1592 conclave
election of Pope Clement VIII
The 1592 papal conclave (10–30 January) elected Pope Clement VIII in succession to Pope Innocent IX.
Death of Innocent IX
Pope Innocent IX died on December 30, 1591, only two months into his pontificate. This created the fourth sede vacante in the year and a half since the death of Pope Sixtus V, who had died on August 27, 1590. He was then succeeded by Pope Urban VII (September 15 – September 27, 1590), Pope Gregory XIV (December 5, 1590 – October 16, 1591) and Innocent IX (October 29 – December 30, 1591), so the papal conclave of January 1592 was the fourth in only seventeen months. No similar situation had occurred since 1276–1277.
List of participants
Fifty four of the sixty four cardinals participated in this conclave:
Alfonso Gesualdo (created cardinal on February 26, 1561) – Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia e Velletri; Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Prefect of the S.C. of Ceremonies; Prefect of the S.C. of Rites; Cardinal-protector of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Sicily
Innico d'Avalos d'Aragona, O.S.Iacobis. (February 26, 1561) – Cardinal-Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina; Sub-dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
Marco Antonio Colonna (March 12, 1565) – Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina; Librarian of the Holy Roman Church
Tolomeo Gallio (March 12, 1565) – Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati
Gabriele Paleotti (March 12, 1565) – Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina; Archbishop of Bologna
Michele Bonelli, O.P. (March 6, 1566) – Cardinal-Bishop of Albano; Prefect of the S.C. of the Bishops and Regulars; Cardinal-protector of the Order of Dominicans
Markus Sitticus von Hohenems (February 26, 1561) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere; Protopriest of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Archpriest of the patriarchal Lateran Basilica
Ludovico Madruzzo (February 26, 1561) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Lorenzo in Lucina; Bishop of Trento; Cardinal-protector of Germany and Spain
Girolamo Simoncelli (December 22, 1553) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Prisca; Administrator of the see of Orvieto
Giulio Antonio Santori (May 17, 1570) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Bartolomeo all’Isola; Grand Inquisitor of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition; Archbishop of Santa Severina; Cardinal-protector of the Order of Capuchins and of the Greek Catholic Church
Girolamo Rusticucci (May 17, 1570) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Susanna; Vicar General of Rome; Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Cardinal-protector of the Order of Cistercians
Nicolas de Pellevé (May 17, 1570) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Prassede; Archbishop of Sens and Archbishop of Reims; Cardinal-protector of Ireland
Pedro de Deza (February 21, 1578) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni
Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Giovanni e Paolo; Archbishop of Florence
François de Joyeuse (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Trinita al Monte Pincio; Archbishop of Toulouse; Cardinal-protector of the Kingdom of France
Giulio Canani (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Anastasia; Bishop of Modena
Anton Maria Salviati (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria della Pace
Agostino Valier (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Marco; Bishop of Verona
Vincenzo Lauro (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Clemente; Bishop of Mondovi; Cardinal-protector of Scotland
Filippo Spinola (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Sabina; Legate in Spoleto
Jerzy Radziwiłł (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Sisto; Bishop of Kraków
Scipione Lancelotti (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Salvatore in Lauro; Secretary of the Apostolic Briefs
Enrico Caetani (December 18, 1585) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pudenziana; Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church; Latin Patriarch of Alexandria; Prefect of the Congregation for French affairs
Giovanni Battista Castrucci (December 18, 1585) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Aracoeli
Domenico Pinelli (December 18, 1585) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Crisogono; Archpriest of the patriarchal Liberian Basilica; Papal legate in Perugia and Umbria; Cardinal-protector of the Order of Carmelites
Ippolito Aldobrandini (December 18, 1585) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pancrazio; Grand penitentiary
Girolamo della Rovere (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pietro in Vincoli; Archbishop of Turin
Girolamo Bernerio, O.P. (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria sopra Minerva; Bishop of Ascoli-Piceno; Cardinal-protector of the Order of Servites
Antonio Maria Gallio (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Agnese in Agone; Bishop of Osimo
Costanzo Buttafoco da Sarnano, O.F.M.Conv. (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Pietro in Montorio
Benedetto Giustiniani (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Marcello; Prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Grace; Legate in Marche; Vice-protector of the Kingdom of France
William Allen (August 7, 1587) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Silvestro a Martino ai Monti
Scipione Gonzaga (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria del Popolo; Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Antonio Maria Sauli (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Stefano al Monte Celio
Giovanni Evangelista Pallotta (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Mateo in Merulana; Archpriest of the patriarchal Vatican Basilica
Giovan Francesco Morosini (July 15, 1588) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Via; Bishop of Brescia; Cardinal-protector of Hungary
Francesco Maria Del Monte (December 14, 1588) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Quirico e Giulitta
Agostino Cusani (December 14, 1588) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Lorenzo in Pansiperna
Mariano Pierbenedetti (December 20, 1589) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. Marcellino e Pietro
Gregorio Petrocchini, O.E.S.A. (December 20, 1589) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Agostino
Paolo Emilio Sfondrati (December 19, 1590) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Cecilia; Legate a latere in Bologna and Romagna; Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Justice
Ottavio Paravicini (March 6, 1591) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Giovanni a Porta Latina; Bishop of Alessandria
Andreas von Österreich (November 19, 1576) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria Nuova; Protodeacon of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Bishop of Constance and bishop of Brixen; Cardinal-protector of Austria
Simeone Tagliavia d'Aragonia (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria degli Angeli; Vice-protector of the Kingdom of Spain
Francesco Sforza di Santa Fiora (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata; Legate in Romagna
Alessandro Peretti Montalto Damasceni (May 13, 1585) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Lorenzo in Damaso; Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; Legate in Bologna; Cardinal-protector of the Kingdom of Poland; Cardinal-protector of the orders of Benedictines and Celestines
Girolamo Mattei (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Eustachio; Prefect of the S.C. of the Tridentine Council
Ascanio Colonna (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin
Federico Borromeo (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere Tulliano
Guido Pepoli (December 20, 1589) – Cardinal-Deacon of SS. Cosma e Damiano
Ottavio d'Aquaviva (March 6, 1591) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro; Legate in Campagna and Marittima
Odoardo Farnese (March 6, 1591) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Adriano
Flaminio Piatti (March 6, 1591) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Domnica
Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce (December 18, 1591) – Cardinal-Deacon with no deaconry assigned; Secretary of State and Superintendent general of the Papal States
Twenty three electors were created by Sixtus V, thirteen by Gregory XIII, seven by Pius IV, five by Gregory XIV, four by Pius V, one by Innocent IX and one by Pope Julius III.
Absentees
Ten cardinals were absent:
Gaspar Quiroga y Vela (December 15, 1578) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Balbina; Archbishop of Toledo; Inquisitor General of the Spanish Inquisition
Rodrigo de Castro de Lemos (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Priest of SS. XII Apostoli; Archbishop of Seville
Philippe de Lenoncourt (November 16, 1586) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Onofrio; Prefect of the S.C. of Index
Pierre de Gondi (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Priest of S. Silvestro in Capite; Bishop of Paris
Filippo Sega (December 18, 1591) – Cardinal-Priest with no title assigned; Bishop of Piacenza; Legate in France
Albrecht VII Habsburg (March 3, 1577) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Croce in Gerusalemme; Inquisitor General of the Portuguese Inquisition; Viceroy of Portugal
Charles III de Bourbon de Vendôme II (December 12, 1583) – Cardinal-Deacon with no deaconry assigned; Archbishop of Rouen
Andrzej Batory (July 4, 1584) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria; Bishop of Warmia
Hughes de Loubenx de Verdalle, O.S.Io.Hieros. (December 18, 1587) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Portico; Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
Charles III de Lorraine-Vaudémont (December 20, 1589) – Cardinal-Deacon of S. Agata in Suburra; Bishop of Metz; Papal Legate in Lorraine
Five of these were created by Gregory XIII, four by Sixtus V and one by Innocent IX.
Divisions in the Sacred College and the main candidates
The Sacred College of Cardinals was divided into several factions. The strongest of them was the Spanish faction with Madruzzo as unofficial leader. They supported the interests of king Philip II of Spain.
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