France at that time.
Pepin has a common feature with Napoleon, Wang Mang and others: short, so it is called "dwarf" Pepin.
Pepin and the Vatican have their own needs, Pepin wants to change from the second oldest in France to the top card, and needs the support of the Vatican; Too many countries around the Vatican want to harm him, and they also need Pepin to continue to cover him after becoming the boss of France.
As a result, the two sides cooperated happily, and after some operation, Pepin successfully became the top card in France; The Vatican territory was secured, covered by Big Brother France, and no one dared to move.
This situation has been going on for a long, long time and has been passed down for many generations. Until the other two forces were strong, one was Prussia (which can be understood as the predecessor of Germany) and the other was Northern Italy.
Prussia quickly became strong, no longer put France in the eyes, directly to France, the former big brother, the beginning of the war between the two sides, that is, the "Franco-Prussian War", the end is prussian victory, the European boss became Prussia, which also laid the foundation for the strength of today's Germany.
And the northern Italian forces, taking advantage of the war in France, did not have time to take care of the Vatican, and also directly attacked the Vatican. The Vatican ended tragically, being beaten to the point where only one neighborhood remained, which is what it is today.
After the unification of Italy, there was a long stalemate with the Vatican.
The reason why Italy did not send troops to end the Vatican at that time was because the influence of the Vatican Pope was too great, and the Catholic church of a billion people, all of whom were followers of the Pope, and were widely distributed in Europe and the United States, Italy did not dare to act rashly.
The Vatican Pope is a bit like Heshi Bi, whoever gets it will be attacked by all the surrounding forces.
It was not until February 11, 1929, that the two sides exchanged olive branches and signed the Treaty of Rutland at the Rutland Palace in Rome, which defined the territorial scope of the Vatican (the scope known today).
And the Pope has also recognized the legitimacy of Italy, which is equivalent to the recognition of the Catholic Church, which is very crucial.
Although the Vatican is very small, it has great influence, and even today's superpowers are very face-saving.
Therefore, the Vatican is also known as the "smallest great power".