historically the cinquecento is characterized by the end of the process of unification of italy, because of the french invasions and the "sack of rome" in 1527. later in the century italy was devastated by the "italian wars" done mainly between france and the emerging spain (a new country that enjoyed the richness and power from the discovery of america done by cristoforo colombo), that divided between themselves the italian peninsula and its "rinascimento richness".