According to tradition, San Marino was founded in ad301 by a Christian stonecutter, 
 Marinus, who sought refuge on Mount Titano from religious persecution. The commune 
 that developed maintained its sovereignty, despite repeated incursions by neighboring 
 rulers of Rimini, and in 1291 Pope Nicholas IV recognized San Marino’s independence. 
 The governing laws of the republic were promulgated during the Middle Ages. 
 San Marino has had a treaty of friendship (revised several times) with Italy since 1862. 
 From 1945 to 1957 the republic was ruled by a coalition of Communists and Socialists. 
 In 1957 the Christian Democratic Party, aided by Communist dissidents, took control 
 of the government. In 1978 a coalition led by Communists again came to power. 
 The 1983 election left control in leftist hands, but in July 1986 a new 
 Christian Democrat-Communist coalition was formed. From 1992 to 2000 a center-left 
 coalition of Christian Democrats and Socialists governed San Marino. In 2000 the 
 Socialists withdrew from the government, and a new multiparty coalition led by the 
 Christian Democrats assumed power. San Marino became a member of the United Nations 
 (UN) in 1992.

 Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.