Papal conclave, 1464

Papal conclave 1464 (August 28 – August 30, 1464) convened after the death of Pope Pius II, elected as his successor cardinal Pietro Barbo, who took the name Paul II.

List of participants

Pope Pius II died on August 14, 1464 in Ancona during preparations to the crusade against Ottoman Empire. At the time of his death, there were 29 living cardinals, but only 19 of them participated in the conclave:Salvador Miranda [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/conclave-xv.htm#1464 List of participants of papal conclave of 1464] .]

Ten electors were Italian, four Spaniards, four French and one Greek. Six were creatures of Pius II, six of Eugenius IV, four of Callixtus III and three of Nicholas V.

Absentees

Ten cardinals (over 1/3 of the whole Sacred College) did not participate in this conclave:

Of the absentee cardinals five were creatures of Pius II, two of Eugenius IV, one of Callixtus III and one of Nicholas V. Pierre de Foix was the last surviving cardinal of the Great Western Schism and was elevated by Pisan Antipope John XXIII.

Among them there were three French, two Italians, two Germans, two Spaniards and the one Hungarian.

Candidates to the papacy

Bessarion, d'Estouteville, Trevisano, Carvajal, Torquemada and Barbo were mentioned as main papabili in the contemporary reports of the ambasadors and envoys of Italian Princes. Also Calandrini, Roverella and Capranica were referred as possible candidates. [Ludwig von Pastor "History of the Popes vol. 4", London 1900, pp.5-6] .

The election of Pope Paul II

On the evening August 28 all cardinals present in Rome entered the conclave in Vatican, with the exception of ill Cardinal Torquemada, who joined the rest on the following day.

Initially, the electors prepared the conclave capitulation, and subscribed it all except Trevisano. The terms of the capitulation were thefollowing:

*Continue the Crusades against the Ottoman Empire
*Leave Rome only with the consent of the majority of cardinals; the Italian Peninsula with the consent of all
*College of Cardinals limited to 24
*New pope limited to one cardinal-nephew
*Creation of cardinals or advancement of benefices required the consent of the College

The first scrutiny took place on August 30. Cardinal Pietro Barbo received eleven votes, while the remaining fell to Trevisano and d'Estouteville. [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/election-paulii.htm Francis Burkle-Young “Papal elections in the Fifteenth Century: the election of Paul II] ] On the following accessus Barbo received three additional votes and was elected Pope. He took the name Paul II, [Cardinal Ammanati claimed that Barbo wished at first to be called Formosus ("Beautiful"), but the cardinals objected on the grounds that it might seen as allusion to his good looks. He then changed it to Mark, but cardinals objected again, because "Marco!" was the war-cry of the Republic of Venice. Finally he decided to take the name Paul (L. von Pastor "History of the Popes vol. 4", London 1900, p. 12). F. Bourkle-Young considers this anecdote untrue [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/election-paulii.htm] ] and a little bit later protodeacon Rodrigo Borgia announced his election to the people of Rome with the ancient formula Habemus Papam. On September 6 new pope was solemnly crowned in the steps of the patriarchal Vatican Basilica by Cardinal Niccolò Fortiguerra, priest of the title of S. Cecilia. [Usually the rite of papal coronation was performed by Cardinal Protodeacon, but Rodrigo Borgia fell ill shortly after the election and was not able to do it. Cardinal Fortigeurra, who arrived to Rome when the election was already accomplished, acted as his substitute. L. von Pastor "History of the Popes vol. 4", London 1900, p. 18]

Notes

ources

• Ludwig von Pastor: "History of the popes vol. 4", London 1900

• [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/conclave-xv.htm#1464 Salvador Miranda: conclave of 1464]

• [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/election-paulii.htm Francis Burkle-Young “Papal elections in the Fifteenth Century: the election of Paul II]