Papal conclave, 1378

The papal conclave from April 7 to 9, 1378 was the papal conclave which was the immediate cause of the Western Schism in the Roman Catholic Church. The conclave was one of the shortest in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The conclave was also the first held in the Vatican and in Old St. Peter's Basilica (the elections and conclaves in Rome prior to the Avignon Papacy having been held mostly in the Basilica of St. John Lateran) since 1159.Miller, William. 1902. Mediaeval Rome, from Hildebrand to Clement VIII, 1073-1600. G. P. Putnam's sons. p. 150.
Pope Gregory XI died on March 26, 1378 in Rome, having returned from Avignon to pursue his territorial interests in the Papal States during the War of the Eight Saints. Although the French cardinals constituted a majority of the College of Cardinals due to the preceding Avignon Papacy, they succumbed to the will of the Roman mob, which demanded the election of an Italian pontiff. The sixth and last non-cardinal to be elected pope, Bartolommeo Prignano took the name Pope Urban VI.Miranda, Salvador. 1998. "Papal elections of the XIV Century (1303-1394)".
==Cardinal electors==
Sixteen of the twenty-three active cardinals took part in the conclave. Two possible other cardinals—Piero Tornaquinci and Pietro Tartaro—were not accepted into the ranks of the College for the election. Six more cardinals remained in Avignon, and Jean de la Grange was absent as well.
Elector 	Nationality	Cardinalatial order and title 	Elevated 	Elevator 	Other ecclesiastical titles 	Notes
Pietro Corsini 	Florentine 	Cardinal-bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina 	1370, June 7 	Urban V 	Sub-dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals	
Jean du Cros 	French 	Cardinal-bishop of Palestrina 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	Grand penitentiary 	Cardinal-nephew
Guillaume d'Aigrefeuille, iuniore, O.S.B.	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Stefano al Monte Celio	1367, May 12 	Urban V 	Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals 	
Francesco Tebaldeschi 	Roman 	Cardinal-priest of S. Sabina 	1368, September 22	Urban V 	 	
Bertrand Lagier, O.F.M. 	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Cecilia 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	 	
Robert de Genève 	French 	Cardinal-priest of Ss. XII Apostoli 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	 	Future Antipope Clement VII
Simone Borsano 	Milanese 	Cardinal-priest of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI	 	
Hugues de Montelais, le jeune 	French 	Cardinal-priest of Ss. IV Coronati 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI	 	
Gui de Maillesec 	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Croce in Gerusalemme 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI	 	Cardinal-nephew
Pierre de Sortenac 	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Lorenzo in Lucina 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI	 	
Gérard du Puy, O.S.B. 	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Clemente 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI	 	Cardinal-nephew
Giacomo Orsini 	Roman 	Cardinal-deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	 	
Pierre Flandrin 	French 	Cardinal-deacon of S. Eustachio 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	Vicar of Rome 	
Guillaume Noellet 	French 	Cardinal-deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	 	
Pierre de Vergne 	French 	Cardinal-deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI	 	
Pedro Martínez de Luna y Gotor 	Aragonese 	Cardinal-deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI	 	Future Antipope Benedict XIII
===Absentee cardinals===
Elector 	Nationality	Cardinalatial order and title 	Elevated 	Elevator 	Other ecclesiastical titles 	Notes
Pierre de Monteruc 	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Anastasia 	1356, December 23 	Innocent VI	Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; protopriest 	Remained in Avignon; Cardinal-nephew
Jean de Blandiac 	French 	Cardinal-bishop of Sabina 	1361, September 17	Innocent VI	 	Remained in Avignon
Gilles Aycelin de Montaigu 	French 	Cardinal-bishop of Frascati 	1361, September 17	Innocent VI	 	Remained in Avignon
Hugues de Saint-Martial 	French 	Cardinal-deacon of S. Maria in Portico	1361, September 17	Innocent VI	Protodeacon; archpriest of the Vatican Basilica 	Remained in Avignon
Ange de Grimoard, C.R.S.A. 	French 	Cardinal-bishop of Albano 	1366, September 18	Urban V 	Dean of the College of Cardinals; archpriest of the Lateran Basilica	Remained in Avignon; Cardinal-nephew
Guillaume de Chanac, O.S.B.	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Vitale 	1371, May 30 	Gregory XI 	 	Remained in Avignon
Jean de la Grange, O.S.B. 	French 	Cardinal-priest of S. Marcello 	1375, December 20 	Gregory XI 	 	Papal legate in Tuscany
==Proceedings==
Before his death, Gregory XI substantially loosened the laws of the conclave: he instructed the cardinals to begin immediately after his death (rather than waiting the nine days prescribed by the Ordo Romanis) to prevent "factional coercion", he gave the cardinals permission to hold the conclave outside of Rome and move it as many times as necessary, and also seemingly suspended the two-thirds requirement, replacing it with "the greater part" (an ambiguous statement, in the original).Baumgartner, 2005, p. 55.
The cardinals were divided into three factions: the first constituting the four Italian cardinals (two Romans, one Florentine, and one Milanese), the second constituting the seven "Limoges" cardinals (referred to individually as "Limousins"Baumgartner, 2005, p. 56.), and the third constituting the five remaining French cardinals. The conclave was delayed one day because of a violent storm, and thereafter the seven Limoges cardinals wishing to leave Rome as Gregory XI had authorized them to were persuaded by the others that such an act would place the College in even more danger. It was midnight on the second day before the servants of the cardinals succeeded in clearing the Old Basilica of those not permitted to remain in the conclave.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, even Robert of Geneva (future Antipope Clement VII) and Pedro Martínez de Luna y Gotor (future Antipope Benedict XIII)—the two claimants of the Avignon line during the ensuing Schsim—were among those who voted for Prignano. Prignano had previously lived in France, which may have softened the blow of his election to many of his French electors.Williams, Henry Smith. 1904. The Historians' History of the World. Outlook Company. p. 249. The selection was supposedly "unanimous", with the exception of Giacomo Orsini, who claimed that he was not "free" enough to vote.
Prignano was accompanied by several other prelates (to conceal the identity of the selected candidate) to the Vatican to accept his election. To further the confusion, Orsini gave the Habemus Papam without identifying Prignano.
Upon the conclusion of the election, the Roman mob entered the site of the conclave, under the impression that an aged Roman cardinal Tebaldeschi (who had been left in possession of the papal insignia) had been elected, an impression that the remaining cardinals did not disavow them of as they fled to their personal quarters. The remaining cardinal informed the crowd of the election of Prignano who was hiding in the "most secret room" until his election could be announced.Blumenfeld-Kosinski, 2006, p. 4.
==Aftermath==
The following September, the French cardinals reunited in Avignon, moved to Fondi, and elected Antipope Clement VII, who gained the support of all thirteen of his electors (at the time the entire College numbered twenty-two due to the death of Francesco Tebaldeschi).
==Sources==
Inquisitor Nicholas Eymerich witnesses the conclave, and then went on to write one of the first tracts against Urban VI, Tractatus de potestate papali (1383), which argued in favor of the legitimacy of the Avignon line of papal claimants.Blumenfeld-Kosinski, 2006, p. 57. Several other eyewitnesses record the chant of the Roman crowd: "We want a Roman or at least an Italian" ().Blumenfeld-Kosinski, 2006, p. 3. The contemporary curial document Factum Urbani attests to the general atmosphere of confusion, fear, and panic. For example, canonist Gilles Bellemère recounts removing his clerical garb for fear of the mob and the constant ringing of bells.
Pro-Urbanist sources—such as Alfonso de Jaén, the confessor of Bridget of Sweden, her daughter Catharine, and Dietrich of Nieheim—claim that the situation in Rome was less restless. The marked discrepancy between the classes of sources can be explained by the fact that the alleged duress of the mob became the primary argument in favor of the legitimacy of the Avignon claimants.
==Notes==
==References==
*Baumgartner, Frederic J. 2005. Behind Locked Doors. Macmillan. ISBN 0312294638.
*Blumenfeld-Kosinski, Renate . 2006. Poets, Saints, and Visionaries of the Great Schism, 1378-1417. Penn State Press. ISBN 0271027495.
Category:1378 elections
Category:14th-century Roman Catholicism
Category:Avignon Papacy
1378
Category:Western Schism
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