Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A historical international agreement: The Lateran Treaty refers specifically to the pact signed in 1929 between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See (the papacy). This treaty ended the "Roman Question," a long-standing dispute, by establishing Vatican City as an independent, sovereign state under the authority of the Pope.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:
  • The sovereignty of Vatican City was established by the Lateran Treaty.
  • Negotiations leading to the Lateran Treaty resolved decades of conflict between the Italian state and the papacy.

Advanced Usage

• "the Lateran Pacts": This term is sometimes used to refer collectively to the Lateran Treaty and two accompanying agreements (a financial convention and a concordat) signed on the same day.
  • The Lateran Pacts of 1929 fundamentally reshaped the relationship between church and state in Italy.

Variants and Related Words

• Lateran Concordat: Often used synonymously with the Lateran Treaty, though technically it refers specifically to one of the three 1929 agreements governing the role of the Catholic Church in Italy.
• Vatican City: The sovereign city-state whose independence and territorial basis were created by the Lateran Treaty.

Synonyms

• Concordat of 1929: A synonym emphasizing the treaty's nature as a church-state agreement.
• Lateran Agreement: A less common, but accurate, synonym.

Related Phrases

• To sign the Lateran Treaty: The act of formalizing the agreement.
  • Pope Pius XI and King Victor Emmanuel III's representatives met to sign the Lateran Treaty.
• The provisions of the Lateran Treaty: Refers to the specific terms and conditions outlined in the document.
  • The provisions of the Lateran Treaty guaranteed the Pope's absolute authority within Vatican City.

Noun

1. the agreement signed in the Lateran Palace in 1929 by Italy and the Holy See which recognized the Vatican City as a sovereign and independent papal state