Rome is in a state of confusion…

Rome is in a state of confusion as Henry approaches the city walls.

The Orsini family has adopted the cause of Robert of Naples, while the Colonna family throw their weight behind Henry.

With their partisans fighting in the streets, Henry is also confronted with the news that the Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican quarter are securely in the hands of Robert, the Angevin king of Naples, who has decided, with help from the Florentines, that his own dynastic interests do not favor a renewed Imperial presence in Italy.

On May 7, Henry’s German troops force their way across the Ponte Milvio and enter Rome, but find it impossible to throw out the Angevin troops from around St. Peters Basilica.