The Sack of Rome began at dawn on May 6, 1527, when the largely unpaid imperial army—composed of Spanish troops and German Landsknechts—assaulted the city. Their commander, Charles de Bourbon, was killed early in the attack, leaving the army effectively uncontrolled. What followed was not a coordinated siege but a violent collapse of order. Rome was poorly prepared for defense. As imperial forces entered the city, panic spread. Pope Clement VII retreated toward the Vatican complex while resistan