The sack of Rome, 1527

by Judith Hook

The sack of Rome shocked the Christian world. Following the battle of Pavia, Pope Clement VII joined the French-led League of Cognac to resist the threatened Habsburg domination of Europe. Emperor Charles V appealed to the German diet for support and raised an army, which entered Italy in 1527 and joined the imperial forces from Milan, commanded by the duke of Bourbon. This army marched on Rome, hoping to detach the pope from the league. The many Lutherans in its ranks boasted that they came with hemp halters to hang the cardinals and a silk one for the pope. Rome fell on 6 May 1527, Bourbon being killed in the first assault. Discipline collapsed, and the city was savagely pillaged for a week before some control was restored. Judith Hook's book is a classic narrative history of these events and one of the first to appear in English.

Genres: History, Italy

352 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 1972

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most well-written thing ever, but tons of information and definitely made me curious to read more, which is the hallmark of a good history book.

[Victoria]

This book is pretty terrible in terms of both argument (that the Sack of Rome in 1527 led to a new "national" consciousness among Italians -- are you joking) and execution, being poorly researched and betraying a really very facile understanding of both Roman and peninsular politics in the early 16th century.

But maybe it will get better the more I read. :|

[Ben Rothman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sack of Rome is one of the most important events in history. After Charles V destroyed Rome, the Pope wasn't about to mess with him again. So when Henry VIII asked for an annulment of his marriage to Charles' aunt Catherine, guess what the Pope said?