Pope Clement VII in Santa Maria sopra Minerva - Rome, Italy - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

He brought to the papal throne a high reputation for political ability and possessed in fact all the accomplishments of a wily diplomat. However, he was considered by his contemporaries as worldly and indifferent to the perceived dangers of the Protestant Reformation by the people of the papacy.

The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, then part of the Papal States. It marked a crucial imperial victory in the conflict between Charles and the League of Cognac (1526–1529) — the alliance of France, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papacy.

Pope Clement VII had given his support to the Kingdom of France in an attempt to alter the balance of power in the region, and free the Papacy from dependency, i.e. a growing weakness to "Imperial domination" by the Holy Roman Empire (and the Habsburg dynasty).

On 6 May, the Imperial army attacked the walls at the Gianicolo and Vatican Hills. One of the Swiss Guard's most notable hours occurred at this time. Almost the entire guard was massacred by Imperial troops on the steps of St Peter's Basilica. Of 189 guards on duty only the 42 who accompanied the pope survived, but the bravery of the rearguard ensured that Pope Clement VII escaped to safety, down the Passetto di Borgo, a secret corridor which still links the Vatican City to Castel Sant'Angelo. On 6 June, Clement VII surrendered, and agreed to pay a ransom of 400,000 ducati in exchange for his life.

This event marked the end of the Roman Renaissance, damaged the papacy's prestige and freed Charles V's hands to act against the Reformation in Germany.

By the late 1520s, King Henry VIII wanted to have his marriage to Charles's aunt Catherine of Aragon annulled. The couple's sons died in infancy, threatening the future of the Tudor dynasty, although Henry did have a daughter, Mary Tudor.

In 1527 Henry asked Pope Clement to annul the marriage, but the Pope refused. Henry subsequently underwent a marriage ceremony with Anne Boleyn, in either late 1532 or early 1533. The Pope responded to the marriage by excommunicating Henry from the Catholic Church.

Ultimately Henry led the English Parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy (1534) that established the independent Church of England and breaking from the Catholic Church.

As for the arts, Clement VII is remembered for having ordered, just a few days before his death, Michelangelo's painting of The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.

-- All text taken from Wikipedia

Description: See long description Date of birth: 05/26/1478 Date of death: 09/25/1534 Area of notoriety: Religion Marker Type: Statue Setting: Indoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 7:30 am – 7:00 pm Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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