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Sack of Rome (1527)
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BackgroundPope 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 army of the Holy Roman Emperor defeated the French army in Italy, but funds were not available to pay the soldiers. The 34,000 Imperial troops mutinied, and forced their commander, Charles III, Duke of Bourbon and Constable of France, to lead them towards Rome. Apart from some 6,000 Spaniards under the Duke, 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 Orange. Though Martin Luther himself was not in favor of it, some who considered themselves followers of Luther viewed the Papal capital as a target for religious reasons, and shared with the soldiers an avaricious 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.
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 Florence against the Medicis. In this way, the largely undisciplined troops sacked Acquapendente and San Lorenzo alle Grotte, and occupied Viterbo and Ronciglione, reaching the walls of Rome on May 5.
The SackThe troops defending Rome were not at all numerous, consisting of 5,000 militiamen led by Renzo da Ceri and the Papal Swiss Guard. The city's fortifications included the massive walls, and it possessed a good artillery force, which the Imperial army lacked. Duke Charles needed to conquer the city hastily, to avoid the risk of being trapped between the besieged city and the League's army.
On May 6, the Imperial army attacked the walls at the Gianicolo and Vatican Hills. Duke 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 restraint 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.
After the execution of some 1,000 defenders, the pillage began. Churches and monasteries, but also palaces of prelates and cardinals, were destroyed and spoiled of any precious object. 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 the sacks they had 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, Phillisuon 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 from obtaining 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.
AftermathCharles V 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 Charles V, avoiding decisions that could displease him.
This marked the end of the Roman Renaissance, damaged the papacy's prestige and freed Charles V's 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- 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.
- The sack also described in the early part of Ines of My Soul (2006) a historical novel by Isabel Allende, from the point of view of Pedro de Valdivia, as a captain in the attacking army who tried to keep the troops from mutiny. (Spanish Original: Ines del Alma Mía)
- Finnish writer Mika Waltari included a chapter regarding the sack of Rome in his historical novel The Adventurer (Finnish original: Mikael Karvajalka).
- In the film Batman Begins, the League of Shadows claim responsibility for the sack.
- 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 discussed in Richard Powers's novel Operation Wandering Soul.
- Ferruccio Cerio's The Barbarians (1958) with Pierre Cressy
- Amin Maalouf's "Leo Africanus" (translated from French by Peter Sluglett)
- In his Prologue to Hecatommithi (1565), Giambattista Giraldi draws on the sack of Rome.
- by features the life of Isabella d'Este including witness to the sack of Rome.
- The Sack of Trantor in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series bears a strong resemblance to the 1527 Sack of Rome.
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