SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys

The King of Spain hires a bunch of mercenaries to go to war and refuses to pay them leading to them sacking Rome for a paycheck.

Sources:

https://www.historynet.com/rome-ravaged/

https://www.medievalists.net/2022/06/sack-rome-1527/

https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2023/05/the-darkest-day-in-the-history-of-the-swiss-guard/

Idan Sherer. A Bloody Carnival? Charles' V Soldiers and the Sack of Rome in 1527