The papal election

Papal 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...

 of January 8, 1198 was convoked after the death of Pope Celestine III

Pope Celestine III

Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...

; it ended with the election of Cardinal Lotario dei Conti di Segni, who took the name Innocent III. In this election for the first time the new pope was elected per scrutinium

Scrutiny

Scrutiny...

.

Death of Celestine III

Pope Celestine III

Pope Celestine III

Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...

 had been elected to the papacy in 1191 at the age of 85. In spite of his very advanced age, his pontificate lasted almost seven years. On Christmas Day, 1197 the 91-year-old Pope expressed the wish to abdicate the papacy

Papal abdication

Papal resignation is envisaged as a possibility in canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law and canon 44 §2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches...

 on condition that his close collaborator Cardinal Giovanni di San Paolo

Giovanni di San Paolo

Giovanni di San Paolo was a Benedictine monk at San Paolo fuori le Muri in Rome. He was made Cardinal-Deacon on February 20, 1193, then Cardinal Priest of Santa Prisca in May 1193 and finally Cardinal Bishop of Sabina at the end of 1204...

 would be elected the new pope. The cardinals rejected the suggestion as inconsistent with the rule that papal elections must be free ones. Shortly thereafter, on January 8, 1198, Celestine III died and the cardinals present at his deathbed immediately started proceedings for the election of his successor.

List of participants

At the death of Celestine III there were 29 cardinals in the Sacred College. However, no more than 21 were present at Rome:

Elector	Cardinalatial title	Elevated	Elevator	Notes
Ottaviano di Paoli Ottaviano di Paoli Ottaviano di Paoli was an Italian Cardinal.He was a papal legate in France in the 1170s, and was created cardinal in 1182, as cardinal-deacon of Ss. Sergio e Bacco...	Bishop of Ostia e Velletri	December 18, 1182	Lucius III Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...	He consecrated new pope to the priesthood and episcopate
Pietro Gallocia Pietro Gallocia Pietro Gallocia or Galluzzi was an Italian cardinal.He was apostolic subdeacon and governor of Campagna in the pontificate of Pope Alexander III . Pope Clement III created him Cardinal-Deacon in 1188 and named him Cardinal-Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina in 1190...	Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina	1188	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Soffredo	Priest of S. Prassede	December 18, 1182	Lucius III Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...
Pietro Diana	Priest of S. Cecilia	March 16, 1185	Lucius III Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...
Giordano di Ceccano, O.Cist.	Priest of S. Pudenziana	March 12, 1188	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Giovanni da Viterbo	Priest of S. Clemente and bishop of Viterbo e Toscanella	May 1189	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Guido Papareschi	Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Giovanni di Salerno, O.S.B.Cas.	Priest of S. Stefano in Monte Celio	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...	Elected Pope but declined
Cinzio Cenci	Priest of S. Lorenzo in Lucina	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Ugo Bobone	Priest of SS. Silvestro e Martino	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...	Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica
Giovanni di San Paolo Giovanni di San Paolo Giovanni di San Paolo was a Benedictine monk at San Paolo fuori le Muri in Rome. He was made Cardinal-Deacon on February 20, 1193, then Cardinal Priest of Santa Prisca in May 1193 and finally Cardinal Bishop of Sabina at the end of 1204...	Priest of S. Prisca	February 20, 1193	Celestine III Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...	Celestine III tried to designate him as his successor
Graziano da Pisa	Deacon of SS. Cosma e Damiano	March 4, 1178	Alexander III Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...	Protodeacon Protodeacon Protodeacon derives from the Greek proto- meaning 'first' and diakonos, which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiting-man," "minister" or "messenger." The word in English may refer to various clergymen, depending upon the usage of the particular church in question.-Eastern... ; he crowned the new pope
Gerardo Allucingoli Gerardo Allucingoli Gerardo Allucingoli was an Italian cardinal and cardinal-nephew of Pope Lucius III, who elevated him in 1182.He was canon of the cathedral chapter in his native city of Lucca. After the election of his uncle to the papacy he was named Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church , and then cardinal-deacon...	Deacon of S. Adriano	December 18, 1182	Lucius III Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...	Cardinal-nephew Cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
Gregorio de San Apostolo	Deacon of S. Maria in Portico	March 12, 1188	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Gregorio Crescenzi	Deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro	March 12, 1188	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Gregorio Carelli	Deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Lotario dei Conti di Segni Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....	Deacon of SS. Sergio e Bacco	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...	Cardinal-nephew Cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to... ; elected Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
Gregorio Boboni	Deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...
Niccolò Scolari	Deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin	September 22, 1190	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...	Cardinal-nephew Cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
Bobo Bobo of S. Teodoro Bobo of San Teodoro was an Italian Cardinal.He was relative of Pope Celestine III, who named him cardinal-deacon of San Teodoro on 20 February 1193. He subscribed papal bulls between 4 March 1193 and 19 June 1199...	Deacon of S. Teodoro	February 20, 1193	Celestine III Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...	Cardinal-nephew Cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
Cencio Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...	Deacon of S. Lucia in Silice and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church	February 20, 1193	Celestine III Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...	Acting papal chancellor; future Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...  (1216-1227); possibly of Savelli family

Four electors were created by Celestine III, five by Lucius III, one by Alexander III and the remaining thirteen by Clement III.

Absentees

At least eight cardinals were absent:

Elector	Cardinalatial title	Elevated	Elevator	Notes
Konrad von Wittelsbach	Bishop of Sabina and Archbishop of Mainz	December 18, 1165	Alexander III Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...	Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals; papal legate in the Holy Land; external cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages...
Guillaume aux Blanches Mains Guillaume aux Blanches Mains Guillaume de Blois , called Guillaume aux Blanches Mains , or Guillaume de Champagne, was a French Cardinal.He was born in Brosse, Île-de-France, France...	Priest of S. Sabina and Archbishop of Reims Archbishop of Reims The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750...	March 1179	Alexander III Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...	Protopriest Protopriest Protopriest — in the College of Cardinals, is the first Cardinal-Priest in the order of precedence. This title is always attached to the most senior Cardinal Priest according to date of his creation. From the 17th century until the end of 19th century Protopriest usually opted for the titulus San... ; Minister of State of the Kingdom of France 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... ; external cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages...
Ruggiero di San Severino	Priest of S. Eusebio and Archbishop of Benevento	Circa 1178-1180	Alexander III Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...	External cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages...
Pandolfo Masca	Priest of SS. XII Apostoli	December 18, 1182	Lucius III Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...	Papal legate in Tuscany
Adelardo Cattaneo Adelardo Cattaneo Adelardo Cattaneo - Italian cardinal and bishop. His first name is listed also as Alardo.He was canon of the cathedral chapter of Verona. Pope Lucius III created him Cardinal-Priest of S. Marcello in the consistory of March 6, 1185...	S.R.E. cardinalis and bishop of Verona	March 16, 1185	Lucius III Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...	Resigned the titular church of S. Marcello after the election to the see of Verona in 1188; external cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages...
Bernardo, C.R.S.F.	Priest of S. Pietro in Vincoli	March 12, 1188	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...	Papal legate in Tuscany and Lombardy
Roffredo dell'Isola, O.S.B.Cas.	Priest of SS. Marcellino e Pietro	1188	Clement III Pope Clement III Pope Clement III , born Paulino Scolari, was elected Pope on December 19, 1187 and reigned until his death.-Cardinal:...	Abbot of Montecassino; ; external cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages...
Peter of Capua Peter of Capua Peter of Capua was an Italian theologian and scholastic philosopher, and a Cardinal and papal legate.Peter was a member of an Amalfitan family. After a being a teacher at the University of Paris, he was employed by Pope Innocent III as legate. He made trips to Poland and Bohemia in 1197,...	Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata	February 20, 1193	Celestine III Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...	He was legate in Bohemia and Poland in 1197. At the death of Celestine III he had already finished this mission but was unable to reach Rome before the election

Election of Pope Innocent III

On the same day that Celestine III had died the cardinals assembled in Septizonium in the voluntary enclosure

Enclosure

Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...

. For the first time the electors voted by scrutiny

Scrutiny

Scrutiny...

 (per scrutinium). Some cardinals were elected scrutineers; they had to count the votes, to record the result and to announced it to the rest of the Sacred College. In the first scrutiny Cardinal Giovanni di Salerno received the greatest number of votes (ten), but declared that he would not accept the election to the pontificate In the second scrutiny the cardinals united their votes in favor of 37-years old Cardinal Lotario dei Conti di Segni, deacon of SS. Sergio e Bacco, who was the youngest of all the cardinals. He accepted his election and took the name Innocent III.

On February 22, 1198 the new pope was ordained to the priesthood and consecrated to the episcopate by Cardinal Ottaviano di Paoli

Ottaviano di Paoli

Ottaviano di Paoli was an Italian Cardinal.He was a papal legate in France in the 1170s, and was created cardinal in 1182, as cardinal-deacon of Ss. Sergio e Bacco...

, bishop of Ostia e Velletri, and solemnly crowned

Papal Coronation

A papal coronation was the ceremony of the placing of the Papal Tiara on a newly elected pope. The first recorded papal coronation was that of Pope Celestine II in 1143. Soon after his coronation in 1963, Pope Paul VI abandoned the practice of wearing the tiara. His successors have chosen not to...

 by Cardinal Graziano da Pisa, protodeacon of SS. Cosma e Damiano.

Sources