Papal conclave, 1621

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Papal conclave 1621 (February 8 – February 9) – convoked after the death of Pope Paul V, elected Cardinal Alessandro Ludovisi, who under the name of Gregory XV became 234th Pope of the Catholic Church. It was the shortest conclave in the seventeenth century^[1].

1 List of participants
2 Absentees
- 2.1 Non-elector
3 Factions in the Sacred College
4 The election of Pope Gregory XV
5 Legacy
6 References
7 Sources

[edit] List of participants

Pope Paul V died on January 28, 1621 in the 16th year of his pontificate. At the time of his death, there were seventy cardinals in the Sacred College, but only sixty nine were valid electors. Fifty one of them participated in the election of the new Pope^[2]:

Antonio Maria Sauli (created cardinal on December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia e Velletri; Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Prefect of the S.C. of Ceremonies

Benedetto Giustiniani (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina; Sub-dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals

Francesco Maria Bourbon del Monte (December 14, 1588) – Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina; Prefect of the S.C. of Rites

Francesco Sforza di Santa Fiora (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati

Alessandro Damasceni Peretti de Montalto (May 13, 1585) – Cardinal-Bishop of Albano; commendatario of S. Lorenzo in Damaso; Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; Cardinal-protector of Poland

Pietro Aldobrandini (September 17, 1593) – Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina; Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church; Archbishop of Ravenna

Ottavio Bandini (June 5, 1596) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Lorenzo in Lucina; Protopriest of the Sacred College of Cardinals

Bartolomeo Cesi (June 5, 1596) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere

Bonifazio Bevilacqua (March 3, 1599) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pietro in Vincoli; Bishop of Cervia

Robert Bellarmin (March 3, 1599) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Via; Prefect of the S.C. of Index

Giovanni Battista Deti (March 3, 1599) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Marcellino e Pietro

Domenico Ginnasi (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. XII Apostoli; Prefect of the S.C. of Bishops and Regulars

Antonio Zapata y Cisneros (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Balbina; Cardinal-protector of Spain; Viceroy of Naples

Carlo Gaudenzio Madruzzo (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Cesareo in Palatio; Bishop of Trent

Giovanni Delfino (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Marco

Giacomo Sannesio (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Stefano al Monte Celio; Bishop of Orvieto

Scipione Borghese (July 18, 1605) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Crisogono; Superintendent general of the States of the Church; Cardinal Secretary of State; Grand penitentiary; Prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Grace; Archpriest of the patriarchal Vatican Basilica; Archpriest of the patriarchal Lateran Basilica; Legate in Avignon; Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Governor of Fermo; Cardinal-protector of Germany; Cardinal-protector of the Orders of Dominicans and Olivetans

Maffeo Barberini (September 11, 1606) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Onofrio; Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Justice

Giovanni Garzia Millini (September 11, 1606) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. IV Coronati; Vicar General of Rome; Secretary of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition

Marcello Lante della Rovere (September 11,1606) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Quirico e Giulitta; Bishop of Todi

Michelangelo Tonti (November 24, 1608) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Bartolomeo all’Isola; Bishop of Cesena; Archpriest of the patriarchal Liberian Basilica

Fabrizio Veralli (November 24, 1608) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Agostino

Giovanni Battista Leni (November 24, 1608) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Cecilia; Bishop of Ferrara

Dezio Carafa (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Giovanni e Paolo; Archbishop of Naples

Domenico Rivarola (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Martino ai Monti; Legate in Romagna

Giovanni Bonsi (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Clemente; Bishop of Béziers

Filippo Filonardi (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria del Popolo

Pier Paolo Crescenzi (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Nereo ed Achilleo; Bishop of Rieti

Giacomo Serra (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria della Pace; Legate in Ferrara

Agostino Galamini (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Aracoeli; Bishop of Osimo

Gaspar Borja y Velasco (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Croce in Gerusalemme; Cardinal-protector of Germany

Felice Centini (August 17, 1611) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Lorenzo in Panisperna; Bishop of Macerata e Tolentino

Roberto Ubaldini (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pudenziana; Prefect of the S.C. of the Tridentine Council; Bishop of Montepulciano

Tiberio Muti (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Prisca; Bishop of Viterbo

Giulio Savelli (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Sabina; Bishop of Ancona; Legate in Bologna

Alessandro Ludovisi (September 19, 1616) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Transpontina; Archbishop of Bologna

Ladislao d'Aquino (September 19, 1616) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria sopra Minerva; Bishop of Venafro

Pietro Campori (September 19, 1616) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Tommaso in Parione

Matteo Priuli (September 19, 1616) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni

Scepione Cobelluzzi (September 19, 1616) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Susanna; Librarian of the Holy Roman Church

Pietro Valier (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Archbishop of Crete

Giulio Roma (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Cesare Gherardi (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Desiderio Scaglia (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Stefano Pignatelli (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Andrea Baroni Peretti Montalto (June 5, 1596) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata; Protodeacon of the Sacred College of Cardinals

Alessandro d'Este (March 3, 1599) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Eustachio; Governor of Tivoli; Cardinal-protector of Spain

Carlo Emmanuele Pio de Savoia (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere Tulliano

Luigi Capponi (November 24, 1608) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria

Carlo de' Medici (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Domnica

Alessandro Orsini (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin

All the electors were Italians, except Zapata and Borja y Velasco, who were Spaniards. Thirty two were creatures of Paul V, fourteen of Pope Clement VIII, four of Sixtus V, and one of Gregory XIII.

[edit] Absentees

Eighteen cardinals did not participate in this conclave^[2]:

Federico Borromeo (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria degli Angeli; Archbishop of Milan

Odoardo Farnese (March 6, 1591) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Franz von Dietrischstein (March 3, 1599) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Silvestro in Capite; Bishop of Olomouc

François d'Escoubleau de Sourdis (March 3, 1599) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Marcello; Archbishop of Bordeaux

François de la Rochefoucald (December 10, 1607) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Callisto; Bishop of Senlis

Louis Guise de Lorraine (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Archbishop of Reims

Gabriel Trejo y Paniagua (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pancrazio

Baltasar Moscoso y Sandoval (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Bishop of Jaén

Melchior Klesl (December 2, 1615) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Bishop of Wien; Administrator of Wiener Neustadt; Cardinal-protector of Germany

Henri de Gondy de Retz (March 26, 1618) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Bishop of Paris

Francisco Goméz de Sandoval y Rojas (March 26, 1618) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Duke of Lerma

Francesco Cennini (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]; Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; Administrator of Amelia

Guido Bentivoglio (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Eitel Friedrich von Zollern (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Priest [no title assigned]

Girolamo Doria (June 9, 1604) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Adriano; Archbishop of Palermo

Maurizio di Savoia (December 10, 1607) – Cardinal-Deacon [no deaconry assigned]

Louis de Nogaret d'Épernon de La Valette (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Deacon [no deaconry assigned]; Archbishop of Toulouse

Agostino Spinola Basadone (January 11, 1621) – Cardinal-Deacon [no deaconry assigned]

[edit] Non-elector

Cardinal Infante of Spain was not an elector because he was only 12 years old^[3]:

Fernando de Austria (July 29, 1619) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Portico; Administrator of Toledo

[edit] Factions in the Sacred College

There were three main parties in the Sacred College, with cardinal-nephews of the deceased Popes as leaders^[4]:

Borghesian party – the faction of Cardinal Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. It grouped twenty nine cardinals created by this Pontiff.

Clementine party – It grouped thirteen cardinals of Clement VIII. Formally their leader was Camerlengo Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Clement VIII.

Sixtine party – small party of Vice-Chancellor Alessandro Montalto, cardinal-nephew of Sixtus V. It grouped six cardinals.

Three cardinals of the Italian ruling families (d'Este, Medici and Sforza) were not counted among the members of these factions.

It was generally thought that the next Pope would be the candidate chosen by Cardinal Borghese, because he was the most influential person in the Sacred College. He wanted to elect his friend Cardinal Campori, and already before opening the conclave he had obtained twenty four declarations in his favor. Although Campori had two significant opponents (Republic of Venice and Cardinal Orsini), Borghese was sure that he would be able to achieve his election on the first day of voting, by acclamation^[4].

Aldobrandini and Montalto, who formally were leaders of factions, were not able to play any significant role during conclave. Aldobrandini was gravely ill at that time and died a day after the election of new Pope. In these circumstances the actual leadership of anti-Borghesian cardinals fell to Alessandro Orsini, who was the main opponent of candidature of Campori^[5].

[edit] The election of Pope Gregory XV

The conclave began in the evening of February 8. On the next day, Cardinal Borghese tried to elect Campori by acclamation, but failed because many of his friends defected and aligned themeselves with Orsini, who had secured French support for his action against Campori. Facing such strong opposition, Campori withdrew his candidature^[4]^[5].

In the subsequent scrutiny (the only one during this conclave), the greatest number of votes received (fifteen) were for Jesuit Cardinal Robert Bellarmine^[4], but he had already declared in the previous conclave that he would not accept papal dignity in the case of his election. Now, at the age of 78, Bellarmine did not change his mind^[6].

The rest of the day the most influential cardinals: Borghese, Orsini, Zapata, Capponi, d'Este and Medici, spent on looking for a compromise candidature^[4]. The election of Cardinal Bourbon del Monte was proposed, but Spain rejected him^[7]. Finally, the leaders of factions agreed to elect aged and ill Cardinal Alessandro Ludovisi of Bologna, who seemed to have been ideal candidate for a temporary pontificate.

On that same day, at about 11 o’clock in the evening, all the cardinals assembled in the Capella Paolina and by acclamation elected Alessandro Ludovisi to the papacy^[8]. He accepted his election and took the name of Gregory XV. Five days later he was crowned in the Vatican Basilica by protodeacon Andrea Montalto^[9].

[edit] Legacy

Pope Gregory XV in his Bull "Aeterni Patris" (November 15, 1621) prescribes that in the future only three modes of papal election are to be allowed: scrutiny, compromise, and quasi-inspiration. His Bull "Decet Romanum Pontificem" (March 12, 1622) contains a ceremonial which regulates these three modes of election in every detail. The ordinary mode of election was to be election by scrutiny, which required that the vote be secret, that each cardinal give his vote to only one candidate and that no one vote for himself. Most of the papal elections during the sixteenth century were influenced by political conditions and by party considerations in the College of Cardinals. By introducing secrecy of vote, Pope Gregory XV intended to abolish these abuses. The rules and ceremonies prescribed by Gregory XV were substantially the same until Pope John Paul II issued constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis" in 1996^[10].