>>1220287

Bump

>>1220287
>How was living in the Papal States?
Depends. Certain areas lived the same as the rest of northern italian city states, the rest lived the same as the feudal south. Romagna and the Rome area were fairly prosperous through self government and centralized government respectively, but the rest were very rural and undeveloped. By the 19th century it was a very antiquated place from a cultural, administrative and economic point of view, but it wasn't exactly poor.
It was more oppressive than the more liberal monarchies and the italian republics, but it was no realm of obscurantism either.

For the average joe it was much the same as everywhere else in mid/northern medieval Italy. It wasn't until around the 10th century when the papacy started to consolidate its territory

>>1220428
Also, whereas most Italian cities has some major trade going for them (Florence wool, Palermo wheat, etc) the economy of the papal territories was largely invigorated by the ecclesiastical court culture of the cardinals and their pontiff. So you can expect a lot of bankers, notaries, Curial officials, and merchants for prestige goods. Posting as I think

>>1220287
Also until around the 14th century, the pope was was similar to itinerant monarchs, holding court all throughout the Papal States while rarely staying in Rome for long periods of time