1484 papal conclave explained

Month:August
Year:1484
Dates:26–29 August 1484
Location:Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Dean:Rodrigo Borja
Camerlengo:Raffaele Riario
Protodeacon:Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini
Pope Elected:Giovanni Battista Cybo
Nametaken:Innocent VIII
Prevconclave Year:1471
Prevconclave Link:1471 papal conclave
Nextconclave Year:1492
Nextconclave Link:1492 papal conclave

The 1484 papal conclave (August 26–29) elected Pope Innocent VIII after the death of Pope Sixtus IV.

The election

At the death of Sixtus IV, the conclave of cardinals that met to elect his successor numbered thirty-two cardinals.[1]

The immediate context of the election was the nearly unprecedented packing of the College of Cardinals by Sixtus IV, not only in terms of overall size, but also in terms of cardinal-nephews and crown cardinals.[2] As a result, nearly all of the non-Venetian cardinals supported the continuation of Sixtus IV's policies of isolation towards the Republic of Venice, specifically the Peace of Bagnolo.[2] However, the two factions of cardinals differed over whether the church ought to prioritize the continuation of the Italian League or should prioritize papal power (especially vis-a-vis Naples) over the preservation of the peace.[2] Cardinal Borja led the first faction and Cardinal della Rovere, the second; these factions were roughly aligned with the Orsini and Colonna families, respectively.[2]

The conclave was carried out by the largest non-schismatic College since the eleventh century.[2] Because of an intense dispute between the Colonna and Orsini, the city of Rome was marked by far more civil unrest during the sede vacante than was to be expected historically. While Count Girolamo Riario was away besieging a Colonna stronghold, his palace was sacked and his wife fled to the Castel S. Angelo. Upon his return to the city Count Riario joined his wife and held the Castel until persuaded to withdraw from the city with payment of 4000 ducats.[3]

In order to prevent the selection of Cardinal Barbo, on the evening before the election, after the cardinals retired for the night, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, nephew of the late Pope, and Cardinal Borgia, the Vice-Chancellor, visited a number of cardinals and secured their votes with the promise of various benefices.

Cardinal electors

ElectorNationalityOrderTitleElevatedElevatorNotes
Rodrigo BorjaSpanishCardinal-bishopBishop of Porto e Santa Rufina, administrator of Valencia20 February 1456Callixtus IIIDean of the College of Cardinals
Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; future Pope Alexander VI; cardinal-nephew
Giuliano della RovereLigurianCardinal-bishopBishop of Ostia e Velletri, bishop of Bologna, administrator of Avignon15 December 1471Sixtus IVGrand Penitentiary, Future Pope Julius II; cardinal-nephew
Oliviero CarafaNeapolitanCardinal-bishopBishop of Albano18 September 1467Paul II
Marco BarboVenetianCardinal-bishopBishop of Palestrina, patriarch of Aquileia18 September 1467Paul IICardinal-nephew
Giovanni Battista ZenoVenetianCardinal-bishopBishop of Frascati21 November 1468Paul IICardinal-nephew
Giovanni MichielVenetianCardinal-priestTitle of S. Marcello21 November 1468Paul IICardinal-nephew
Stefano NardiniForlìCardinal-priestTitle of S. Maria in Trastevere, archbishop of Milan7 May 1473Sixtus IV
Giovanni Battista CiboLigurianCardinal-priestTitle of S. Cecilia, bishop of Molfetta7 May 1473Sixtus IVCamerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals
Elected Pope Innocent VIII
Giovanni ArcimboldoMilaneseCardinal-priestTitle of S. Prassede, bishop of Novara7 May 1473Sixtus IV
Philibert HugonetFrenchCardinal-priestTitle of Ss. Giovanni e Paulo, bishop of Macon7 May 1473Sixtus IV
Jorge da Costa, O.Cist.PortugueseCardinal-priestTitle of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro, archbishop of Lisbon18 December 1476Sixtus IV
Girolamo Basso della RovereLigurianCardinal-priestTitle of S. Crisogono, bishop of Recanati10 December 1477Sixtus IVCardinal-nephew
Pietro FoscariVenetianCardinal-priestTitle of S. Nicola fra le Immagini25 March 1471 (in pectore), 10 December 1477Paul II (in pectore), Sixtus IV
Giovanni d'AragonaNeapolitanCardinal-priestTitle of S. Sabina10 December 1477Sixtus IV
Raffaele RiarioLigurianCardinal-priestTitle of S. Lorenzo in Damaso10 December 1477Sixtus IVCamerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
Cardinal-nephew
Domenico della RovereTurineseCardinal-priestTitle of S. Clemente, archbishop of Turin10 February 1478Sixtus IV
Giovanni ContiRomanCardinal-priestTitle of Ss. Nereo ed Achilleo, archbishop of Conza15 November 1483Sixtus IV
Juan Margarit i PauSpanishCardinal-priestTitle of S. Vitale, bishop of Gerona15 November 1483Sixtus IV
Giovanni Giacomo SclafenatiMilaneseCardinal-priestTitle of S. Stefano al Monte Celio, bishop of Parma15 November 1483Sixtus IV
Francesco Todeschini-PiccolominiSieneseCardinal-deaconDeacon of S. Eustachio, bishop of Siena5 March 1460Pius IIProtodeacon; Future Pope Pius III
Gabriele Rangone, O.Min.Obs.Cardinal-deaconDeacon of Ss. Sergio e Bacco, bishop of Agrigento10 December 1477Sixtus IV
Giovanni Battista SavelliRomanCardinal-deaconDeacon of S. Nicola in Carcere Tulliano15 May 1480Sixtus IV
Giovanni ColonnaRomanCardinal-deaconDeacon of S. Maria in Aquiro15 May 1480Sixtus IV
Giambattista OrsiniRomanCardinal-deaconDeacon of S. Maria Nuova15 November 1483Sixtus IV
Ascanio SforzaMilaneseCardinal-deaconDeacon of Ss. Vito e Modesto17 March 1484Sixtus IV

Absentee cardinals

ElectorNationalityOrderTitleElevatedElevatorNotes
Luis Juan del MilàSpanishCardinal-priestTitle of Ss. IV Coronati, bishop of Lérida17 September 1456Callixtus III
Thomas BourchierEnglishCardinal-priestTitle of S. Ciriaco, Archbishop of Canterbury18 September 1467Paul II
Jean BalueFrenchCardinal-bishopTitle of S. Susanna, Bishop of Albano, bishop of Angers18 September 1467Paul II
Pedro González de MendozaSpanishCardinal-priestTitle of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, archbishop of Sevilla and administrator of Sigùenza7 May 1473Sixtus IV
Charles II, Duke of BourbonFrenchCardinal-priestTitle of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, archbishop of Lyon18 December 1476Sixtus IV
Pierre de Foix, le jeuneFrenchCardinal-deaconDeacon of Ss. Cosma e Damiano, bishop of Vannes18 December 1476Sixtus IV
Paolo FregosoGenoeseCardinal-priestTitle of S. Anastasia, archbishop of Genoa15 May 1480Sixtus IV

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Miranda, Salvador. "Conclave of August 26 - 29, 1484", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church . 2016-03-02 . 2018-01-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180113100338/http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/conclave-xv.htm#1484 . dead .
  2. Burkle-Young, Francis A. 1998. "The election of Pope Innocent VIII (1484)".
  3. http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1484.html Adams, John Paul. "Sede Vacant August 12, 1484—August 29, 1484", California State University, Northridge

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