This book analyses the extent and limitations of Papal power in the period after the Council of Trent, in the mid-Sixteenth century, during the 'long' history of the Counter-Reformation.Europe and the wider world were religiously divided in this build-up to the French Revolution.The book challenges the received view that the development of Papal authority during this period simply reflected the 'Absolutism' of secular governments of the European Ancien Regime. It examines the multiple commitments of the Popes of this period:*Bishop of Rome*Metropolitan of the Roman Ecclesiastical Province*Primatial Leader of the Italian Church*Patriarchal Head of the Catholic Church in Western Europe*Supreme Pontiff*Ruler of the Papal States in Central ItalyAnalytic in structure, covering one dimension of Papal authority per chapter, the book is not limited to European coverage, and relates this period to earlier Papal history. The author's own analysis is related to present historiographical debates on the subject.The authorA D Wright is a Senior Lecturer at the School of History, University of Leeds, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, former national committee member of the Ecclesiastical History Society and member of the Accademia Di San Carlo, Milan.