Matthias Schulz: The Bloody Sack of Rome
[Matthias Schulz writes for Spiegel Online.]
It was something that people across Europe could not quite believe had happened. Brutish intruders with wheel-lock pistols and long spears had been allowed to capture the Eternal City. Rome's Aurelian Walls had failed. The air in the city was filled with the prayers of desperate citizens, beseeching God to prevent a German victory.
But heaven did not intervene when, on the morning of May 6, 1527, an army of mercenaries fighting on behalf of German Emperor Charles V began to storm the capital of Christendom. Thousands of mercenaries, using crudely fashioned ladders made of laths and vine stakes, attempted to climb Rome's ancient defensive walls.
The city's defenders put up a brave fight. Powder smoke billowed from heavy cannons at Castel Sant' Angelo, the papal stronghold. Two waves of attacks were repelled.
But it was no use. At 7:30 a.m., the intruders broke through Rome's defenses and entered the Vatican district. From there, they crossed the bridges across the Tiber River and, with a horrible roar, advanced into the center of Rome.
What happened next triggered an uproar for months in Renaissance Europe. A leaderless army of 24,000 men took control of one of the world's most magnificent cities. According to one chronicler of the attack, the men dragged off sacks of gold and stabbed so many citizens "that one could no longer see the pavement while walking down the street, there were so many corpses."
The "Sacco di Roma," or Sack of Rome, became deeply ingrained in the Italian national consciousness. To this day, Roman villas are still marked by the graffiti the invaders left behind.
The Vatican, which lost more than 70 percent of its protection force, the Swiss Guard, during the attack, is particularly keen to commemorate those events. Traditionally, new recruits to the Swiss Guard are sworn in on the anniversary of the bloody incident as a testament to their bravery all those years ago. This Wednesday, according to protocol, the event began with an early mass and a wreath-laying ceremony. After that, the new soldiers took their oath of office in the Apostolic Palace, and were then granted a private audience with the pope.
But what exactly happened close to 500 years ago? Dozens of scholars have tried to make sense of the horrific event, in which up to 10,000 died. Historian Volker Reinhardt of the University of Fribourg has now presented the most unsparing analysis. He interprets the Sacco as an invasion of evil and a "storm surge" that led to the bursting of all dams of humanity...
Read entire article at Spiegel Online
It was something that people across Europe could not quite believe had happened. Brutish intruders with wheel-lock pistols and long spears had been allowed to capture the Eternal City. Rome's Aurelian Walls had failed. The air in the city was filled with the prayers of desperate citizens, beseeching God to prevent a German victory.
But heaven did not intervene when, on the morning of May 6, 1527, an army of mercenaries fighting on behalf of German Emperor Charles V began to storm the capital of Christendom. Thousands of mercenaries, using crudely fashioned ladders made of laths and vine stakes, attempted to climb Rome's ancient defensive walls.
The city's defenders put up a brave fight. Powder smoke billowed from heavy cannons at Castel Sant' Angelo, the papal stronghold. Two waves of attacks were repelled.
But it was no use. At 7:30 a.m., the intruders broke through Rome's defenses and entered the Vatican district. From there, they crossed the bridges across the Tiber River and, with a horrible roar, advanced into the center of Rome.
What happened next triggered an uproar for months in Renaissance Europe. A leaderless army of 24,000 men took control of one of the world's most magnificent cities. According to one chronicler of the attack, the men dragged off sacks of gold and stabbed so many citizens "that one could no longer see the pavement while walking down the street, there were so many corpses."
The "Sacco di Roma," or Sack of Rome, became deeply ingrained in the Italian national consciousness. To this day, Roman villas are still marked by the graffiti the invaders left behind.
The Vatican, which lost more than 70 percent of its protection force, the Swiss Guard, during the attack, is particularly keen to commemorate those events. Traditionally, new recruits to the Swiss Guard are sworn in on the anniversary of the bloody incident as a testament to their bravery all those years ago. This Wednesday, according to protocol, the event began with an early mass and a wreath-laying ceremony. After that, the new soldiers took their oath of office in the Apostolic Palace, and were then granted a private audience with the pope.
But what exactly happened close to 500 years ago? Dozens of scholars have tried to make sense of the horrific event, in which up to 10,000 died. Historian Volker Reinhardt of the University of Fribourg has now presented the most unsparing analysis. He interprets the Sacco as an invasion of evil and a "storm surge" that led to the bursting of all dams of humanity...