Hello and welcome to the History of the Germans, Episode 237, How Italy fell to the Habsburgs,

from the Peace of Madrid to the Sack of Rome.

We're coming closer to the end of our series on the fall and rise of the House of Habsburg.

We've seen the Reconciliation of Austria, the acquisition of Burgundy, the inheritance

of Spain, and today we'll look at the last stages of the Italian wars.

This conflict kicked off by King Charles the 8th of France in 1494 had given rise to changes

of dominions, subversion of kingdoms, desolation of

countries, destruction of cities, and the cruelest massacres. But also new fashions, new customs,

new and bloody ways awaiting warfare, and diseases which had been unknown to that time,

end quote. Many players of this game had exited stage left, and it was now just France and the Habsburgs

in various alliances with the remaining Italian powers in England who fought for control.

The War of the League of Cognac, 1526 to 1530, was when brutality reached at Zenith with the saco di Roma, the

saccharom, that brought back the specter of the vandals. A lot of drama to get through.

But before we start, let me tell you about the moment I had been waiting for for four and a half years.

As you can imagine, anyone who sets out to tell the story of one's homeland over hundreds of

episodes is not only deranged, but also exceedingly vain.

It had always been my secret dream that one day someone would come up to me and say,

are you the guy from that history podcast, history of the Germans? And it has finally happened. I was in Palermo, going to a

restaurant where I had forgotten my glasses the night before, and a gentleman came up to me and asked

me exactly this, are you the guy from that podcast?

And then went on to say that he had just listened to the Frederick the second episodes in preparation for the journey.

I was so flabbergasted. I could not say anything. I did not even ask for a selfie or the name.

...