Sack of Rome
- When
- 1527–1528
- Where
- Departure from Arezzo; Rome; Castel Sant'Angelo; Withdrawal towards Naples
- Episodes
- 4
In May 1527, unpaid Imperial troops mutinied and captured Rome. Pope Clement VII took refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo, remaining a prisoner until a ransom was paid. Pillaging ended in February 1528 amid plague and food exhaustion.
Episodes
- Imprisonment and Ransom
Clement VII remained a prisoner in Castel Sant'Angelo until a ransom was paid to the pillagers.
- Mutiny and March on Rome
Unpaid Imperial troops mutinied and forced the Duke of Bourbon to lead them toward Rome.
- Capture of Rome
Imperial troops captured Rome on 6 May 1527, leading to the Pope's flight to Castel Sant'Angelo.
- Withdrawal and Peace
Plague and League forces forced the Imperial army to withdraw in February 1528, leading to peace negotiations.
Background and detail
Background. The Imperial army, comprising Germans, Spaniards, and Italians, was largely unpaid and mutinied. The mutinous troops forced their commander to lead them toward Rome, which was an easy target due to the unstable political landscape at the time.
The Assault. Rome was captured on 6 May 1527. The Swiss Guard was annihilated in a delaying action. A 42-man group under Hercules Goldli covered the Pope's crossing via the Passetto di Borgo, allowing Clement VII to take refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo, where he was held prisoner.
Aftermath. Pillaging ended in February 1528 when plague spread and food supplies ran out. The approach of League forces under Odet de Foix forced the Imperial army to withdraw. Charles V expressed embarrassment over the Pope's imprisonment, eventually coming to terms with Clement VII via the Treaty of Barcelona in 1529.
People involved
- Pope Clement VII · Defender and prisoner
- Charles V · Holy Roman Emperor
Sources
- Sack of Rome (1527) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-31
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.