Jessica Goethals (NYU)
Early Modern Ends: The Sack of Rome and the Renovatio Imperative
The years framed by the Italian Wars were ones of escalating apocalypticism that began with Charles VIII’s 1494 entrance into Italy and culminated in the devastating 1527 Sack of Rome at the hands of Charles V’s imperial troops. This heightened tone may be attributed at least in part to a surge in both revamped pro-imperialist prophecies, and, simultaneously, anti-papal writings and predictions. This juxtaposition revived the confrontation between imperial and papal powers, for centuries an integral part of the apocalyptic tradition.
Alfonso de Valdes’ Diálogo de las cosas ocurridas en Roma and Baldassare Castiglione’s vitriolic letter of response frame my paper, which looks specifically at apocalyptic interpretations written in the immediate aftermath of the Sack. Valdés (imperial secretary to Charles V) utilizes Apocalypse 17 to argue that Rome, a whorish and Bablyonic city, was divinely chastised. Castiglione (papal nuncio to Clement VII) presents Rome as a Jerusalem and Valdés as the Heliodorus who wishes to defile her temple (an image that recalls the Stanza di Eliodoro, whose recent penetration by imperial troops Castiglione decries). Their exchange exemplifies a larger debate about Rome’s identity as a city of biblical destruction as well as how to best enact a post-Sack religious and cultural renovatio, fueled by either papal or imperial authority. Throughout my paper I also make reference to other works that participate in this debate, including: Clement VII’s and Charles V’s letters, La presa di Roma, Luigi Guicciardini’s Il sacco di Roma, and Jacopo Buonaparte’s Ragguaglio Storico Di Tutto l'Occorso Giorno Per Giorno Nel Sacco Di Roma.
Alfonso de Valdes’ Diálogo de las cosas ocurridas en Roma and Baldassare Castiglione’s vitriolic letter of response frame my paper, which looks specifically at apocalyptic interpretations written in the immediate aftermath of the Sack. Valdés (imperial secretary to Charles V) utilizes Apocalypse 17 to argue that Rome, a whorish and Bablyonic city, was divinely chastised. Castiglione (papal nuncio to Clement VII) presents Rome as a Jerusalem and Valdés as the Heliodorus who wishes to defile her temple (an image that recalls the Stanza di Eliodoro, whose recent penetration by imperial troops Castiglione decries). Their exchange exemplifies a larger debate about Rome’s identity as a city of biblical destruction as well as how to best enact a post-Sack religious and cultural renovatio, fueled by either papal or imperial authority. Throughout my paper I also make reference to other works that participate in this debate, including: Clement VII’s and Charles V’s letters, La presa di Roma, Luigi Guicciardini’s Il sacco di Roma, and Jacopo Buonaparte’s Ragguaglio Storico Di Tutto l'Occorso Giorno Per Giorno Nel Sacco Di Roma.
