Rome Falls: Imperial Sack Ends Papal Security
Imperial troops sacked Rome on May 6, 1527, after their commander, Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, was killed by a shot from an arquebus during the initial assault. Some historians credit the shot to Benvenuto Cellini, who claimed it in his autobiography. With their commander dead, the 20,000 Spanish, German, and Italian troops devolved into an undisciplined mob. They spent eight days looting, murdering, and ransacking churches and palaces. Pope Clement VII fled through the Passetto di Borgo, a secret elevated passage connecting the Vatican to Castel Sant'Angelo, and endured a seven-month siege. Of the 189 Swiss Guards defending the Pope, 147 died on the steps of St. Peter's. The Sack shocked Europe and effectively ended the Renaissance in Rome.
May 6, 1527
499 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 6
The Constable of Bourbon died in the first wave, shot off a scaling ladder before his unpaid army even reached Rome's walls. What followed wasn't a battle. For …
Manco Inca brought 100,000 warriors to reclaim Cuzco from roughly 200 Spanish defenders. The numbers weren't even close. But those 200 had horses, steel armor, …
The problem wasn't that most English people couldn't read Latin. It's that their priests couldn't either. Henry VIII's 1536 order for English Bibles in every ch…
For the first time, an English farmer could walk into his parish church and read God's words in his own language. Henry VIII—the same king who'd broken with Rom…
Francis Xavier arrived in Old Goa to begin a decade of Jesuit missionary work across Asia. His presence transformed the region into the administrative heart of …
Maurice of Nassau brought English troops to a Spanish-held Dutch city and didn't storm the walls. He dug. For weeks, his engineers tunneled toward Coevorden's f…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.