Written by Don Giovanni Bosco
(Extracted from “A Compendium of Italian History From the Fall of the Roman Empire” by Don Giovanni Bosco.)
The Italians formed a new league to oppose the Imperialists and free themselves from their yoke. Up to this time Charles V had respected the Pope; but Clement VII having refused to make the concessions demanded of him, the emperor became indignant. To have his revenge, he ordered the duke of Bourbon, who now commanded the Spanish army in Lombardy, to march against Rome and take possession at once of the city and of the pontiff. This severe order he promptly obeyed, for he who had betrayed his king was also able to betray his own religion.
The Spanish army, now that the French king was taken and all immediate danger at an end, had become relaxed in discipline, and appeared more in the character of those adventurers who, when relieved from care, fall into a thousand disorders, and dishonour the profession of arms by turning warfare into rapine and murder. The duke of Bourbon, with a crowd of mercenary soldiers, amongst whom were above 13,000 Germans, marched forward to Rome. His passage through the country was marked by every kind of devastation. The cities, the villages, the poorest cottages were sacked, and the unfortunate inhabitants infamously murdered.
[Giovanni] de Medici, called the Knight of the Black Orders [Giovanni dalle Bande Nere], attempted to make head against them. He was captain of an army of adventurers, and united to extraordinary strength great courage and military science. He maintained also a severe discipline in his army, which had produced many renowned captains. [Giovanni] de Medici now came forward to oppose the Imperialists with all his energy, and gained many advantages over them, but in a wild skirmish he was struck in the thigh and soon after died.
The armed rabble of Bourbon, freed from the watchful opposition of [Giovanni] de Medici, now pursued their course without delay, and soon arrived within the Papal States. The Pope was taken by surprise, not imagining that a Christian prince would turn his arms against the head of his own religion. But he was terribly undeceived when he saw the Spanish army before the gates of Rome. On that day the constable dressed himself in white armour, the better to be visible to his own people; and never ceased urging his soldiers to the combat, promising that they should enjoy the sack of that great capital. The confusion which now followed within the walls of Rome is indescribable. The Pope demanded money of all the rich citizens to make the necessary preparations for resistance; but they all, whether through folly or perfidy, refused any supplies for the succour of their country, and that at a moment when they ought to have sacrificed everything for it, even to the last farthing. Still the Pope ordered the gates to be shut, and a grand defence to be made. The Imperialists not being able to enter the city freely, as they wished, assailed the bastions, but Were thrown back into the fosses by the Romans. Seeing this, the constable took a ladder, placed it against the wall, and courageously ascended; but being struck by a musket ball, he fell dead to the ground, expiating his perfidy with his life. This circumstance irritated the enemy beyond measure, who rushed from every quarter, and having overcome a most obstinate resistance, scaled the walls, descended into the streets, occupied the city, and gave it over to be sacked.
It is wholly impossible to describe the cruel rapacity of the soldiers, the murders and the horrors of that fatal day. For three months Rome was miserably given a prey to the fury of an unbridled soldiery. Nothing was spared, neither private houses nor churches, by those wretches, who had neither country nor religion to bind them. The Pope himself, after having taken refuge in the Castle of St. Angelo, fell into their hands, and was exposed to every kind of outrage.
Charles himself, who had returned to Spain, could not refrain from blushing, when he was informed of the enormities which had been perpetrated in his name. Putting on mourning, and feigning to be profoundly afflicted for the indignities which the Pope had suffered, he went in person to Rome, presented himself to the Pope, and set him at liberty, asking his forgiveness for these offences, and promising to use his utmost endeavours to repair his wrongs. The Pope, believing him to be really penitent, overlooked all the misfortunes of which he had been the author, and, deceived by his promises, received him again into the bosom of the Church. But Charles was really influenced in his wish to conciliate the Pope only by the discords which were breaking out in different parts of his own dominions, and it was not long before he began again to mix himself up in the affairs of the Church, and create again deep disgust in the mind of the Roman pontiff. Meantime he was becoming advanced in years, and began to feel that neither human grandeur nor vast possessions could quiet the remorse which his past conduct occasioned him. He accordingly now formed a determination which is without example in the history of emperors.
He convoked at Brussels the chief princes of his dominions, and publicly announced to them that, wearied by the cares of the world, he had resolved to retire into a monastery, and there seek that repose which he could never enjoy upon the throne. He then recommended his officers to yield obedience to his son, as they had yielded it to himself. This said, he descended from the throne, and soon after entered a convent of the Augustines, situated in Estremadura [Spain]. On his arrival, the monks received him with the greatest respect—surprised to see a king, who for so many years had ruled over millions, prefer their poverty to the crown of many kingdoms.
'I come here,' he said,' poor and naked as on the day of my birth, and hope to find amongst you the peace which I cannot find in the world.' He passed his time there for the most part in exercises of piety, and in works of severe penitence. The only pleasure which the king, who could never be idle for a moment, allowed himself, was to collect a large number of clocks in his rooms and watch if their movements were perfectly uniform. And when he saw that they always differed from each other more or less, he exclaimed,' Ought I to wonder that I could not get men to agree with one another, when I cannot make these clocks agree, which after all are mere machines?'
Thus Charles, after having spent some years of his life in penitence, died in the monastery, and was buried on the same spot.
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