Basilica of San Petronio, Bologna. Coronation of Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor. This coronation was agreed upon by Pope Clement VII Medici and Emperor Charles V to heal the political and religious conflicts dividing the Italian and European worlds and to achieve that “universal peace” in the Christian West that would ensure a more effective defense against Turkish aggression that had reached the gates of Vienna. Preparations for the meeting between the two sovereigns, already underway for some time, encountered difficulties and delays due to the pope’s uncertain will to achieve these common goals according to the modalities proposed by imperial diplomacy. These difficulties concerned, among other things, the venue for the meeting: Clement VII would have preferred Rome, while Charles V chose Bologna instead, given the resentment of the Romans against him. After the Sack of Rome (1527) carried out by the imperial troops, a moment of extreme conflict between the Papacy and the Empire, the intense diplomatic activity which followed during 1529 led to a rapprochement between the opposing parties which would be favourable to the preparation of the meeting in Bologna.
