The Sack of Rome on 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. Combatants Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Genoa France, Papal States, Republic of Venice, Florence, England, Duchy of Milan Commanders Charles de Bourbon â€ , Georg Frundsberg, Philibert of Châlon â€  Vicomte de Lautrec *, Francesco Ferruccio â€ , Giovanni de Medici â€ , Comte de St. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) was one of the major historical states of Italy before the boot-shaped peninsula was unified under the Piedmontese crown of Savoy (later a republic). ... The Holy Roman Empire and from the 16th century on also The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... For the antipope (1378-1394) see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII Clement VII, né Giulio di Giuliano de Medici (1478 – September 25, 1534) was pope from 1523 to 1534. ... Charles III of Bourbon-Montpensier (February 17, 1490 – 1527 in Rome) was Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. ... Papal Swiss Guards in traditional uniforms Swiss Guards are Swiss mercenary soldiers who served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace guards at foreign European courts from the late 15th century until the present day (in the form of the Papal Swiss Guard). ... Combatants Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Genoa France, Papal States, Republic of Venice, Florence, England, Duchy of Milan Commanders Charles de Bourbon â€ , Georg Frundsberg, Philibert of Châlon â€  Vicomte de Lautrec *, Francesco Ferruccio â€ , Giovanni de Medici â€ , Comte de St. ... Combatants Republic of Florence Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Papal States Commanders Malatesta Baglioni Prince of Orange The Siege of Florence took place from October 24, 1529 to August 10, 1530, at the end of the War of the League of Cognac. ... Combatants Holy Roman Empire Florence Commanders Philibert of Châlon†, Fabrizio Maramaldo Francesco Ferruccio† Strength Casualties The Battle of Gavinana was fought on August 3, 1530 between the city of Florence and the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... The League of Cognac of 1526 pitted France, England, Pope Clement VII, Venice, Florence, and elements of Milan against the Emperor Charles V. Categories: Stub ... Events January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ... Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese: Milán (listen)) is the main city of northern Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia) is the capital of the region of Veneto and the province of the same name in Italy. ... Florences skyline Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ...

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 to be 'Imperial domination' by the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Emperor defeated the French army in Italy, but was subsequently unable to pay his army. His 35,000 Imperial troops mutined, and forced their commander, Charles, Duc de Bourbon and Constable of France, to lead them towards Rome. Apart from some 6,000 Spaniards under Bourbon, the army included some 14,000 Landsknechts under Georg von Frundsberg, some Italian infantry led by Fabrizio Maramaldo, Sciarra Colonna and Luigi Gonzaga, and some cavalry under Ferdinando Gonzaga and Philibert, Prince of Chalons. The Lutherans viewed the Papal capital as a target mostly for religious reasons, but also shared with the soldiers an avaricial desire for the sacking and pillage of a city that appeared to be an easy target. Numerous bandits, along with the League's deserters, joined with the army during the march. For the antipope (1378–1394) see antipope Clement VII and other Popes named Clement see Pope Clement. ... Charles III of Bourbon-Montpensier (February 17, 1490 – 1527 in Rome) was Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. ... The Constable of France (French connétable de France, from Latin comes stabulari for count of the stables), as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor) and Commander in Chief of... Period illustration of Landsknecht soldiers. ... Georg von Frundsberg (1473-1528) was a German Knight and landowner. ... Fabrizio Maramaldo (1494 - December 1552) was an Italian condottiero. ... Member of the powerful Colonna family , strong enemy of pope Boniface VIII. During the Outrage of Anagni, in September 1303, Sciarra reportedly slapped him in the face. ...

The Duke left Arezzo on April 20, 1527, taking advantage of the chaos among the Venetians and their allies after a revolt which had broken out in the Florence against the Medicis. In this way, the largely undiscplined troops sacked Acquapendente and San Lorenzo alle Grotte, and occupied Viterbo and Ronciglione, reaching the walls of Rome on May 5. Arezzo (Latin Arretium) is an old city in central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Florence (Italian, Firenze) is a city in the center of Tuscany, in central Italy, on the Arno River, with a population of around 400,000, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000. ... The Medici coat of arms The Medici family was a powerful and influential Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century. ... A city and historical diocese in Italy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Country Italy Region Lazio Province Viterbo (VT) Mayor Giampiero Gabbianelli Elevation 326 m Area 406,28 km² Population  - Total 60,537  - Density 148. ... Ronciglione is a city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio (central Italy), c. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ...

The sack

The troops defending Rome were not at all numerous, numbering only some 5,000 militiamen led by Renzo da Ceri and the Papal Swiss Guard. The city's fortifications included the massive walls, and it posessed a good artillery force, which the Imperial army lacked. Charles needed to conquer the city hastily, to avoid the risk of being trapped between the besieged city and the League's army. Papal Swiss Guards in traditional uniforms Swiss Guards are Swiss mercenary soldiers who served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace guards at foreign European courts from the late 15th century until the present day (in the form of the Papal Swiss Guard). ... The Aurelian Walls were built between 270 and 273, by Roman Emperor Aurelian. ...

On May 6, the Imperial army attacked the walls at the Gianicolo and Vatican Hills. Charles was fatally wounded in the assault, allegedly shot by Benvenuto Cellini. The death of the last respected command authority among the army caused any remour in the soldiers to disappear, and they easily captured the walls of Rome 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. Janiculum (Gianicolo in Italian) is a hill in western Rome. ... The Vatican Hill (in Latin, Vaticanus Mons) is the name given, long before the founding of Christianity, to one of the hills on the side of the Tiber opposite the traditional seven hills of Rome. ... Gold Salt cellar by Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (November 3, 1500 – February 13, 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, painter, sculptor, soldier and musician of the Renaissance. ... Interior view, with the nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ... The Passetto, or Passetto di Borgo, is a secret passage that links the Vatican City with the Castle of Sant Angelo. ... Logo of the rione Borgo is the XIV rione of Rome. ... Secret passages are sometimes concealed using large items of furniture, such as this reconstruction of the bookcase that covered the entrance to Anne Franks secret room. ...

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 other 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. Pompeo Colonna (May 12, 1479 - June 28, 1532) was an Italian Cardinal, politician and condottiero. ...

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. Francesco Maria I della Rovere (March 22, 1490 - October 20, 1538) was Duke of Urbino from 1508 until 1538. ... Country Italy Region Latium Province Province of Viterbo (VT) Mayor Elevation 276 m Area 10. ... The ducat (IPA: ) is a gold coin that was used as a trade currency throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3. ... Cervia is a town in Italy. ... Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ... Sigismondo Malatesta (November 1498 - December 1553) was an Italian condottiero. ... <noinclude> Rimini is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and capital city of the Province of 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). For the play, see Henry VIII (play). ... Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. ...

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). Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ...

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

• The sack is told in the final part of La Lozana Andaluza, a Spanish novel by Francisco Delicado describing the adventures of an Andalusian prostitute in the corrupt city.
• Finnish writer Mika Waltari included a chapter regarding the sack of Rome in his historical novel The Adventurer (Finnish original: Mikael Karvajalka).
• It is also part of the novel De scharlaken stad by Dutch writer Hella S. Haasse.
• These events form the background to chapter 42 of Stephen Baxter's 2003 science fiction novel Coalescent.
• Sarah Dunant's novel titled In the company of the courtesan begins with the sack of Rome and a graphic depiction of rape and pillage that continued unabated for months on end.
• Testacles and ye Sack of Rome, a comedy in one act performed by Sound And Fury (Richard Maritzer, founder and troupe leader), has played at various Renaissance fairs.
• The 1527 Sack has an important role in the early episodes of comics series Dago.
• The Sack of Rome is dicussed in Richard Power's novel Operation Wandering Soul.

The Portrait of Lozana: The Lusty Andalusian Woman (original title in Spanish: Retrato de la Loçana Andaluza) is a book written in Venice by the Spanish editor of the Renaissance Francisco Delicado in 1528, after he escaped from Rome due to the anti-spanish sentiment that uprose after the... Francisco Delicado (or Delgado) (c. ... The Adventurer (Original title Mikael Karvajalka) by Mika Waltari is a fictional tale of young Finnish man, Mikael Karvajalka, set in 16th century medieval Europe. ... Hella S. Haasse (1918) is one of the most important modern Dutch writers. ... Stephen Baxter at the Science-Fiction-Tage NRW in Dortmund, Germany, March 1997 Stephen Baxter (born in Liverpool, 13 November 1957) is a British hard science fiction author. ... Coalescent (ISBN 057507423X) is a science-fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. ... Sarah Dunant is the author of many international bestsellers, most recently The Birth of Venus and In the company of the courtesan. ... Entertainers at the Golden Gate Renaissance Festival 2005. ... Dago is a comics character created in 1983 by Paraguayan writer Robin Wood and artist Alberto Salinas, for the Italian magazine Lanciostory. ...

References

• Pope's guards celebrate 500 years, BBC News Online; dated and retrieved 22 January 2006
• Vatican's honour to Swiss Guards, BBC News Online; dated and retrieved 6 May 2006