195 - Italian Wars 12 -  The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza (1526 - 1530)

195 - Italian Wars 12 - The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza (1526 - 1530)

In this episode, we pick up with Emperor Charles V consolidating his power over Italy after the Battle of Pavia (1525), where the French king Francis I was captured. The uneasy Italian states, including Pope Clement VII (Giulio de’ Medici), soon realized they had traded one master for another and formed the League of Cognac (1526) — an anti-imperial alliance including France, Venice, Florence, the Papal States, Milan, and under English protection, Henry VIII.

The league’s formation was steeped in intrigue, false pretenses, and even secret dealings with the Turks. One of Charles’s own commanders, the Marquis of Pescara, pretended to side with the league while feeding the emperor inside information.

Meanwhile, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the famed mercenary from the Medici-Sforza line, met his end in battle, struck by artillery supplied by the duplicitous Duke of Ferrara. His death marked the fading of Italy’s old mercenary tradition — and one of its most charismatic figures.

When the pope attempted to back away from the alliance, Charles’s allies struck at Rome. The Sack of Rome (1527)followed — a devastating episode where mutinous Landsknechts, many of them fervent Lutherans, unleashed horrific violence on the city. For days, the Eternal City was ravaged: thousands slaughtered, churches desecrated, art looted, and the Renaissance dream in Rome brutally extinguished. Pope Clement VII barely escaped to Castel Sant’Angelo, thanks to the sacrifice of his Swiss Guards.

In the chaos that followed, the Papal States collapsed, local lords reclaimed their territories, and the Medici were expelled from Florence, where a new republic was declared — with Jesus Christ symbolically named as its king.

Ultimately, Charles V and Clement VII reconciled. Political realism won out over ideology. Through the Treaties of Barcelona (1529) and Bologna (1530), the Italian Wars entered a quieter phase, and imperial dominance over Italy was secured.

We close with the final chapter of the Sforza dynasty: Francesco II Sforza, the last Duke of Milan, whose death in 1535marked the end of an era — from the rise of the free communes to the age of dynastic rule and foreign domination.

Jaksot(289)

113 – The definitive death of communal Milan (1339 – 1354)

113 – The definitive death of communal Milan (1339 – 1354)

Milan passes from Azzone Visconti to Giovanni and Luchino, expanding among the constantly warring city states of Northern Italy.

5 Touko 202125min

112 – Queen Joanna of Naples (1345 – 1382)

112 – Queen Joanna of Naples (1345 – 1382)

We follow Queen Joanna of Naples as she goes through three more husbands, ever searching for the right one, but getting ambitious power grabbing insensitive men or total nut jobs until she finally settles on the one who will see her to her end. Meanwhile she will guide the kingdom of Naples through the Sicilian question, rebellions, the plague, warring bandits and the great Western schism.

30 Maalis 202121min

Crossover: Colombus and Genoa with the History of North America

Crossover: Colombus and Genoa with the History of North America

The famous/notorious Italian explorer and the city of his birth in this interview with Mark Vinet of the "History of North America podcast

23 Maalis 202145min

Interview: Jennifer Anton, author of "Under the Light of the Italian Moon"

Interview: Jennifer Anton, author of "Under the Light of the Italian Moon"

We had a great chat with Jennifer Anton, author of the novel "Under the Light of the Italian Moon"

8 Maalis 202139min

111 – Joanna of Naples, teenage queen with a boring husband (1326 – 1345)

111 – Joanna of Naples, teenage queen with a boring husband (1326 – 1345)

the rise to the throne of Joanna of Naples, from her marriage at a young age to Andrew. son of the Angevine king of Hungary to her coronation as a teenager after the death of her grandfather Robert of Naples. We will see how her joyful, lively character clashed with that of her husband as complications rose in the kingdom around them, reaching dire consequqnces.

2 Maalis 202124min

110 – Cola fizzes and goes flat (1347 – 1354)

110 – Cola fizzes and goes flat (1347 – 1354)

After his great rise to power in Rome, we see Cola di Rienzo crash and burn... literally

17 Helmi 202124min

109 – Popeless Rome and the rise of Cola (not the drink)

109 – Popeless Rome and the rise of Cola (not the drink)

We take a look at what was happening in Rome while the popes were off in Avignon. We quickly see how Clement V dealt with the movement of Fra Dolcino (spoiler: violently) and then how John XXII and his successor, Gregory XII did. We then introduce Clement VI just in time for him to receive a delegation from Rome headed by a charistmatic, handsome young notary called Cola di Rienzo who, with the support of papal authority, got back to Rome and managed to put himself in the driver's seat quite quickly, even overcoming the resistance of the Roman noble families... for now.

10 Helmi 202126min

Fill-in episode – 2021 Italian government crisis

Fill-in episode – 2021 Italian government crisis

While waiting to get back on track with the regular podcast (back soon), we take the opportunity to update you on history in the making: the current mid-pandemic government crisis

7 Helmi 202114min

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