The Landsknecht were a force of German mercenaries sent to Italy by Emperor Charles V as a warning to the inept Medici Pope, Clement VII. But in May 1527, they mutinied and stormed the city. The Landsknecht were Protestants who believed the Pope was the Antichrist. Infuriated by tales of papal hedonism, they ran amok in the satanic city. The small papal army didn't stand a chance as the Landsknecht went berserk. They slaughtered everyone they encountered in the streets. They disembowelled priests. They turned monasteries into brothels. The Eternal City had become Hell on Earth. The Pope tried to negotiate with them, but no one could stop the mayhem. So, he escaped from the Vatican along the passato, this fortified passageway, to seek refuge in the Castel Sant'Angelo. And here he hid for almost an entire year. The Pope's health disintegrated. Outside of the Castel, Rome was ravaged. The city was devastated. The population halved by hunger, murder and plague.


罗马皇帝查尔斯五世派遣德国雇佣宾去攻打意大利，算是对出自美帝奇家族那位蠢笨教皇克雷芒七世的警告。然而在1527年5月他们却发生了暴乱，闯入了这座城市。这些步兵是新教徒，他们认为教皇是基督教的反对者。教皇寻欢作乐，这传闻刺激了他们，他们在这座“罪恶之城”横行无忌。而教皇军在他们面前不堪一击。谁阻挡他们的脚步，他们就除掉他们。他们对牧师施以酷刑，开膛破腹。他们将修士扔进妓院。永恒之城变成了人间地狱。教皇试图与他们协商，但是无人能阻止这场暴乱。因此教皇从经过加固的走廊逃离了梵蒂冈去圣天使堡寻求庇护。他在圣天使堡内藏匿了近乎一年。教皇的身子衰败了。在城堡外，罗马被雇佣兵蹂躏。城市被他们破坏。人口由于饥饿、杀戮和瘟疫迅速减半。