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The Sack of Rome of 6 May 1527 by the troops of Charles V marked a crucial imperial victory in the conflict between the Holy Roman Emperor and the League of Cognac (1526–1529) — the alliance of France, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papacy.
Background Pope Clement VII had given his support to France in an attempt to alter the balance of power in the region, and free the Papacy from what many considered 'Imperial domination'. The Holy Roman Emperor defeated the French army in Italy, but was subsequently unable to pay his forces. So 35,000 Imperial troops mutined, forcing their commander, Charles, Duc de Bourbon and Constable of France, to lead them towards Rome. Apart from 6,000 Spaniards under Bourbon, they included some 14,000 Landsknechts under Georg von Frundsberg, Italian infantry led by Fabrizio Maramaldo, Sciarra Colonna and Luigi Gonzaga, some cavalry under Ferdinando Gonzaga and Philibert, Prince of Chalons. The Lutherans looked at the Papal capital as a religious target, but shared with the remain of the soldiers the greed towards what seemed an easy prey for pillage. Numerous bandits and League's deserters joined the army during the march. The Duke left Arezzo on April 20, 1527, taking advantage of the chaotic situation of the Venetians and their allies after the revolt which had broke out in Florence against the Medicis. In his way the largely undiscplined troops sacked Acquapendente, San Lorenzo alle Grotte, occupied Viterbo and Ronciglione, reaching the walls of Rome on May 5. The sack The troops defending Rome were not numerous, amounting to some 5,000 miliamen led by Renzo da Ceri, plus the Papal Swiss Guard. The city was provided by massive walls and of a good artillery, of which instead the Imperials were lacking. Charles needed to conquer the city hastily, to avoid the risk of being trapped between the besieged and the League's army. On May 6 the Imperials attacked the walls in the Gianicolo and Vatican Hills. Charles was deadly shot, allegedly by Benvenuto Cellini. The disappearance of the last respected command authority loosened any remour in the soldiers, who easily captured the walls in the same day. One of the Swiss Guard's most notable hours occurred at this time. Almost the entire guard was massacred by Imperial troops on the steps of St Peter's Basilica. Of 189 guards on duty only 42 survived, but their bravery ensured that Clement VII escaped to safety, down the passetto di Borgo, a secret corridor which still links the Vatican City to Castel Sant'Angelo. After the execution of some 1,000 defenders, the pillage begun. Churches and monasteries, but also palaces of prelates and cardinals, were destroyed and spoiled of any precious object. Nuns and women raped freely, men tortured and killed freely. Even the pro-imperial cardinals had to pay to save their riches from the ruthless soldiers. On May 8, Pompeo Cardinal Colonna, a personal enemy of Clement, entered the city. He was followed by peasants from his fiefs, who had come to revenge for the sacks previously suffered by Papal order. However, Colonna was touched by the pitiful conditions of the city and hosted in his palace a number of Roman citizens. After three days of ravages, Philibert ordered the sack to cease, but few of the soldiers obeyed. In the meantime, Clement continued to be prisoner in Castel Sant'Angelo. Francesco Maria della Rovere and Michele Antonio of Saluzzo arrived with some troops on June 1 in Monterosi, north of the city. Their probably too cautious behaviour prevented them to obtain an easy victory against the now totally undisciplined Imperials. On June 6, Clement surrendered, and agreed to pay a ransom of 400,000 ducati in exchange of his life; conditions included the cession of Parma, Piacenza, Civitavecchia and Modena to the Holy Roman Empire (however, only the latter could be occupied in fact). At the same time Venice took advantage of his situation to capture Cervia and Ravenna, while Sigismondo Malatesta returned in Rimini. Aftermath Charles was greatly embarrassed and powerless to stop his troops, but he was not displeased by the fact that they had struck decisively against Pope Clement and imprisoned him. Clement VII was to spend the rest of his life trying to avoid conflict with the Emperor, avoiding making decisions that could displease him (e.g. granting Henry VIII of England an annulment). This marked the end of the Roman Renaissance, damaged the papacy's prestige and freed Charles' hands to act against the Reformation in Germany. Nevertheless, Martin Luther commented: "Christ reigns in such a way that the Emperor who persecutes Luther for the Pope is forced to destroy the Pope for Luther" (LW 49:169). In commemoration of the Sack and the Guard's bravery, new recruits to the Swiss Guard are sworn in on 6 May every year. In fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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