Atlas of Battles

siege, major, early modern

Sack of Rome, 1527

Sack of Rome, 1527 was a siege conducted on 6 May 1527 at Rome, in what is now Italy. It was part of the War of the League of Cognac, which ran from 1526 to 1530. The recorded result: see Aftermath and effects.

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Sack of Rome, 1527
Johannes Lingelbach, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 May 1527
WhereRome, Italy41.833N, 12.500E
Outcomesee Aftermath and effects
BelligerentsPapal StatesagainstImperial army (mutinous)
Casualties and losses1,000 militiamen killed; 147 Swiss Guards killedandUnknown
Part ofWar of the League of Cognac1526 to 1530

Where it sits in the War of the League of Cognac

Battle of Camollia, 1526Battle of Governolo, 1526Sack of Rome, 1527, 1527Stand of the Swiss Guard, 1527Siege of Pavia, 1528Siege of Pavia, 1528Siege of Naples, 1528Battle of Capo d'Orso, 1528Siege of Monopoli, 1529Battle of Landriano, 1529Siege of Florence, 1529Battle of Gavinana, 153015261530Sack of Rome, 1527, 1527
12 placed engagements of the War of the League of Cognac in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 May 1527
PlaceRome, Italy
41.833N, 12.500E
KindSiege, early modern
Strength5,000 militiamen; 189 Swiss Guards20,000+ (mutinous); 14,000 German Landsknechte; 6,000 Spanish soldiers; Unclear number of Italian mercenaries
Casualties and losses1,000 militiamen killed; 147 Swiss Guards killedUnknown; 45,000 civilians dead, wounded, or exiled
Commanders
  • Pope Clement VII
  • Caspar Röist
  • Renzo da Ceri
  • Michele Antonio of Saluzzo
Sack of Rome, 1527Sack of Rome, 1527Stand of the Swiss GuardGerman occupation of RomeSiege of RomeSack of RomeSack of RomeStand of the Swiss GuardSack of RomeNaplesPescaraL'AquilaCivitavecchiaCasertaCampobasso100 km41.833N, 12.500E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Sack of Rome, 1527
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Sack of Rome, 1527 today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-08-23. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 47 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 2 to 105 m, 103 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 39% tree cover, 35% built-up, 15% grassland.

tree cover: 39%built-up: 35%grassland: 15%cropland: 9%tree cover 39%built-up 35%grassland 15%cropland 9%
west to east, 10.0 km2 to 82 mnorth to south, 10.0 km15 to 70 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 16 times between 476 BC and 1943.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1527

Sack of Rome, 1527 is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q465627, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Sack of Rome (1527), revision 1372345219, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.