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March–April 1605 conclave
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March–April 1605 conclave
The March–April 1605 conclave was convened on the death of Clement VIII and ended with the election of Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici as Pope Leo XI. It was the first of the two papal conclaves in 1605; Leo XI died on 27 April 1605, just twenty-six days after he was elected. The conclave was dominated by conflict over whether Cardinal Cesare Baronius should be elected pope, and Philip III of Spain excluded both Baronius and the eventually successful candidate, Medici.
On 17 September 1595, Clement VIII accepted the decision of Henry IV of France to convert to the Catholic Church, which Henry had previously made to secure the French monarchy, and presided over a ceremony of papal absolution that removed the excommunication order placed on him by Sixtus V. The Spanish faction had previously opposed the pope taking these actions, but the French negotiators had talked about the possibility of a schism; this, along with Henry's victories in the French Wars of Religion, overcame Spanish opposition.
Clement also formed a commission that annulled Henry's marriage to Marguerite of Valois following the death of his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées. Afterwards, Clement helped arrange Henry's marriage to Marie de' Medici that ensured a Catholic succession.
Clement worked to decrease the influence of Spanish cardinals in the College of Cardinals; he created five French cardinals and the Italian cardinals he created were considered neutral. Clement wanted the French cardinals he created to be present in Rome and to take part in the governance of the Church. Henry IV likewise demanded that three French cardinals go to Rome, and they were present at Clement's death on 3 March 1605.
In addition to the secular politics that impacted them, papal elections during this period were marked by a strategy by elite families who wanted to acquire prestige and power. These strategies often played out over several generations through patronage and the accumulation of wealth, and the bestowing of favours on family members once an individual was elected to the papacy was expected.
When Clement died, there was an unresolved dispute between the Society of Jesus and the Dominican Order about the nature of divine grace and free will. The cardinals who entered the conclave took oaths promising to resolve the dispute quickly if they were elected pope.
Pope Nicholas II had reserved the right to elect the pope to the cardinal bishops, priests, and deacons of Rome in 1059. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V mandated that the maximum number of cardinals would be seventy. Of this seventy, the College of Cardinals had sixty-nine members at the time of Clement VIII's death but only sixty of these were present for the opening of the first conclave of 1605, and sixty-one electors were present for the election of Leo XI.
When it was convened, the college contained members who had been created by six different popes: Pius IV, Sixtus V, Gregory XIII, Gregory XIV, Innocent IX, and Clement VIII. Of these, Clement's creations were the most numerous, numbering thirty-eight of the cardinal-electors. Innocent IX had created one of the conclave's electors; Gregory XIV had created five, Sixtus V had created eleven, Gregory XIII had created four, and Pius IV had created one.
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March–April 1605 conclave
The March–April 1605 conclave was convened on the death of Clement VIII and ended with the election of Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici as Pope Leo XI. It was the first of the two papal conclaves in 1605; Leo XI died on 27 April 1605, just twenty-six days after he was elected. The conclave was dominated by conflict over whether Cardinal Cesare Baronius should be elected pope, and Philip III of Spain excluded both Baronius and the eventually successful candidate, Medici.
On 17 September 1595, Clement VIII accepted the decision of Henry IV of France to convert to the Catholic Church, which Henry had previously made to secure the French monarchy, and presided over a ceremony of papal absolution that removed the excommunication order placed on him by Sixtus V. The Spanish faction had previously opposed the pope taking these actions, but the French negotiators had talked about the possibility of a schism; this, along with Henry's victories in the French Wars of Religion, overcame Spanish opposition.
Clement also formed a commission that annulled Henry's marriage to Marguerite of Valois following the death of his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées. Afterwards, Clement helped arrange Henry's marriage to Marie de' Medici that ensured a Catholic succession.
Clement worked to decrease the influence of Spanish cardinals in the College of Cardinals; he created five French cardinals and the Italian cardinals he created were considered neutral. Clement wanted the French cardinals he created to be present in Rome and to take part in the governance of the Church. Henry IV likewise demanded that three French cardinals go to Rome, and they were present at Clement's death on 3 March 1605.
In addition to the secular politics that impacted them, papal elections during this period were marked by a strategy by elite families who wanted to acquire prestige and power. These strategies often played out over several generations through patronage and the accumulation of wealth, and the bestowing of favours on family members once an individual was elected to the papacy was expected.
When Clement died, there was an unresolved dispute between the Society of Jesus and the Dominican Order about the nature of divine grace and free will. The cardinals who entered the conclave took oaths promising to resolve the dispute quickly if they were elected pope.
Pope Nicholas II had reserved the right to elect the pope to the cardinal bishops, priests, and deacons of Rome in 1059. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V mandated that the maximum number of cardinals would be seventy. Of this seventy, the College of Cardinals had sixty-nine members at the time of Clement VIII's death but only sixty of these were present for the opening of the first conclave of 1605, and sixty-one electors were present for the election of Leo XI.
When it was convened, the college contained members who had been created by six different popes: Pius IV, Sixtus V, Gregory XIII, Gregory XIV, Innocent IX, and Clement VIII. Of these, Clement's creations were the most numerous, numbering thirty-eight of the cardinal-electors. Innocent IX had created one of the conclave's electors; Gregory XIV had created five, Sixtus V had created eleven, Gregory XIII had created four, and Pius IV had created one.
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