00:00 The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts that lasted from 1494 to 1559 and fundamentally changed war and politics in Europe forever.

05:35 Between 1495 and 1517, France and Spain battled it out in various configurations involving other European powers and the Italian states, resulting in Milan being in French hands and Naples in Spanish hands by the end of the War of the League of Cambrai in 1516, setting the stage for the next 40 years of the Italian wars.

10:43 King Francis I of France, in an attempt to rectify the injustices he felt from Charles V, initiated the first of many wars between the two by invading Luxembourg and Navarre, resulting in a series of expensive sieges and the collapse of French rule in Milan, but the French were not giving up and planned to retake the Duchy with the help of the Swiss, however, their desire for a decisive battle led to their downfall and the French attempt to retake Milan was unsuccessful.

15:36 King Francis I of France, after facing a series of setbacks and betrayals, led a large army into Italy and laid siege to the city of Pavia, but was ultimately defeated and taken prisoner by the Spanish and Imperial forces, resulting in France having to agree to humiliating terms.

21:23 The harsh peace terms between Francis I and Charles V put a temporary stop to the wars, but alliances began to fracture and Francis sought ways to render the treaty null and void, leading to the formation of the League of Cognac aimed at Charles V's ambitions in Italy, and ultimately resulting in the sack of Rome by Spanish and imperial soldiers.

26:16 The Spanish and Imperial Army, led by Charles de Bourbon, was in a state of mutiny due to lack of payment, and despite attempts at negotiation and promises of money, they were not interested in peace and were heading towards Rome with the intention of sacking the city.

31:21 In May 1527, Bourbon's army breached the walls of Rome and unleashed a wave of violence and destruction, resulting in the death of thousands of civilians and the pillaging of the city.

36:02 Charles V ordered the attack on Rome and the capture of Pope Clement, leading to shockwaves throughout the Christian world and earning him even more enemies, but ultimately resulting in his victory and reign over most of the Italian peninsula.

40:41 Emperor Charles V faced a complicated strategic position in 1536, as he had to defend against the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the east, deal with the Reformation and opposition from German princes, protect his Spanish holdings from North African pirates and potential revolts, guard against invasion from France, and maintain control over his interests in Italy.

45:44 The inevitable next war between Emperor Charles V and King Francis I began in 1536, with Charles taking an army from Milan into Provence and ordering an invasion of northern France, both of which were disastrous, leading to two years of expensive and devastating war that didn't actually solve anything.

50:35 The Italian Wars came to an end in 1559 after 65 years of almost continuous war, leaving behind a devastated Italy and marking the end of the Italian Renaissance.