January 1276 papal conclave explained

Month:January
Year:1276
Dates:21–22 January 1276
Location:Cathedral of S. Pietro, Arezzo
Protopriest:Simone Paltineri
Protodeacon:Riccardo Annibaldi
Ballots:1
Pope Elected:Pierre de Tarentaise
Nametaken:Innocent V
Prevconclave Year:1268–71
Prevconclave Link:1268–71 papal election
Nextconclave Year:July 1276
Nextconclave Link:July 1276 papal conclave

The January 1276 papal conclave (January 21–22), was the 1st papal conclave. held under the rules of constitution Ubi periculum issued by Pope Gregory X in 1274, which established papal conclaves. According to Ubi periculum Cardinals were to be secluded in a closed area; they were not even accorded separate rooms. No cardinal was allowed to be attended by more than one servant unless ill. Food was to be supplied through a window; after three days of the meeting, the cardinals were to receive only one dish a day; after five days, they were to receive just bread and water. During the conclave, no cardinal was to receive any ecclesiastical revenue. These provisions were regularly disregarded, at the discretion of the cardinals, particularly the requirement of being incommunicado.

Although several times before papal elections were held in the circumstances similar to those described by Ubi periculum,[1] for the first time such situation was formally required by a papal Constitution. For this reason, the Conclave of January 1276 can be considered the first papal conclave in history in the strictly legal sense of this word.

List of participants

Pope Gregory X died on January 10, 1276, at Arezzo. At the time of his death there were probably 15 cardinals in the Sacred College, but only 13 of them participated in the subsequent conclave. Seven of them were created by Urban IV, four by Gregory X and one by Gregory IX:

ElectorCardinalatial titleElevatedAppointed byOther ecclesiastical titlesNotes
Pierre de Tarentaise, O.P. Bishop of Ostia e VelletriJune 3, 1273Elected Pope Innocent V
João Pedro JuliãoBishop of FrascatiJune 3, 1273
Vicedominus de VicedominisBishop of PalestrinaJune 3, 1273Nephew of Pope Gregory X
Bertrand de Saint-Martin, O.S.B.Bishop of SabinaJune 3, 1273
Simone PaltanieriPriest of SS. Silvestro e MartinoDecember 17, 1261
Ancher PantaleonPriest of S. PrassedeMay 1262Urban IV
Guillaume de BrayPriest of S. MarcoMay 1262Urban IV
Riccardo AnnibaldiDeacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria1238Gregory IXProtodeacon
Archpriest of the patriarchal Vatican Basilica;
Protector of the Order of Augustinians
nephew of Pope Innocent III
Ottobono FieschiDeacon of S. AdrianoDecember, 1251Innocent IVArchpriest of the patriarchal Liberian Basilicafuture Pope Adrian V
Uberto CoconatiDeacon of S. EustachioDecember 17, 1261Urban IV
Giacomo SavelliDeacon of S. Maria in CosmedinDecember 17, 1261Urban IVFuture Pope Honorius IV
Goffredo da AlatriDeacon of S. Giorgio in VelabroDecember 17, 1261Urban IV
Matteo Rosso OrsiniDeacon of S. Maria in PorticoMay 1262Urban IVNephew of Pope Nicholas III

Absentee cardinals

Two cardinals were absent, including one created by Urban IV and one created by Innocent IV:

ElectorCardinalatial titleElevatedAppointed byOther ecclesiastical titlesNotes
Simon Monpitie de BriePriest of S. CeciliaDecember 17, 1261Urban IVPapal Legate in the Kingdom of FranceFuture Pope Martin IV
Giovanni Gaetano OrsiniDeacon of S. Nicola in Carcere TullianoMay 28, 1244Innocent IVInquisitor General; Protector of the Order of FranciscansFuture Pope Nicholas III

Conclave. Election of Pope Innocent V

On January 20, 10 days after the death of Gregory X, 15 cardinals assembled in the episcopal palace in Arezzo. In the first scrutiny on the following day they unanimously elected French Cardinal Pierre de Tarentaise, bishop of Ostia e Velletri, who took the name of Innocent V. He was the first Dominican pope.

External links

Notes and References

  1. For example, during Papal election, 1241 cardinals had been enclosed by Senator Matteo Rosso Orsini, who gradually reduced food supplies for them.