The Vatican

Short History Of...

Noiser

History

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Enclosed within the city of Rome and spanning just 0.2 square miles, Vatican City is the world’s smallest independent state. Yet within its fortified walls lies a history of immense power - a city that became the beating heart of Catholicism, where popes crowned emperors, defied kings, and shaped the course of world events. How did this unassuming patch of land rise to become the centre of global faith and authority? What scandals, schisms, and sacrifices threatened to tear it apart? And why, even today, does this ancient enclave still hold sway over more than a billion lives? This is a Short History Of The Vatican. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Father Michael Collins, author of multiple books on the Vatican and Christianity, including The Vatican – Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City. Written by Olivia Jordan | Produced by Kate Simants | Assistant Producer: Nicole Edmunds | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay, Rob Plummer | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact check: Sean Coleman Get every episode of Short History Of… a week early with Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Please stand clear of the gap.
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0:31.0	It's 4 a.m. on May the 6th, 1527 in Rome.
0:36.4	A thick fog is rolling in from the River Tiber, curling around the ancient stones
0:41.0	of the Borgo district and St. Peter's Basilica. Captain Caspar Roist, commander of the Swiss
0:49.2	Guard, paces the city wall, the hem of his red tunic damp with dew, his armor heavy on his chest.
0:57.0	Royst rubs his tired eyes, scanning for movement beyond the gates.
1:02.0	He hasn't slept, and his jaw aches from clenching.
1:06.0	He knows something's coming.
1:09.0	Angry over lack of pay, starving and inflamed by the Protestant cause,
1:14.6	the mutinous army of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V is closing in.
1:21.6	A sharp horn sounds, followed by shouts from the centuries.
1:25.6	Then the Vatican's defense bells toll.
1:29.3	It's time.
1:31.3	Royst grabs his sword and calls his men to arms.
	...

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