after a plebiscite. The Pope declared himself a "prisoner in the Vatican". The following year, the Italian government moved from Florence to Rome. Historian Raffaele De Cesare made the following observations: The Roman question was the stone tied to Napoleon’s feet--that dragged him into the abyss. He never forgot, even in August 1870, a month before Sedan, that he was a sovereign of a Catholic country, that he had been made Emperor, and was supported by the votes of the Conservatives and the influence of the clergy; and that it was his supreme duty not to abandon the Pontiff. For twenty years Napoleon III had been the true sovereign of Rome, where he had many friends and relations [...] . Without him the temporal power would never have been reconstituted, nor, being reconstituted, would have endured. Notes References Pope Pius IX Modern history of Italy History of the papacy 1864 in Italy 1864 treaties Treaties of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) Treaties of the Second French Empire France–Italy relations September 1864 events