The History of the Church through 100 Masterpieces

The Sack οf Rome

The History of the Church 160 The Sack οf Rome Even a very Catholic sovereign ruler cannot always be selective about his soldiers. Thus, for his campaigns in Italy, Charles V recruited troops from all his domains: Spain, Italy, and Germany. In 1527, this heterogeneous army laid siege to Rome, under the command of a Frenchman, Duke Charles of Bourbon, who died at the beginning of the assault. Thus left to themselves, the soldiers pillaged the city for eight consecutive days. Rape, massacre, destruction... when it was all over, the victims numbered more than 15,000. Even worse, the Protestant German mercenaries organized a parody of a procession below the walls of the Castel Sant’Angelo where Pope Clement VII had taken refuge, chanting: “Vivat Luther pontifex!” (“Long Live Pope Luther”). Actually, Luther had nearly 20 more years to live. For the artistic patrimony of Rome, it was a catastrophe equal to the fift century barbarian sack. Architectural and pictorial works were vandalized, and all religious artifacts—reliquaries, monstrances, ciboria, and precious caskets—disappeared in the turmoil. It is understandable that the German Protestants would have no scruples about laying hands on the objects of what they considered an abominable cult, but they were not the only ones. According to a witness of the pillaging, “the Germans were atrocious, the Spaniards, ferocious, and the Italians even worse.” German, Anonymous (ca. 1527) Georg von Frundsberg, Leader of the German Mercenaries Truppenkameradschaft ...