The Sack of Rome 1527: When the Eternal City Burned

In 1527, the Eternal City fell to a mutinous army of imperial soldiers, Lutheran mercenaries, and Italian adventurers. This episode of The Story of Italy explores the catastrophic Sack of Rome, an event that shocked Europe and ended the Renaissance golden age of papal patronage. We follow the harrowing flight of Pope Clement VII to Castel Sant'Angelo, the brutal three-day rampage of the Landsknechte, and the destruction of countless artworks and manuscripts. We examine the political context: Charles V's frustrated ambitions, the League of Cognac, and the defection of the constable Bourbon. And we consider the sack's cultural aftershocks—how it scattered artists like Rosso Fiorentino beyond Rome, and how it marked the transition from High Renaissance to Mannerism. Along the way, we touch on the pope's desperate negotiations, the infamous 'Spanish Fury,' and the strange story of the Swiss Guard's last stand. This is the episode that explains how one of history's greatest disasters reshaped Italy and Europe. #SackOfRome1527 #PopeClementVII #CharlesV #Landsknechte #CastelSantAngelo #LeagueofCognac #HighRenaissance #Mannerism #RossoFiorentino #SwissGuard #ConstableBourbon #ItalianWars #Papacy #Rome #Renaissance #History #FexingoHistory #TheStoryOfItaly Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo