The Pope’s Soldiers
A Military History of the Modern Vatican
A broad military history of the modern papacy and the armed forces that defended the Papal States and Vatican.
View on Amazon →
Books & Articles
Research Library
Books & Articles
Recommended Reading on the Papal Zouaves
A curated selection of books, scholarly studies, articles, and research relating to the Papal Zouaves, the Papal Army, and the international volunteers who defended the Papal States.
Recommended Reading
Books
Modern studies and specialized works for readers who want to explore the Papal Zouaves and related Catholic military movements in greater depth.
The Pope’s Legion
The Multinational Fighting Force that Defended the Vatican
A narrative history of the international volunteers who rallied to defend Pope Pius IX and the Papal States.
View on Amazon →
Victorian Crusaders
British and Irish Volunteers in the Papal Army 1860–70
A focused study of British and Irish volunteers who served the Pope during the final decade of the Papal States.
View on Amazon →
The Irish Brigade in the Pope’s Army 1860
A detailed history of the Irish volunteers who traveled to Italy in 1860 to defend Pope Pius IX.
View on Amazon →
French
Les Zouaves Pontificaux Originaires des Hauts-de-France
A regional study of the Papal Zouaves originating from northern France.
View on Amazon →
Les Officiers français des Zouaves pontificaux
Laurent Gruaz
French
Les Officiers français des Zouaves pontificaux
Histoire et devenir entre XIXe et XXe siècle
A detailed study of the French officers of the Papal Zouaves and their subsequent lives and careers.
View on Amazon France →
Les carnets retrouvés
Adéodat Dufournel · Laurent Gruaz
French
Les carnets retrouvés
Journal d’un officier Zouave pontifical mort au combat à Rome en 1867
The surviving journal of Papal Zouave officer Adéodat Dufournel.
View on Amazon →
Spanish
«Wils» y el Batallón de Zuavos Carlistas
Guerra en Cataluña, 1869–1873
A study of Ignace Wils and the Carlist Zouaves, a formation closely related to the Papal Zouave tradition.
View on Amazon →
Dutch
Martelaren voor de paus
De vergeten geschiedenis van de Nederlandse zoeaven
A modern history of the Dutch volunteers who traveled to Rome to serve in the Papal Zouaves.
View on Amazon →
The Irish and English in Italy’s Risorgimento
A study of Irish and English involvement in Italy’s Risorgimento, including volunteers who defended the Papal States.
View Book →
Italian
Out of Print
L’Esercito Pontificio da Castelfidardo a Porta Pia, 1860–1870
Uniformi, Equipaggiamento, Armamento
An illustrated study of the uniforms, equipment, and armament of the Pontifical Army during its final decade.
Italian
Out of Print
La Nona Crociata
I Volontari di Pio IX in Difesa di Roma (1860–1870)
An illustrated history of the volunteers who defended Pius IX and Rome between 1860 and 1870.
Italian
Out of Print
Per il Papa Re
Il Risorgimento Italiano visto attraverso la storia del Reggimento degli Zuavi Pontifici, 1860–1870
An Italian history of the Risorgimento viewed through the history of the Papal Zouave regiment.
Les Zouaves pontificaux dans la guerre de 1870–1871
Le Briquet · Hors série n° 32
French
Les Zouaves pontificaux dans la guerre de 1870–1871
Le Briquet · Hors série n° 32
A specialized French publication devoted to former Papal Zouaves who continued their service during the Franco-Prussian War as the Volunteers of the West.
View Publication →
English
Italian
The Irish Against the Savoys
Bilingual Edition
A bilingual Italian-English work concerning Irish involvement in the defense of the Papal States against the House of Savoy.
View Book →
Italian
Gli Zuavi Pontifici e i loro nemici
Prefazione di S. A. R. Don Sisto Enrico di Borbone
An Italian-language study of the Papal Zouaves and the forces they opposed during the struggle for the Papal States.
Out of Print
Kentucky and the Bourbons
The Story of Allen Dale Farm
A historical work connected to the American Papal Zouave story through the people and families associated with Allen Dale Farm.
Scholarship & Research
Articles
Academic studies and longer-form historical articles examining national contingents, individual Zouaves, Catholic responses to Italian unification, and the international history of the Papal cause.
ResearchGate
Scotland’s Catholics, the Papal States and the Pope’s Temporal Sovereignty, 1860–1870
A study of Scottish Catholic engagement with the defense of the Papal States and the question of papal temporal sovereignty.
Read Article →Canadian Catholic Historical Association
Canadian and American Zouaves in the Papal Army, 1868–1870
A historical examination of North American volunteers who joined the Papal Zouaves during the final years of the Papal States.
Read Article →Historical Research
A Forgotten Crusade: Maltese Volunteers and the Papal Zouaves in Italy’s Unification Wars
Research examining Maltese volunteers who participated in the international Catholic defense of the Papal States.
Read Article →Revue de l’histoire des religions · OpenEdition
The Christian Supernatural among the Papal Zouaves: The Case of Joseph-Louis Guérin (1838–1860), Who Died in an Odor of Sanctity
A study of Joseph-Louis Guérin and the spiritual and devotional culture surrounding the earliest Papal Zouaves.
Read Article →Emerging Civil War · Shrouded Veterans
A Soldier for the Pope and Lincoln
The story of an American who served in the Papal Army before returning home and fighting for the Union during the American Civil War.
Read Article →Help Us Rediscover the Record
Lost & Sought-After Works
Papal Zouave International is actively searching for rare books, memoirs, periodicals, and other publications connected to the Papal Zouaves and related organizations.
Some of these works are known only through references or catalog records, while others appear to survive in only a small number of copies. If you know the location of a copy, possess a scan, or have additional information about one of these works, we would be grateful to hear from you.
Book
1899
Tales of the Papal Zouaves
Memoir
1928
Reminiscences of a Papal Zouave
Book
c. 1870s
History of Bernard de Quatrebarbes, Pontifical Volunteer
Illustrated Book
Sought
Bernard de Quatrebarbes
French illustrated edition
Book
1918
Le Général de Charette (1832–1911)
Periodical
1892–1932
L’Avant-Garde
Periodical
c. 1870s–1890s
The Crusader
Devoted to the Restoration of the Temporal Power of the Pope
Book
1872
O zuavo da liberdade
Book
1940
Um brasileiro, zuavo de Pio IX e soldado de Santo Inácio
Book
1903
Für zwei Väter
Schilderungen aus dem Leben der päpstlichen Zuaven
Do You Know Where One of These Survives?
Libraries, archives, private collectors, descendants of Papal Zouaves, and researchers may hold material that has never been digitized or made widely available. Even a photograph of a title page, a library catalog reference, or information about a privately held copy can help.
Contact Us About a Lost Work →A Growing Bibliography
Recommend a Resource
This bibliography will continue to expand as new scholarship, publications, translations, and historical resources become available.
Authors, researchers, and readers are welcome to recommend relevant books or substantial articles for consideration.
Contact Papal Zouave International →