The Medici Popes and the Sack of Rome

From the founding of the Medici bank to the throne of St. Peter, the Medici family's ambition reached its zenith in the Renaissance papacy. This episode traces the rise of Giovanni de' Medici as Pope Leo X, his lavish patronage of art and the crushing debt it left behind, and the disastrous papacy of his cousin Giulio de' Medici, Pope Clement VII. Caught between Francis I and Charles V, Clement's shifting alliances led to the unimaginable: the Sack of Rome in 1527, when mutinous imperial troops rampaged through the Eternal City, massacring clergy and looting churches. It was a cataclysm that shattered Renaissance Rome and ended the Medici grip on the papacy. We discuss the Conclave of 1513, the 1517 Ottoman threat, the Battle of Pavia, and the formation of the League of Cognac. A story of power, greed, faith, and ruin—how the Medici popes embodied the triumphs and tragedies of their age. #MediciPopes #LeoX #ClementVII #SackOfRome1527 #RenaissancePapacy #CharlesV #FrancisI #Medici #GiovanniDeMedici #GiulioDeMedici #HolyRomanEmpire #BattleOfPavia #LeagueOfCognac #Reformation #History #FexingoHistory #Italy #Renaissance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo