The Papal States are territories in the Italian peninsula under the sovereign direct rule of the Pope, from the 500s until 1870.

They are among the major states of Italy from roughly the sixth century until the Italian Peninsula is unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.

After 1861 the Papal States, reduced to Lazio, continue to exist until 1870.

At their zenith, they cover most of the modern Italian regions of Lazio, Marche, Umbria and Romagna, as well as portions of Emilia.

These holdings are considered to be a manifestation of the temporal power of the Pope, as opposed to his ecclesiastical primacy.