May 1605 papal conclave
Papal conclave May 1605 | |
---|---|
Dates and location | |
8–16 May 1605 Apostolic Palace, Papal States | |
Elected pope | |
Camillo Borghese Name taken: Paul V | |
In the
Background
Pope Clement VIII died in March 1605. The 60 cardinal electors who met in the conclave to elect his successor were split among various factions roughly equally divided between loyalty to France and to Spain.[1] In addition to the secular politics that influenced these papal elections, during this period they were marked by a strategy among elite families to acquire prestige and power. These strategies often played out over several generations through patronage and the accumulation of wealth, and bestowing favours on family members once an individual's election to the papacy was expected.[2]
Sources from the time of the
Leo was 70 at the time of his election and, though in good health previously, fell ill on the day of his coronation. He died on 27 April 1605, 26 days after his election to the papacy. During his illness, Leo had been encouraged to appoint a
Conclave
In addition to Leo, another cardinal had died, reducing the number of cardinal electors in the May conclave to 59. At the beginning of the conclave,
Aldobrandini moved to support
Election of Paul V
Following the disruption, a vote was taken and it became clear that Toschi lacked the support needed for election by two votes. The leaders of the competing factions met to select a compromise candidate and Camillo Borghese was unanimously elected pope the same day.
As a cardinal, Paul had previously maintained neutrality between the great powers of Spain and France that had dominated the previous conclave and were present in the current one as well. While he had been the papal envoy to Spain and was receiving a pension from them, he was largely low profile as a cardinal and perceived as neutral. At 54, Paul was young at the time of his election, and was anticipated to have a lengthy papacy, not requiring a third conclave soon.[1] He lived until 1621, reigning nearly 16 years.
See also
- Cardinal electors for the papal conclave, May 1605
Notes
- ^ a b Walsh 2003, p. 125.
- ^ a b c d e Hsia 2005, p. 99.
- ^ Freiherr von Pastor 1952, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Freiherr von Pastor 1952, p. 8.
- ^ Freiherr von Pastor 1952, p. 17.
- ^ a b Ott 1910.
- ^ a b c d Baumgartner 2003, p. 141.
- ^ Pattenden 2017, p. 45.
- ^ Jedin and Dolan 1980, p. 615.
- ^ Martinich 1999, p. 35.
References
- Baumgartner, Frederic J. (2003). Behind Locked Doors. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-29463-8.
- Freiherr von Pastor, Ludwig (1952) [1899]. Graf, Ernest (ed.). The History of the Popes. Vol. XXV. B. Herder Book Co.
- Hsia, R. Po-Chia (2005). The World of Catholic Renewal, 1540–1770. ISBN 978-0-521-84154-2.
- Jedin, Hubert; Dolan, John Patrick, eds. (1980). History of the Church: Reformation and Counter Reformation. Burns & Oates. ISBN 9780860120858.
- Martinich, A.P. (1999). Hobbes: A Biography. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521495837.
- Ott, Michael (1910). "Leo XI". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. Robert Appleton Company.
- Pattenden, Miles (2017). Electing the Pope in early modern Italy, 1450-1700. Oxford: Oxford University Press. OCLC 980220999.
- Walsh, Michael J. (2003). The Conclave: A Sometimes Secret and Occasionally Bloody History of Papal Elections. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-58051-135-3.