The Sack of Rome, E.R. Chamberlin
The Sack of Rome, E.R. Chamberlin
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The Sack of Rome

Author: E.R. Chamberlin

Narrator: Tim Campbell

Unabridged: 9 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/07/2023

Synopsis

In the early morning of 6 May, 1527, the 20,000 starving, unpaid troops of Emperor Charles V began their assault on the great walls of Rome. After only a few hours they had overcome the barricades; the city into which they streamed was now in their grip. This uncontrollable force of German landsknechts, Spanish soldiers, and Italian mercenaries showed no mercy as they plundered, raped, and slayed their way through the holy city.

Why was this monumental army camped outside the walls of Rome? Did the Protestant beliefs of many landsknechts cause them to act more mercilessly towards the Pope's subjects? And how were some of the most powerful men in history powerless to stop this atrocious event?

The Sack of Rome traces the origins of these tragic events and uncovers the personalities behind it, from Charles de Bourbon, the leader of the army who was killed at the moment of assault, to King François I of France and Emperor Charles V, whose rivalry had laid waste Italian lands, and of course, Pope Clement VII, who had retreated to the safety of Castel Sant' Angelo while his Swiss Guard were slaughtered behind him. Drawing upon numerous contemporary sources, E. R. Chamberlin has created an engrossing account, contrasting the glory of Renaissance Rome before the Imperial army arrived with the squalor that was left in its wake.

About E.R. Chamberlin

E. R. Chamberlin was an author and historian. During his lifetime, he authored numerous popular history books on topics ranging from ancient Rome to twentieth-century Britain. Although he was born in Jamaica, he returned to England with his father during the Great Depression. Chamberlin dropped out of school when he was fourteen and became an apprentice leather dresser.

When he was old enough, he eagerly left this work behind to enlist in the Royal Navy in 1944. He served in the military until 1947 and then found work at the Norwich Public Library. It was here that his real education began, and Chamberlin took advantage of his vocation by reading history texts avidly. He later also worked at the Holborn Public Library and then for the book division at Readers' Digest.

His first book, The Count of Virtue: Giangaleazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, was released in 1965. This would be followed by thirty more books over the next three decades. Among these are The Bad Popes, The Sack of Rome, The Nineteenth Century, The Emperor, Charlemagne, and The Tower of London: An Illustrated History. Also active in historical preservation projects, Chamberlin helped rescue the Guildford Institute building from destruction in 1982 and had a monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson constructed on Mt. Etna in Italy.

For the former endeavor, Chamberlin was recognized with an honorary degree from the University of Surrey in 1982.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Simon

When his French advisers displayed horror at the sweeping terms of his capitulation, he smiled, assured them that he had not the slightest intention of keeping such a promise and promptly obliged them to swear to keep his intentions secret, blithely ignoring the fact that he had himself substantial......more

Goodreads review by dia

I got a free digital copy of this book via Netgalley. This book was first published in 1979, so it's a whole new edition now (though I have no idea if there were any changes made from the original or not). I'm not familiar with E.R. Chamberlin or his work, but as far as I read this book (got to 40%),......more

Goodreads review by Margie

Chamberlin is one of the most fascinating historians I’ve read. It’s difficult to put his books down. In this case he’s taken an event that is usually no more than a blip in a history book, the sixteenth century Sack of Rome, teased it out into a full-fledged tragedy, well researched and described i......more

Goodreads review by Dan

Details of the horrendous sack of Rome by Spanish, French and German troops don't begin until two-thirds of the way through the book. The first two-thirds are devoted with clarity and perspective to the complex reasons and personalities that led up to the weeks-long sacking. Told with an historian's......more

Goodreads review by G Fogden

A masterly description of a tragic event. This was by far the most masterly description of the tragedy that was the Sack of Rome I have read. The complexities of the personalities, politics and events of the time were defined in agonising clarity and kept me enthralled by every paragraph. A must read......more

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