Papal conclave, September 1503
Coat of arms during the vacancy of the Holy See
|
|
| Dates and location | |
|---|---|
| September 1503 Apostolic Palace, Papal States |
|
| Election | |
| Candidates | Georges d'Amboise, Giuliano della Rovere, Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini |
| Ballots | 2 |
| Elected Pope | |
|
Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini Name taken: Pius III |
|
 |
|
The papal conclave of September 1503 elected Pope Pius III to succeed Pope Alexander VI. Due to the Italian Wars, the College of Cardinals was surrounded by three potentially hostile armies, loyal to Louis XII of France, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Cesare Borgia (the cardinal-nephew of Alexander VI).
The participation of thirty-nine cardinals, made possible by the delay of the funeral of Alexander VI, made the conclave the largest in history, up to that time, in terms of the number of electors. There were 21 Italian cardinals, 11 Spanish, and 7 French. A convergence of factors undid years of planning by Louis XII and his predecessor Charles VIII of France to promote the candidacy of Georges d'Amboise. After receiving far fewer votes than expected on the first ballot due to the independent candidacy of Giuliano della Rovere and the loss of control of the Spanish cardinals by Cesare Borgia, d'Amboise threw his support to Francesco Piccolomini, who was elected Pius III on the second ballot despite receiving only four on the first.
The conclave was the first in two centuries held under the pall of an "outsider army". The Italian Wars had been under way since Charles VIII of France decided to enforce the Angevin claim to the Kingdom of Naples, ousting Ferrante of Aragon, who in turn was aided by his relative Ferdinand II of Aragon.
Alexander VI had initially sided with Ferdinand of Aragon but in 1498 recognized Louis XII of France, the heir of Charles VIII, as the king of Naples. Nevertheless, Ferdinand had made serious gains in the war, forcing Louis to send a reinforcement force in 1503 which neared Rome when Alexander VI died in August. Rather than continue to Naples, Louis XII ordered his force to wait outside Rome for the duration of the conclave. The Neapolitan army was only forty miles to the South as well.
...
Wikipedia