Papal conclave, 1689
Encyclopedia
Pope Innocent XI
Blessed Pope Innocent XI , born Benedetto Odescalchi, was Pope from 1676 to 1689.-Early life:Benedetto Odescalchi was born at Como in 1611 , the son of a Como nobleman, Livio Odescalchi, and Paola Castelli Giovanelli from Gandino...
. It led to the election of Pietro Vito Ottoboni as Pope Alexander VIII
Pope Alexander VIII
Pope Alexander VIII , born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was Pope from 1689 to 1691.-Early life:Pietro Ottoboni was born of a noble Venetian family, and was the son of Marco Ottoboni, chancellor of the Republic of Venice...
.
History
The death of a number of 17th century conclavePapal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
power brokers during the 1660s and 1670s (Cardinal Mazarin in 1661, Giulio Cesare Sacchetti
Giulio Cesare Sacchetti
thumb|Cardinal Giulio Cesare Sacchetti, Pietro da Cortona, 1626Giulio Cesare Sacchetti was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and was twice unsuccessfully nominated by France for election as Pope.-Early life:...
in 1663, Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini was an Italian Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts and a prominent member of the House of Barberini. As one of the cardinal-nephews of Pope Urban VIII and a supporter of France, he played a significant role at a number of the papal...
in 1671, Francesco Barberini
Francesco Barberini (seniore)
Francesco Barberini was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. The nephew of Pope Urban VIII , he benefited immensely from the nepotism practiced by his uncle...
in 1679) led to a distinct lack of leadership at the start of the 1689 conclave.
Francesco Maria de' Medici
Francesco Maria de' Medici
Francesco Maria de' Medici was a member of the House of Medici. He was successively a Governor of Siena, cardinal and later the heir of the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro by right of his mother.-Biography:...
took charge of the Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
contingent while Rinaldo d'Este led the French
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
factions. King Louis XIV of France planned to send Charles d'Albert d'Ailly
Charles d'Albert d'Ailly
Charles d'Albert d'Ailly , third son of Honoré d'Albert, was a French general and diplomat. He was made lieutenant général des armées in 1655, and chevalier des ordres du roi from 1661...
, Duke of Chaulnes
Duke of Chaulnes
The title of Duke of Chaulnes , a French peerage, is held by the Albert family beginning in 1621.-History:The Duchy of Chaulnes was established by a letters patent of January 1621, registered on 6 March 1621 at the Parliament of Paris in favour of a younger brother of Charles d'Albert, Duke of...
, who was to take the French cardinals to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
where they would meet a fleet of twenty six galleys which would convey the cardinals and their entourages to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The journey was considerably more complicated than planned. Anne Jules de Noailles, Duke of Noailles
Duke of Noailles
The title of Duke of Noailles was a French peerage created in 1663 for Anne of Noailles, count of Ayen.The second, third and fourth dukes were all marshals of France...
, ordered the fleet to open fire on a small English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
fleet but d'Albert contradicted the orders leading to an argument between the two. Eventually the fleet made it to Civita Vecchia where they were met by Medici and were welcomed to Rome. The arrival of the French contingent meant the conclave to set about electing a new Pope.
Medici cleverly proposed Gregorio Barbarigo but never intended to have him elected. Having tested the waters for the election of a Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, he put forward Pietro Vito Ottoboni. D'Este, who disliked Ottoboni, attempted to be equally clever; he jumped forward to support his nomination hoping (as he was leading the French delegation) that this would immediately draw a veto from the Spanish. But the plan failed and, realising he had lost, d'Este appealed to d'Albert for help. But the ambassador thought highly of Ottoboni and had already told Louis XIV that he supported the Venetian cardinal's nomination.
On 6 October 1689, Ottoboni was elected and took the papal throne as Pope Alexander VIII
Pope Alexander VIII
Pope Alexander VIII , born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was Pope from 1689 to 1691.-Early life:Pietro Ottoboni was born of a noble Venetian family, and was the son of Marco Ottoboni, chancellor of the Republic of Venice...
Participating cardinals
- Cardinal DeanDean of the College of CardinalsThe Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such always holds the rank of Cardinal Bishop. The Dean is not necessarily the longest-serving member of the whole College...
: Alderano CyboAlderano Cybothumb|250 px|Cardinal Alderano CyboAlderano Cybo was an Italian Catholic Cardinal.-Biography:Cybo was born 16 July 1613 in Genoa and went to Rome at an early age as prelate to Pope Urban VIII.... - Sub-dean: Pietro Vito Ottoboni (elected Pope Alexander VIIIPope Alexander VIIIPope Alexander VIII , born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was Pope from 1689 to 1691.-Early life:Pietro Ottoboni was born of a noble Venetian family, and was the son of Marco Ottoboni, chancellor of the Republic of Venice...
)
- Flavio Chigi
- Antonio Bichi
- Giacomo Franzoni
- Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli AlbertoniPaluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertonithumb|Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni.Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Cardinal-Nephew to Pope Clement X.-Biography:...
- Francesco MaidalchiniFrancesco MaidalchiniFrancesco Maidalchini was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.-Early life:Maidalchini was born 12 April 1631 in Viterbo, the son of Andrea Maidalchini and Pacifica Feliziani...
- Carlo BarberiniCarlo Barberinithumb|Cardinal Carlo Barberini .Carlo Barberini was an Italian Catholic cardinal and member of the Barberini family. He was the grand-nephew of Maffeo Barberini and son of Taddeo Barberini .-Biography:Carlo Barberini was born 1 June 1630 in Rome...
- Gregorio Barbarigo
- Giannicolò Conti
- Giulio Spinola (had to leave the conclave because of illness on 24 September)
- Giovanni Delfino
- Emmanuel Théodose de la Tour d'Auvergne de Bouillon
- Niccolò AcciaioliNiccolò AcciaioliNiccolò Acciaioli was an Italian noble, a member of the Florentine banking family of the Acciaioli. He was the grand seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples and count of Melfi, Malta, and Gozo in the mid-fourteenth century. He was the son of Acciaiolo, a wealthy Florentine merchant...
- Carlo Cerri
- Gasparo di Carpegna
- César d'EstréesCésar d'EstréesCésar d'Estrées was a French diplomat and Cardinal.He was the son of Marshal François Annibal d'Estrées, and brother of Marshal Jean II d'Estrées....
- Pierre de Bonzi
- Vincenzo Maria Orsini
- Francesco Nerli
- Girolamo Casanate
- Federico Baldeschi Colonna
- Galeazzo Marescotti
- Fabrizio SpadaFabrizio SpadaFabrizio Spada was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and served as Secretary of State under Pope Innocent XII.-Life:...
- Philip Thomas HowardPhilip Howard (Cardinal)Hon. Philip Howard was an English Roman Catholic cardinal. Born the third son of Henry Frederick Howard and his wife, Elizabeth Stuart , Howard was a member of the premier Catholic family in England...
- Giambattista SpinolaGiambattista SpinolaGiambattista Spinola was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Genoa.Giambattista was born in Madrid, Spain but his family was of Genoeses origin, apparently connected with the Spinola Family that had been active in Medieval Genoese politics.In 1648 Spinola was made archbishop...
- Antonio Pignatelli (later elected Pope Innocent XIIPope Innocent XIIPope Innocent XII , born Antonio Pignatelli, was Pope from 1691 to 1700.-Biography:He was born in Spinazzola to one of the most aristocratic families of the Kingdom of Naples, which included many Viceroys, and ministers to the crown, and was educated at the Jesuit college in Rome.In his twentieth...
) - Savo Millini
- Federico Visconti
- Raimondo Capizucchi
- Francesco Lorenzo Brancati di Lauria
- Urbano Sacchetti
- Giovanni Francesco GinettiGiovanni Francesco GinettiBorn December 12, 1626 in Rome, Giovanni Francesco Ginetti was nephew of Cardinal Marzio Ginetti .Under the reign of Pope Alexander VII he was appointed him Referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, later Sergeant Major of the Papal Army and then Treasurer General of the Apostolic Chamber...
- Benedetto PamphiliBenedetto PamphiliBenedetto Pamphili was an Italian cardinal, patron of the arts, composer and librettist.-Life:...
- Giacomo de Angelis
- Opizio Pallavicini
- Marcantonio Barbarigo
- Carlo Stefano Anastasio Ciceri
- Leopold Karl von Kollenitsch Lipót
- Pier Matteo Petrucci
- Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg
- Jan Kazimierz Dönhoff
- José Saenz d'Aguirre
- Leandro Colloredo
- Fortunato Ilario Carafa della Spina
- Domenico Maria Corsi
- Gianfrancesco Negroni (had to leave the conclave because of illness on 4 October)
- Fulvio Astalli
- Gasparo Cavalieri
- Francesco Maria de' MediciFrancesco Maria de' MediciFrancesco Maria de' Medici was a member of the House of Medici. He was successively a Governor of Siena, cardinal and later the heir of the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro by right of his mother.-Biography:...
- Rinaldo d'Este
Absent cardinals
- Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero-Bocanegra y Moscoso-Osorio
- Francesco Buonvisi
- Veríssimo de Lencastre
- Marcello Durazzo
- Étienne Le CamusÉtienne Le CamusÉtienne Le Camus was a French cardinal.-Biography:Through the influence of his father, Nicolas le Camus, a state councillor, he was when still very young attached to the court as almoner of the king, and enjoyed the friendship of Bossuet. The Sorbonne made him doctor of theology at the age of...
- Johannes von Goes (he set out for Rome but did not reach the conclave in time).
- Augustyn Michał Stefan Radziejowski
- Pedro de Salazar Gutiérrez de Toledo