Papal conclave, 1492

Coat of arms during the vacancy of the Holy See
Dates and location
6–11 August 1492 Sistine Chapel, Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Key officials
Dean	Rodrigo Borja
Sub-Dean	Oliviero Carafa
Camerlengo	Raffaele Riario
Protopriest	Luis Juan del Mila y Borja (substituted by Girolamo Basso della Rovere)
Protodeacon	Francesco Piccolomini
Election
Ballots	4
Elected Pope
Rodrigo Borja Name taken: Alexander VI
← 1484 September 1503 →

The papal conclave of 1492 (6–11 August 1492) was convened after the death of Pope Innocent VIII (25 July 1492). It was the first conclave to be held in the Sistine Chapel.

Cardinal Rodrigo Borja was elected unanimously on the 4th ballot as Pope Alexander VI. The election is notorious for allegations that Borja bought the votes of his electors, promising them lucrative appointments and other material gifts—a practice known as simony. Concerns about this conclave led Pope Julius II to create stronger rules against simony in 1503.

Of the 23 cardinals participating in the conclave, fourteen had been elevated by Pope Sixtus IV. The Cardinals of Sixtus IV, known as the "Sistine Cardinals" and led by Giuliano della Rovere, had controlled the conclave of 1484, electing one of their own, Giambattista Cibo as Pope Innocent VIII. Since 1431 the composition of the College of Cardinals had been radically transformed, increasing the number of cardinal-nephews (from 3 to 10), crown-cardinals (from 2 to 8), and representatives of powerful Roman noble families (from 2 to 4). With the exception of three curial officials and one pastor, the cardinals were "secularly-minded princes largely unconcerned with the spiritual life of either the Latin church or its members."

At the time of Innocent VIII's death, the names of Cardinals Gherardo and Sanseverino (both created in pectore), had not been published, thus making them ineligible to participate in the conclave; however, both were published as an act of the College in sede vacante, Gherardo having been pushed by Giovanni Battista Orsini and Sanseverino by Ascanio Sforza. Gherardo was assigned the title of Santi Nereo e Achilleo, which it was believed Innocent VIII had intended for him; Sanseverino was given the poor and undesirable diaconate of San Teodoro to ensure that the future pontiff would confirm his assignment.