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Papal conclave
February–July 1691
Dates and location
12 February – 12 July 1691
Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Elected pope
Antonio Pignatelli
Name taken: Innocent XII
← 1689
1700 →

The 1691 papal conclave was convened on the death of Pope Alexander VIII and ended with the election of Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli as Pope Innocent XII. It lasted for five months, from 12 February to 12 July 1691. The conclave became deadlocked after the Catholic monarchs opposed the election of Gregorio Barbarigo, who some members of the College of Cardinals also viewed as too strict. The conclave only ended in July when cardinals started to become ill from the heat, and after French cardinals agreed to vote for Pignatelli despite him coming from Spanish-controlled Naples.

Background

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Issues of Gallicanism were prominent in the 1689 conclave that had elected Alexander VIII. Alexander's predecessor, Innocent XI, had refused to confirm new French bishops to the point where thirty-five dioceses lacked a bishop confirmed by Rome in 1688.[1] Alexander's election had been secured by promising that he would confirm the unconfirmed French bishops. Despite this, Alexander's last act as pope before he died was to condemn the Declaration of the Clergy of France on 1 February 1691.[2]

Alexander was also noted for his nepotism that was partially due to his advanced age and belief that his family would have little time to profit from his reign. This was in contrast to his predecessor Innocent XI, who was known for being austere and had not caused any scandals through nepotism.[3]

Conclave

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The conclave began on 12 February 1691, and membership in the College of Cardinals was at its statutory maximum of 70 cardinals. Despite this, at the beginning of the conclave only 38 electors were present. The number rose to 44 electors present by 19 February 1691, and by the time of the election of Innocent XII in July, 61 electors were present.[4]

The curial cardinals entered the conclave seeking to elect Gregorio Barbarigo as pope. Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor, considered him to be an unacceptable choice because he was a Venetian.[5] While Leopold did not formally exclude Barbarigo, he did not wish for him to be elected. In addition to Leopold, the Spanish ambassador in Rome worked against Barbarigo's election, and Louis XIV of France opposed it because of the wishes of his allies.[6]

Leandro Colloredo, who was the leader of the zelanti faction within the college, initially suggested Barbarigo for the pontificate. Colloredo and his faction also had the backing of Flavio Chigi, the cardinal nephew of Alexander VII, in the conclave. Barbarigo was seen as an individual with a firm moral system, and it was thought that he might abolish nepotism if elected.[7]

Despite Leopold not formally excluding Barbarigo, a rumour spread that he had been excluded, and despite the protests of the zelanti faction of cardinals, enough members of the College of Cardinals recognized the Emperor's ability to exclude a candidate that it prevented his election.[8] Leopold had sent an envoy with two letters for his cardinals: the first public letter declared that he did not wish to see Barbarigo excluded, while the second letter, which was private, expressed his desire that Barbarigo not be elected, but that he did not want to take the blame for the exclusion, but rather wished for the Spanish to be the ones to do so.[9] Additionally, some of the more materialistic cardinals feared that Barbarigo would be similarly strict as Pope Innocent XI, and this factored into his failure to win election.[8]

It was clear to the cardinals that Barbarigo would not be elected pope by the end of April, and the conclave entered a period where it had no clear direction. The daily scrutinies would return no successful candidates, and the afternoon scrutinies would often simply repeat the deadlock that had occurred in the morning. Votes even went to non-cardinals for the first time in a conclave since 1503.[8] There was no clear lead as to who might be elected pope, and at one point several cardinals started a fire in the living quarters by accidentally knocking over a lamp while playing cards.[8] While this caused some of the cells housing the cardinals to be unlivable, three cardinals had died by that point so there was room available to relocate the cardinals who had been put out of their previous housing.[8]

Election of Innocent XII

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Federico Altieri began seeking to secure election to the papacy for himself. He had sought to both have a public persona favourable to Leopold I, while also working to curry the favour of Louis XIV. The zelanti faction and Flavio Chigi opposed him, which was enough to stop his victory.[8]

Altieri had positioned himself with his campaign as a credible faction leader within the conclave, and began working to elect his friend Antonio Pignatelli pope. Altieri worked to convince the French cardinals that Pignatelli would not work for the Spanish as pope even though he was from Naples.[8] Pignatelli had received some support in March, but fell short of the majority required for election. At the end of June, however, the heat was increasing and some cardinals became ill.[8] This allowed his candidacy to gain traction, and he was elected pope on 12 July 1691, over the objections of the zelanti faction, and took the name Innocent XII.[10] The conclave was the longest papal election since 1305, having met for more than five months.[11]

Notes

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References

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1691 conclave

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The 1691 papal conclave was the assembly of cardinals held to elect a successor to Pope Alexander VIII, who died on 1 February 1691 at age 80 amid a plague outbreak in Rome. Convened on 12 February with the College of Cardinals at its maximum of 70 members, it endured for nearly five months until 12 July, when Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli del Testa, a 76-year-old Neapolitan diplomat, was chosen as Pope Innocent XII after 150 days of deadlock. This protracted gathering exemplified the era's intense factionalism, pitting the reformist Zelanti (zealous for moral rigor and anti-nepotism) against the pro-French bloc led by Cardinal César d'Estrées and the Spanish-Imperial alliance under Cardinals Ottoboni and Medina. Early momentum favored Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo for his ascetic piety, but his candidacy collapsed amid orchestrated opposition: France delayed endorsement pending Louis XIV's approval on issues like the régale (royal rights over church revenues), while Emperor Leopold I issued an exclusion via Spanish channels, fearing Barbarigo's anti-Habsburg leanings. Cardinal Paluzzo Altieri's covert diplomacy—aligning with French interests despite prior enmity with the king—shifted votes by swaying key figures, including concessions on theater privileges for Ottoboni, ultimately elevating Pignatelli as a compromise acceptable to both Bourbon and Habsburg powers. The conclave's secrecy was tested by incidents like a kitchen fire prompting relaxed enclosures and reports of disciplinary lapses among electors, underscoring the challenges of isolation in the Sistine Chapel. Innocent XII's subsequent pontificate (1691–1700) reflected these bargains, including curbing nepotism via the bull Romanum decet Pontificem—requiring cardinals to renounce family appointments—and navigating French submission on the régale through Jesuit mediation, though tensions with the Empire persisted over Italian territories.

Historical Context

Death of Pope Alexander VIII

Pope Alexander VIII (Pietro Ottoboni) died on 1 February 1691 in Rome at approximately 4:00 p.m., at the age of 80. His pontificate had lasted just over 16 months, from his election on 6 October 1689 following the death of Innocent XI. The pope's demise was hastened by an infectious disease linked to an epidemic that originated in Naples and spread to Rome, amid broader public health challenges in the city. This event triggered the sede vacante period, with the Sacred College of Cardinals required by canon law to convene a conclave within 10–15 days to elect a successor, though factional and external pressures would extend the process significantly. His nephew, Cardinal Marco Ottoboni, arranged an elaborate tomb for him in St. Peter's Basilica, reflecting the family's prominent role during the pontificate.

European Political Landscape

In 1691, Europe was dominated by the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), a major conflict between France, led by Louis XIV, and the Grand Alliance, which included the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Leopold I, England under William III, the Dutch Republic, Spain, and the Duchy of Savoy. This war arose from French expansionist policies, including invasions in the Rhineland and Low Countries, prompting the League of Augsburg in 1686 to contain Louis XIV's ambitions. By 1691, military engagements included French successes like the capture of Mons and Nice, alongside setbacks for the Alliance, such as ongoing sieges and the Battle of Aughrim in Ireland, where Williamite forces defeated Jacobite supporters of the exiled James II. Concurrently, the Habsburg Empire contended with the Great Turkish War (1683–1699), diverting resources through the Holy League against Ottoman advances, which strained Imperial capacity against France. These conflicts amplified tensions between secular rulers and the Papacy, as Catholic monarchs sought to influence the conclave to secure ecclesiastical support amid geopolitical rivalries. France, pursuing Gallican liberties and regalian rights over church appointments, clashed with recent popes; Innocent XI (r. 1676–1689) had condemned Louis XIV's 1682 Gallican Articles asserting royal supremacy in temporal church matters, while Alexander VIII continued opposition by issuing bulls like Inter Multiplices, annulling the declarations of the 1682 French clerical assembly (France had restored seized papal territories like Avignon in 1689 as conciliation). Louis XIV thus intervened aggressively, dispatching cardinals and ambassadors to promote pro-French candidates and delay proceedings until favorable voices arrived. In contrast, the Habsburgs and Spain under the ailing Charles II favored an anti-French pope to bolster their Alliance positions, with Leopold I employing the jus exclusivae veto against Imperial candidate Gregorio Barbarigo on March 12, 1691, reflecting the Empire's strategic maneuvering despite its dual-front wars. The Papal States, neutral yet encircled by Spanish Naples, Austrian Milan, and Venetian territories, navigated these pressures cautiously; Alexander VIII's recognition of William III after the 1688 Glorious Revolution had further alienated France and James II's Catholic partisans, underscoring the Vatican's balancing act between Bourbon absolutism and Habsburg-led coalitions. This landscape of interstate warfare and ideological church-state disputes framed the conclave as a proxy arena for European power struggles, with factions divided along national lines and monarchs leveraging cardinals to shape papal policy on issues like veto rights and fiscal concessions.

Composition of the Sacred College of Cardinals

At the death of Pope Alexander VIII on 1 February 1691, the Sacred College of Cardinals consisted of 70 members. Of these, 54 entered the conclave on 12 February and participated in the final ballot. Thirteen cardinals were absent, primarily due to distance or prior commitments in their dioceses, including figures such as Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Archbishop of Toledo. The dean of the college was Cardinal Alderano Cibo, who held the suburbicarian see of Ostia e Velletri and presided over the proceedings. Cibo, created a cardinal in 1645 by Innocent X, represented the senior hierarchy shaped by multiple prior pontificates, with many members elevated under Urban VIII, Innocent X, and Alexander VII. The college's composition reflected the era's Roman-centric structure, dominated by Italian prelates from prominent families like the Chigi, Altieri, and Barberini, alongside a smaller number of non-Italians aligned with European monarchies—approximately a dozen French cardinals loyal to Louis XIV, several Spanish and Imperial representatives, and isolated figures from Poland and elsewhere. This demographic imbalance, with Italians forming the majority, amplified the influence of local factions while exposing the college to external pressures from Catholic powers, though the exact distribution by clerical order (bishops, priests, deacons) is not precisely documented for this period beyond the dean's episcopal status. During the conclave, four participants departed due to illness, including Giulio Spinola and Raimondo Capizucchi, who died amid the sede vacante, reducing active voters at times but not altering the core composition significantly.

Pre-Conclave Dynamics

Factions Among Cardinals

The cardinals entering the 1691 conclave divided into factions primarily aligned with national interests of Catholic monarchs—France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain—as well as internal reformist groups like the Zelanti, who prioritized ecclesiastical reform over nepotism and foreign influence. These divisions reflected ongoing tensions from the previous reign of Alexander VIII, whose pro-French leanings had alienated Imperial and Spanish interests, leading to a fragmented Sacred College of approximately 70 living cardinals, with 43 initially participating and others arriving later, raising the supermajority threshold from 29 to at least 41 votes. The French faction, representing Louis XIV's ambitions to assert Gallican privileges and reverse papal condemnations of the 1682 Declaration of the Clergy of France, included key figures such as Cardinals César d'Estrées, Pierre de Bonzi, and Toussaint de Forbin-Janson, the latter acting as Louis's primary agent. Numbering around a dozen but plagued by internal disunity—d'Estrées favored reconciliation candidates like Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri, while Forbin-Janson opposed nepotists—the group initially supported Altieri and Giovanni Delfino but shifted tactics amid deadlocks, ultimately backing the compromise figure Antonio Pignatelli to secure French demands. This faction's leverage stemmed from France's military successes during the Nine Years' War, pressuring rivals through external diplomacy by ambassadors like the Duc de Chaulnes. Opposing the French were the Imperial and Spanish-aligned cardinals, influenced by Emperor Leopold I and the Spanish crown, who sought a pope resistant to French dominance and supportive of Habsburg interests in the Empire and Naples. Leaders included Flavio Chigi, who backed reformist candidates like Gregorio Barbarigo, and Spanish representatives such as Francesco del Giudice; this bloc enforced an exclusion against Barbarigo on March 12, 1691, via Imperial ambassador Prince von Liechtenstein, reflecting fears of his independence. With fewer unified numbers—perhaps a dozen spread across Italian and Habsburg loyalists—their strategy emphasized blocking French picks, contributing to the conclave's prolongation amid riots and illness in Rome's summer heat. The Zelanti, a non-national reformist faction of about 14 cardinals led by Leandro Colloredo and Giovanni Francesco Negroni, advocated for a pope committed to moral rigor, anti-nepotism, and curial efficiency, drawing from earlier Tridentine ideals. Strongly supporting Barbarigo for his scholarly reputation and pastoral record in Padua, they clashed with nepotist groups tied to families like the Ottoboni (led by Pietro Ottoboni, with 10-12 adherents) and Altieri, who defended familial privileges. This ideological divide exacerbated national rifts, as Zelanti votes sometimes aligned with Imperials against French candidates like Niccolò Acciaioli, who nearly won but faced coordinated opposition; their insistence on merit over patronage ultimately facilitated Pignatelli's emergence as a neutral Neapolitan cardinal acceptable across lines. Overall, Cardinal de' Medici reported two broad factions—one of 26 cardinals favoring compromise and anti-French stances—highlighting how personal ambitions, such as those of Camerlengo Altieri, intertwined with geopolitical pressures, resulting in a five-month deadlock resolved only by exhaustion and external negotiations. These dynamics underscored the conclave's vulnerability to secular interference, as vetoes (exclusions) by monarchs via proxies prolonged voting without yielding a consensus until July.

Influence of Catholic Monarchs

The Catholic monarchs of Europe—primarily King Louis XIV of France, King Charles II of Spain, and Emperor Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire—exerted significant influence over the 1691 papal conclave through diplomatic pressures, factional alignments among cardinals, and the exercise of the jus exclusivae (right of exclusion), an informal veto power claimed by these powers to block unacceptable candidates. France sought a pontiff amenable to its Gallican policies and regalian rights, which had clashed with predecessors Innocent XI and Alexander VIII; Louis XIV dispatched envoys like Cardinal Toussaint de Forbin Janson and delayed proceedings until pro-French cardinals, including Emmanuel-Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne and César d'Estrées, arrived on March 25, 1691, bolstering the French faction of roughly 10-12 cardinals. Spain and Austria, often aligned against French dominance, countered by supporting the Zelanti reformers and opposing Gallican sympathizers, with Spanish agent Cardinal Francesco del Giudice arriving on March 7, 1691, to advocate Madrid's interests. A pivotal intervention occurred on March 12, 1691, when Austria invoked its exclusiva against Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo, a leading Zelanti candidate favored initially by both French and Imperial factions for his reformist zeal but deemed too aligned with Venetian and French interests; this veto, relayed by Prince von Liechtenstein per Vienna's March 4 dispatch, derailed Barbarigo's prospects and intensified deadlocks, as it commanded 14-33 votes in early ballots. Spanish influence manifested in resistance to candidates like Francesco Lorenzo Brancati di Lauria, despite his Iberian ties, due to his anti-Spanish record, while Austrian cardinals such as Johannes von Goes pushed back against French-backed figures like Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri, whose nepotistic tendencies alienated reformers. These royal maneuvers fragmented the Sacred College into French, Spanish-Austrian, and independent Zelanti blocs, prolonging the conclave from February 12 to July 12, 1691, amid external communications via ambassadors that violated seclusion norms but reflected the era's political entanglement with papal elections. The deadlock resolved through compromise on July 12, 1691, with the election of Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli (Innocent XII), a Neapolitan creatura of Innocent XI acceptable to all powers: France secured his pledge on July 9 to appoint ministers per Louis XIV's wishes, while Spain and Austria viewed him as a neutral reformer untainted by Gallicanism or nepotism. Pignatelli garnered 53 of 61 votes, ending five months of intrigue driven by monarchial vetoes and negotiations, though the process highlighted the erosion of papal autonomy, as cardinals navigated royal dictates alongside internal priorities like anti-nepotism reforms. This outcome balanced competing influences but foreshadowed Innocent XII's later concessions, such as expedited bulls for French episcopal nominees, underscoring the monarchs' leverage in shaping the Church's leadership.

The Conclave Proceedings

Opening and Seclusion

The 1691 papal conclave commenced on February 12, 1691, ten days after the death of Pope Alexander VIII on February 1, adhering to the traditional novendiales mourning period. The proceedings opened with the Mass of the Holy Spirit, celebrated by Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace. Of the 70 living members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, 43 entered the conclave at the outset, with additional arrivals including Cardinals Giulio Spinola and Francesco Nerli on February 13. On February 13, the cardinal electors assembled in the Sistine Chapel, where the apostolic constitutions governing conclaves were read aloud, followed by a sermon delivered by Cardinal Alderano Cybo. The cardinals then swore oaths of secrecy and fidelity to the conclave rules, pledging to elect a pope solely through free deliberation under the Holy Spirit's guidance. Around midnight on February 12, Prince Giulio Savelli, as Marshal of the Conclave, oversaw the sealing of the enclosure, formally initiating seclusion by locking the doors to the Vatican apartments allocated for the cardinals and their limited attendants (conclavists). Seclusion required strict isolation to prevent external influence, with provisions for basic sustenance delivered through controlled mechanisms and prohibitions on written or verbal communication with the outside world. In practice, however, enforcement was lax; cardinals maintained indirect contact with agents and monarchs via notes passed through servants or lax guards, undermining the intended secrecy. Initial voting thresholds were set at a two-thirds majority of those present, requiring 29 votes among the starting 43 participants, though this adjusted upward as more cardinals joined. Full assembly was delayed by logistical challenges: Neapolitan cardinals faced border quarantine due to a contagion outbreak, while the French contingent, departing February 17, did not arrive until March 25, prompting informal agreement among early participants to withhold serious balloting until their inclusion. Ultimately, 63 cardinals participated in the conclave, reflecting attrition from illness (including the departure of Cardinal Federico Colonna on February 16) and non-attendance by five others. These delays extended the pre-voting phase, heightening factional tensions before substantive scrutiny of candidates began.

Initial Balloting and Deadlocks

The papal conclave commenced on February 12, 1691, in the Apostolic Palace, with 43 cardinals initially present out of 70 eligible electors; a two-thirds majority was required for election, beginning at 29 votes. Following the reading of relevant papal bulls on February 13 and a sermon by Cardinal Alderano Cibo, the first scrutiny occurred, in which Cardinal Francesco Lorenzo Brancati di Lauria, an elderly Augustinian, received 16 votes, signaling an early preference among electors for experienced but aged candidates amid recent pontiffs' advanced years. Subsequent ballots saw Venetian Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo, bishop of Padua, rapidly emerge as the frontrunner, consistently leading scrutinies from early proceedings through July 7 without attaining the necessary supermajority; his appeal stemmed from his reputation for integrity, administrative skill, and opposition to nepotism, drawing support from the Zelanti faction of about 14 anti-nepotism cardinals led by figures like Leandro Colloredo. However, deadlocks quickly formed due to entrenched factional divisions, including a pro-French group influenced by Cardinal Toussaint de Forbin Janson (which withheld full engagement until additional French cardinals arrived on March 25), an Imperial-Spanish bloc aligned with Emperor Leopold I, and broader alignments involving cardinals like Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri and Pietro Ottoboni; these groups numbered variably, with one coalition of 37 encompassing Austrians, Flavio Chigi supporters, and select Zelanti. External monarchial pressures exacerbated the stalemates: on March 12, Leopold I's exclusion (effectively a veto) of Barbarigo provoked outrage among Zelanti supporters, while King Louis XIV of France maneuvered against Imperial-favored candidates and delayed concessions, seeking a pontiff amenable to reversing Alexander VIII's pro-Austrian policies, such as the Gallican Articles; Spanish interests, via Cardinal Antonio del Giudice, cautiously backed Imperial efforts but lacked firm directives, prolonging negotiations. No candidate achieved consensus in the initial months, with alternative figures like Giovanni Delfino gaining French backing but facing Zelanti resistance over nepotism risks, and Niccolò Acciaioli approaching viability by July but blocked by cross-factional opposition; this impasse persisted across numerous daily scrutinies (typically four per day after the first), underscoring the conclave's vulnerability to secular interference despite internal seclusion rules.

Key Candidates and Vetoes

The 1691 papal conclave featured several prominent candidates backed by competing factions within the College of Cardinals, influenced heavily by the Catholic monarchs of France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo, Bishop of Padua, emerged as an early frontrunner due to his reputation for integrity and extensive episcopal experience; he garnered substantial votes from the reformist Zelanti faction, which opposed nepotism and favored merit-based selections. However, his candidacy was derailed by an exclusiva (veto) issued by Emperor Leopold I on March 12, 1691, conveyed through the Imperial ambassador Prince von Liechtenstein, reflecting Austrian concerns over Barbarigo's potential alignment with French interests despite initial opposition from King Louis XIV, who later deemed him acceptable. This veto, one of the last formal exercises of the jus exclusivae by a Catholic power, provoked outrage among the Zelanti and highlighted the external pressures on the conclave, though the practice lacked canonical legitimacy and was later condemned by the Church. Other key figures included Cardinal Giovanni Delfino, a Venetian diplomat and former ambassador to France, who received backing from the French faction led by Cardinals Toussaint de Forbin-Janson and César d'Estrées; his support peaked around April 24, 1691, but collapsed when 33 votes shifted to Barbarigo amid Zelanti fears of nepotism and Delfino's perceived favoritism toward Louis XIV's policies. Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni, nephew of Pope Clement X and the conclave's camerlengo, positioned himself as a compromise acceptable to France but faced rejection from multiple groups, including the Zelanti and factions tied to Cardinals Pietro Ottoboni and the Altieri circle, due to longstanding nepotistic associations. Similarly, Cardinal Niccolò Acciaioli, a Florentine supported by both French interests and the Zelanti, advanced in July 1691 but encountered a de facto veto from the Ottoboni-Altieri alliance and Austrian cardinals, who prioritized their own candidates over his reformist credentials. These vetoes and exclusions prolonged the conclave's deadlock, exacerbating divisions between the French bloc (aiming to reverse Alexander VIII's pro-Austrian leanings), the Imperial-Spanish alliance (under ambassadors like the Duke of Medinaceli), and independent reformers. Spain's King Charles II exerted influence via Cardinal Bonvisi del Giudice, aligning with Imperial vetoes against French-favored figures, though delayed instructions limited their efficacy. The absence of formal vetoes from France after initial hesitations—coupled with negotiations allowing Louis XIV's eventual acquiescence—paved the way for compromise candidates like Antonio Pignatelli, whose unopposed election on July 12, 1691, resolved the impasse without further exclusivae.

Resolution and Election

Emergence of Compromise

As the conclave dragged into mid-July amid sweltering Roman summer heat and growing public unrest outside the Vatican, the entrenched divisions between the pro-French and pro-Imperial factions necessitated a shift toward a neutral figure. The French-aligned cardinals, numbering around 26 according to reports from Cardinal de' Medici, clashed with the Imperial group over frontrunners such as Gregorio Barbarigo, whose strict reformist stance appealed to some but drew veto threats from Louis XIV of France due to Barbarigo's perceived Habsburg sympathies. Similarly, French-favored candidates faced opposition from Emperor Leopold I's representatives, prolonging the impasse despite initial ballots revealing no clear majority. Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli, the 76-year-old Archbishop of Naples from a prominent Neapolitan noble family, gradually emerged as the viable compromise. Born in 1615 near Naples to the Pignatelli di Belmonte clan, he had extensive diplomatic experience, including service as nuncio to Tuscany, Poland, and Austria, which lent him credibility across European courts without binding him to one faction. His Neapolitan origins aligned loosely with Spanish Habsburg interests—Naples being under Spanish rule—yet his age and lack of aggressive reform agenda made him palatable to France, which sought to avoid a strongly pro-Imperial pope. By July 12, 1691, external pressures—including threats of violence from impatient Roman crowds and the physical toll of confinement in unventilated quarters—compelled concessions, leading to rapid consensus on Pignatelli. Ballots shifted decisively in his favor during the morning sessions, culminating in his election by ballot with a two-thirds majority by late afternoon, as cardinals prioritized stability over ideological purity to avert further deadlock. This resolution underscored the conclave's vulnerability to secular influences, with monarchial vetoes indirectly shaping the outcome despite formal prohibitions.

Election of Antonio Pignatelli

After prolonged deadlocks among the factions, including the Zelanti reformers opposed to nepotism, French-aligned cardinals, and Imperial-Spanish interests, Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli emerged as a viable compromise candidate in early July 1691. At 76 years old and serving as Archbishop of Naples, Pignatelli was viewed as a creatura of the late Pope Innocent XI, whose reformist legacy appealed to the Zelanti, while his Neapolitan background and diplomatic experience as former nuncio to Poland and Austria made him acceptable to both French and Spanish influences seeking to avoid further vetoes. On July 9, French cardinals, led by representatives of Louis XIV, initiated direct negotiations with Pignatelli, securing his pledge to appoint ministers aligned with French preferences, which helped assuage Gallican concerns. By July 10, informal discussions (prattica) intensified under pressure from senior cardinals like Flavio Chigi to resolve the five-month stalemate, amid external riots and internal hardships from Rome's summer heat. Consensus solidified on July 11, with Pignatelli's name gaining broad support as a neutral figure untainted by prior factional favoritism or nepotistic scandals that had derailed candidates like Gregorio Barbarigo and Niccolò Acciaioli. In the final scrutiny on July 12, 1691, Pignatelli received 53 votes out of 61 cast, securing the required two-thirds majority despite holdouts from Zelanti hardliners such as Cardinals Ulderico Carpegna, Lorenzo Corsi, and Leopoldo Antonio Eleuterio Kollonitz. He accepted the election and chose the name Innocent XII in honor of his patron Innocent XI, reflecting continuity with anti-nepotism reforms. Pignatelli was proclaimed pope that day, ending the conclave that had begun on February 12 with 43 cardinals and involved up to 65 participants amid repeated failures to elect due to secular vetoes and internal divisions. He was crowned on July 15, 1691, by Cardinal Protodeacon Urbano Sacchetti.

Immediate Aftermath

Reactions from Secular Powers

The election of Antonio Pignatelli as Pope Innocent XII on July 12, 1691, elicited generally favorable responses from major Catholic monarchs, reflecting the conclave's resolution as a compromise candidate who navigated factional pressures without triggering formal exclusions beyond those already applied to Gregorio Barbarigo. King Louis XIV of France viewed the outcome positively, as Pignatelli had committed to French interests, including concessions on the régale (royal rights over ecclesiastical benefices) and appointments of sympathetic ministers, aligning with Louis's ongoing assertions of Gallican liberties against papal authority. French agents, such as Cardinal Toussaint de Forbin Janson, had delayed the conclave to secure these assurances, and Louis's strategic alliance with Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri facilitated the shift to Pignatelli after Barbarigo's candidacy collapsed under French and imperial opposition. This satisfaction manifested in Innocent XII's prompt fulfillment of electoral pledges, such as bestowing state offices on French-aligned figures, though tensions persisted into 1693 over the Gallican Articles. Charles II of Spain expressed pleasure at Pignatelli's elevation, finding him acceptable as a Neapolitan subject under Spanish sovereignty, which eased concerns over potential anti-Spanish policies. Spanish representative Cardinal Duke of Medina de las Torres had initially backed Barbarigo but pivoted to Pignatelli under Altieri's influence, securing alignment after Emperor Leopold I's exclusion of Barbarigo on March 12, 1691. This support reflected Spain's pragmatic deference to Medina de las Torres amid limited direct instructions from Madrid, averting deeper deadlock. Emperor Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire accepted the result with reservation, having prioritized Barbarigo's exclusion to favor imperial-aligned candidates but seeing his influence diminish as French and Spanish factions coalesced around Pignatelli. Leopold's ambassadors, including Prince von Liechtenstein, provided contradictory counsel, weakening the imperial-Spanish bloc, and the election did not fully advance Habsburg goals, foreshadowing later disputes over Italian fiefs where Innocent XII annulled Leopold's sovereignty claims.

Inauguration and Early Decisions

Following his election on July 12, 1691, Antonio Pignatelli assumed the papal name Innocent XII, initiating his pontificate with traditional inauguration rites that formally commenced his reign amid the ongoing need for ecclesiastical reform. One of his first major acts was the issuance of the bull Romanum decet pontificem on June 22, 1692, which prohibited popes from conferring estates, offices, revenues, or benefices on relatives, effectively curbing nepotism by allowing only modest pensions for indigent kin and restricting cardinalate eligibility to at most one qualified relative with capped income. This decree, drafted with input from figures like Giovanni Albani and eventually subscribed by resisting cardinals, built on precedents from Innocent XI while addressing abuses in prior pontificates. To stabilize papal finances, Innocent XII sharply curtailed the sale of curial offices—a common revenue source—and reduced court expenditures, compensating through infrastructure like harbor expansions at Civitavecchia and Nettuno to boost trade. He also prioritized charity, founding the Hospital of S. Michele for destitute youth and converting the disused Lateran Palace into a refuge for the unemployed and infirm, drawing from papal treasury funds to support these amid contemporary disasters like plagues and floods. These initiatives underscored a focus on impartial justice and aid to the vulnerable in the Papal States.
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