Papal conclave, 1655
Coat of arms during the vacancy of the Holy See
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| Dates and location | |
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| 18 January – 7 April 1655 Apostolic Palace, Papal States |
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| Key officials | |
| Dean | Carlo de' Medici |
| Sub-Dean | Francesco Barberini |
| Camerlengo | Antonio Barberini |
| Protopriest | Luigi Capponi |
| Protodeacon | Giangiacomo Teodoro Trivulzio |
| Election | |
| Vetoed | Giulio Cesare Sacchetti |
| Elected Pope | |
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Fabio Chigi (Name taken: Alexander VII) |
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The Papal conclave of 1655 was the papal conclave of Cardinals called on the death of Pope Innocent X. The conclave elected Fabio Chigi, who took office as Alexander VII.
At the death of Pope Innocent X, the cardinals of the College once again took to their respective sides in the French-Spanish conflict for control of the Church.
Francesco Barberini once again sided with the Spanish while his brother, Antonio Barberini, again sided with the French. The third Barberini brother, Don Taddeo Barberini (Prince of Palestrina), had died while the three were in exile in France at Pope Innocent X's orders. There they had lived under the protection of Cardinal Mazarin but they returned to Rome after reconciling with the Pamphili and allying with Innocent X's closest advisor, Olimpia Maidalchini. Papal nepotism of the era was so rife that the two Barberini brothers entered the conclave alongside Girolamo Colonna (Taddeo's brother-in-law), Carlo Barberini (Taddeo's son), Rinaldo d'Este (brother of Francesco d'Este; married to Taddeo's daughter) and Camillo Astalli-Pamphili (Donna Olimpia's bumbling nephew).
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