The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon

Chapter LXX: Final Settlement Of The Ecclesiastical State

Character And Coronation Of Petrarch.—Restoration Of The Freedom And Government Of Rome By The Tribune Rienzi.—His Virtues And Vices, His Expulsion And Death.—Return Of The Popes From Avignon.—Great Schism Of The West.—Reunion Of The Latin Church.—Last Struggles Of Roman Liberty.—Statutes Of Rome.—Final Settlement Of The Ecclesiastical State.