Changes

The Sack of Rome is often considered the end of the Renaissance. The brutal seizure of the Eternal City and the subsequent eight-month occupation by a band of mutinous rebellious soldiers changed the Papacy and indeed Italy. The Papacy was no longer able to resist Spanish domination , and it increasingly followed the policies of first Charles V and later Phillip II. This led to increasing efforts by the Pope, through the Office of the Inquisition to enforce Religious Orthodoxy. The Sack of Rome, shattered the city’s economy and no longer were the Pope’s able ability to spend lavishly on buildings, books , and works of art. These factors changed Italian society.  It was no longer as open or free , and artists and writers became afraid to express their opinions. The secular and human values espoused by the Renaissance no longer were acceptable in the new and increasingly intolerant atmosphere. The Sack destroyed the last centre in Italy that could provide the wealth and patronage needs by artists and writers. As Spain increasingly dominated the City-States of Italy and the old liberal atmosphere that contributed so much to the Renaissance was ended. The Sack of Rome in 1527 did not suddenly end stop the Renaissance but it did help to hasten its demise.