Papal conclave
May 1555
Dates and location
15–23 May 1555
Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Key officials
DeanGiovanni Pietro Carafa
CamerlengoGuido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora
ProtopriestClaude de Longwy de Givry
ProtodeaconFrancesco Pisani
Elected pope
Giovanni Pietro Carafa
Name taken: Paul IV
1559 →

The May 1555 papal conclave (15–23 May) was convened on the death of Pope Marcellus II (whose reign had only lasted from 9 April to 1 May that year) and elected Pope Paul IV as his successor.

Background

Pope Marcellus II was elected unanimously on April 9, 1555, and there were high hopes for accelerating the reform of the Church with his election. Unfortunately, shortly after his election, the 54-year-old pope fell ill and died in the early morning hours of May 1, 1555, after only 22 days of pontificate. His death was sincerely mourned and left the cardinals perplexed and dismayed.

List of participants

The conclave was attended by 45 of the 56 cardinals:[1] Twenty-five of the cardinals had been appointed by Pope Paul III, seventeen by Julius III, two by Pope Clement VII, and one by Leo X.

Absent

There were 11 cardinals absent:

Factions and candidates

However, these factions were not cohesive. Alessandro Farnese's alliance with France was only tactical, and he was a rival of Cardinal d'Este, the leader and candidate of the French faction. On the other hand, some had their own ambitions for the tiara and played primarily for themselves (Carpi, Toledo).[2]

Morone, Pole and Carafa were considered the main candidates. Cardinal Pole was supported by Farnese, but was harmed by his English background, and the fact that he was not present at the conclave. Cardinals Pio di Carpi, Toledo and d'Este also had their ambitions. The latter was the official candidate of France.

The Conclave

The conclave began on May 15 with the participation of 42 cardinals. Cardinal Gonzaga arrived on May 16, Pacheco on May 17, and Lenoncourt on May 22, setting the number of electors at 45.[3]

he first vote was held on May 18. None of the candidates gained a clear advantage in it.[3] Seeing the defeat of its favorites, one faction put forward Giacomo del Pozzo's candidacy as a compromise and managed to convince most of the neutral cardinals to support it. When del Pozzo could already count on 25 votes, his supporters attempted to recruit the influential Cardinal Alessandro Farnese for him. This one, however, felt offended that he had not been consulted earlier and refused to support it. In consultation with the French and Cardinal d'Este, Farnese proposed Bishop Carafa of Ostia and undertook a successful campaign for him. He even convinced Carpi and Toledo to support Carafa. Sixteen other cardinals headed by Sforza and Madruzzo strongly opposed Carafa, as Emperor Charles V had explicitly excluded him. During the night of May 22-23, intensive negotiations between the first-cousins Sforza and Farnese were held in search of a compromise, which did not bear fruit. In this situation, Farnese and his allies decided to obtain a 2/3 majority for Carafa through individual negotiations with their opponents. This proved to be an effective method, as early as May 23, three of Carafa's opponents (Bertani, Cornaro and Poggio) switched to his side, giving him the required majority. In this situation, the imperial faction deemed further resistance pointless.[2]

Election of Paul IV

On May 23, 1555 Giovanni Pietro Carafa was elected by acclamation and took the name Paul IV. Three days later he was solemnly crowned.[3]

The election came as a complete surprise to public opinion at the time. Although considered a worthy candidate, Carafa had many enemies and was widely feared as a harsh inquisitor, so few expected him to get the required majority. The coming years proved that he was feared for good reason, and accusations of heresy did not escape even the cardinals.

References

  1. ^ Chacón, col. 810-811; Panvinio, s. 427-428; por. Setton, s. 617
  2. ^ a b Pastor, Ludwig von. History of the Popes. T. 14. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1924
  3. ^ a b c Setton, Kenneth. The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571. T. 4. Filadelfia: 1984

Sources


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