Papal conclave, 1691

Coat of arms during the vacancy of the Holy See
Dates and location
12 February – 12 July 1691 Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Elected Pope
Antonio Pignatelli Name taken: Innocent XII
← 1689 1700 →

The papal conclave of 1691 was convened on the death of Pope Alexander VIII and ended with the election of Antonio Pignatelli as Pope Innocent XII. It lasted for five months, from 12 February to 12 July 1691. The conclave became deadlocked after Catholic monarchs opposed the election of Gregorio Barbarigo, who some members of the College of Cardinals also viewed as too strict. The conclave only ended in the July after cardinals started to become ill during the heat, and when French cardinals agreed to vote for Pignatelli despite him coming from Spanish-controlled Naples.

Issues of Gallicanism were prominent in the 1689 conclave that had elected Alexander VIII. Alexander's predecessor, Innocent XI, had refused to confirm new French bishops to the point where thirty-five dioceses lacked a bishop confirmed by Rome in 1688. Alexander's election had been secured by promising that he would confirm the unconfirmed French bishops. Despite this, Alexander's last act as pope before he died was to condemn the Declaration of the Clergy of France on 1 February 1691.

Alexander was also noted for his nepotism that was partially due to his advanced age and belief that his family would have little time to profit from his reign. This was in contrast to his predecessor Innocent XI, who was known for being austere and had not caused any scandals through nepotism.

The conclave began on 12 February 1691, and membership in the College of Cardinals was at its statutory maximum of 70 cardinals. Despite this, at the beginning of the conclave only 38 electors were present. The number rose to 44 electors present by 19 February, 1691, and by the time of the election of Innocent XII in July, 61 electors were present.

The curial cardinals entered the conclave seeking to elect Gregorio Barbarigo as pope. He was unacceptable to Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor, because he was a Venetian. While Leopold did not formally exclude Barbarigo, he did not wish for him to be elected. In addition to Leopold, the Spanish ambassador in Rome worked against Barbarigo's election, and Louis XIV of France opposed it because of the wishes of his allies.