Papal Troops Massacre Cesena: 2,000 Civilians Slain
Papal mercenaries under Cardinal Robert of Geneva slaughtered over 2,000 residents of Cesena after the city resisted Church authority, an atrocity so severe it earned Robert the nickname "Butcher of Cesena." The massacre deepened Italian resentment of the Avignon papacy and fueled the political chaos that culminated in the Western Schism just months later.
February 3, 1377
649 years ago
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