Sack of Rome (1527)
The Sack of Rome, then part of the Papal States, followed the capture of the city on 6 May 1527 by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor during the War of the League of Cognac. Despite not being ordered to storm the city, with Charles V intending to only use the threat of military action to make Pope Clement VII come to his terms, a largely unpaid Imperial army formed by 14,000 Germans, many of Lutheran faith, 6,000 Spaniards and some Italian contingents occupied the scarcely defended Rome and began looting, slaying and holding citizens for ransom in excess without any restraint. Clement VII took refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo after the Swiss Guard were annihilated in a delaying rearguard action; he remained there until a ransom was paid to the pillagers. Benvenuto Cellini, eyewitness to the events, described the sack in his works. It was not until February 1528 that the spread of a plague and the approach of the League forces under Odet de Foix forced the army to withdraw towards Naples from the city. Rome's population had dropped from 55,000 to 10,000 due to the atrocities, famine, an outbreak of plague and flight from the city. The subsequent loss of the League army during the siege of Naples secured a victory in the War of the League of Cognac for Charles V. The Emperor denied responsibility for the sack and was eventually absolved by Clement VII for the event. On the other hand, the Sack of Rome further exacerbated religious hatred and antagonism between Catholics and Lutherans.
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Viale del Tintoretto, Rome Municipio Roma VIII
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| Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|
| N 41.833333333333 ° | E 12.5 ° |
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Viale del Tintoretto
00142 Rome, Municipio Roma VIII
Lazio, Italy
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