Battle of Rome

The Italian Wars of the 16th century are taught much less frequently than the periods when Rome fell to the Visigoths in 410 and 476, which put an end to the Western Roman Empire. One such instance is the attack on May 6, 1527, by the army of the Holy Roman Imperial under Charles III, the Duke of Bourbon. They had 34,000 people, compared to Rome's 5,000 defenders. There were just 2,000 professionals in the top-tier Swiss Guard. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's forces were underfed and he abandoned his cannons to reach the city more quickly, thus the defenders at least had the advantage of artillery.

A fog bank rolled in, giving the Imperial Army one more edge as they battled imprecise small-arms and artillery fire to reach the city walls. It was just bad luck that one of the bullets struck and killed Charles III. Without Charles to act as a pacifying influence, his anti-papal troops turned into rabid mobs of German, Italian, and Spanish soldiers who had little patience for defenders or civilians. 42 Swiss Guards were still alive.

Pope Clement VII just about made it out of the bag as soldiers fired at him. Rome's population fell from approximately 55,000 to less than 10,000 as a result of the devastation. They had to make due with the fact that Rome had little food and a serious illness outbreak brought on by all the bodies left in the streets, which killed many of the invaders, as retribution. The Swiss Guard continues to honor the guards who gave their life that day to protect the papacy.

Date: 2 March 537 – 12 March 538 AD
Location: Rome, Italy
Result: Roman victory
Territorial: changes