How did the Pope come to be the ruler of Rome and the land the Papal States comprised, as opposed to just being a religious figurehead?

by torontogrady
historicalcylon

This post https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/iw3ilt/what_were_the_papal_states_really/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

From u/MagicRaptor might help