A groundbreaking account of Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius VII, and the kidnapping that would forever divide church and state

“We can now see clearly that industrialisation, secularism and the emergent nation-state spelt not the end of religious faith, but rather its transformation into a political force in its own right. . . . But it was the Catholic church and its response to the French Revolution that paved the way. To Kidnap a Pope tells the story of this epic struggle.”—Mark Mazower, Financial Times

“Try Ambrogio A. Caiani’s To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII. . . . It is the story of the struggle, fought with cunning, not force, between the forgotten Roman nobleman Barnaba Chiaramonti, who became Pope Pius VII, and the all-too-well-remembered Napoleon.”—Jonathan Sumption, Spectator, “Books of the Year”

“Caiani leads the reader expertly through diplomatic and theological disputes, a dynastic marriage, international relations and war. He handles this complex narrative deftly, without too much assumption of prior knowledge.”—David Laven, Times Literary Supplement

“Ambrogio A. Caiani tells the story of Napoleon’s second papal hostage-taking: an audacious 1809 plot to whisk Pius VII (1742–1823) from Rome in the dead of night and to break his stubborn resolve through physical isolation and intrusive surveillance. . . . Caiani’s unique contribution in this work is to have set aside traditional, partisan tellings of this tale as good versus evil, secular versus religious, or state versus church. Instead, this version, even-handed and detailed in its contextualisation, is about two charismatic leaders going mano a mano.”—Miles Pattenden, Australian Book Review

“A marvelous account of one cause celebre.”—Michael Broers, GQ Magazine

“In this enthralling study, Ambrogio Caiani gives a vivid account of the struggle between the two men, which would continue virtually unabated until Napoleon’s death on St Helena in 1821. He is commendably even-handed in his analysis, presenting it both as a personal tussle between two dogged opponents and as a clash between contrasting visions of the world: a Catholicism ever more drawn to counter-revolutionary reaction, and an emperor consciously pursuing his own brand of modernity.”—Alan Forrest, BBC History Magazine

“Caiani relates this dramatic story in telling detail but never loses sight of the broader picture, and uses his archival discoveries to excellent effect. The result is both an exciting narrative and a fine work of scholarship, shedding new light on Napoleonic history and that of the modern Catholic Church.”—Munro Price, Literary Review

“Caiani uses newfound research from the Vatican Archives and isn’t afraid to provide readers with the unusual conclusion that neither Napoleon nor Pope Pius emerge as the victor of the decade-long confrontation.”—Eleanor Longman-Rood, Reaction

“Ambrogio Caiani has undertaken a serious reassessment of Pius VII’s kidnapping and imprisonment, an important episode in the nineteenth-century history of the papacy that was last examined by E. E. Y. Hales in 1962. Caiani provides us with a careful, detailed account of the turbulent relationship between the Pope and Napoleon, using new archival material which he unearthed in Italy, France and Britain. . . . This very readable and vivid account of the relationship between Pius VII and Napoleon is truly a work of fine scholarship.”—John Pollard, The Tablet

“A scholarly monograph that reads like a thriller; and is a work of narrative history which ably threads ideas into the heart of its presentation.”—Alexander Faludy, Church Times

“Brilliantly written, based on meticulous research in the archives and beautifully produced, it is a book that should be on the shelves of any serious Napoleonist as well as one that ought to be read with particular attention by those who continue to be mesmerized by visions of ‘Napoleon the Great.’”—Charles J. Esdaile, European History Quarterly

“Caiani is excellent on the local and particular, and is especially good on the physical encounters between his two principals, which he recounts with colourfully telling detail. But his enthralling narrative widens out from the intertwined lives of the two men and their very contrasting entourages to illuminate international relations and the place of religion in the politics of the revolutionary and Napoleonic age.”—Colin Jones, French Studies

“Ambrogio Caiani gives us a bold, provocative new assessment of the French Emperor and his relationship with the Catholic Church. In gripping, vivid prose, Caiani brings to life the struggle for power that would shape modern Europe. It all makes for a historical read which is both original and enjoyable.”—Antonia Fraser, author of Marie Antoinette

“The decade-long struggle between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII is one of the great dramas of the revolutionary era, but remains little-known. Now, and for the first time in English, Ambrogio Caiani recounts this riveting story in full—and offers insight into one of the great conflicts that has shaped, and continues to shape, the modern world, the rivalry between religion and the state.”—Munro Price, author of Napoleon: The End of Glory

“A riveting and compelling account of how the soft power of the Pope proved more durable than the military might of Napoleon.”—Tim Blanning, author of The Pursuit of Glory

“An outstanding milestone. The relations between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII have never been examined in such detail before. Ambrogio Caiani takes Napoleon away from the battlefield to show him grappling with the Catholic Church, in what he admitted was the most difficult problem he ever faced. This beautifully written book will now be the essential guide to understanding why and how the greatest soldier of modern times failed to subdue a pope.”—William Doyle, author of The Oxford History of the French Revolution



Ambrogio A. Caiani is senior lecturer in modern European history at the University of Kent. He is the author of Louis XVI and the French Revolution 1789–1792.