Today, the idea of a Papal army sounds almost absurd — an oxymoron. And yet, in the 19th century, there was a Papal army, fighting to preserve the Papal states against Italian unification And in 1867, it claimed its last real battlefield victory, at the Battle of Mentana. And in that forgotten chapter of history, a small band of Englishmen — subjects of Queen Victoria — laid aside crown and country to fight for the Pope.
This is the story of the Papal Zouaves — and the forgotten Englishmen who marched beneath the Cross and the Keys for Blessed Pope Pius IX.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV as the Vicar of Christ, the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.