Book contents
- The cambridge history of the Papacy
- The Cambridge History of the Papacy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- General Introduction
- Part I Christendom and Empire
- Part II Crises, Schisms, and Dissent
- Part III Reformations and Revolutions
- Part IV Theopolitics and Religious Diplomacy
- 18 Papal Elections and Renunciations
- 19 The Military Papacy
- 20 Benedict XV (r. 1914–1922) and the Legacy of a Wartime Papacy
- 21 The Papacy and Slavery in Early Modern Europe, 1500–1800
- 22 The Papacy and the Decolonization of Africa
- 23 The Rise of Liberation Theology
- 24 Papal Diplomacy during and since the Ancien Régime
- Part V Inter-Faith Relations: Confrontation and Dialogue
- Select Bibliography
- Index
18 - Papal Elections and Renunciations
from Part IV - Theopolitics and Religious Diplomacy
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2025
- The cambridge history of the Papacy
- The Cambridge History of the Papacy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- General Introduction
- Part I Christendom and Empire
- Part II Crises, Schisms, and Dissent
- Part III Reformations and Revolutions
- Part IV Theopolitics and Religious Diplomacy
- 18 Papal Elections and Renunciations
- 19 The Military Papacy
- 20 Benedict XV (r. 1914–1922) and the Legacy of a Wartime Papacy
- 21 The Papacy and Slavery in Early Modern Europe, 1500–1800
- 22 The Papacy and the Decolonization of Africa
- 23 The Rise of Liberation Theology
- 24 Papal Diplomacy during and since the Ancien Régime
- Part V Inter-Faith Relations: Confrontation and Dialogue
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter sets out the history of the process of electing the pope, including the development of voting rules, procedures, sites of election, and a wider electoral culture. The basic format for the modern papal election evolved gradually over a period from 1059 to the 1400s, with the first “conclaves” taking place in the mid-thirteenth century. In contrast to papal elections, papal resignations have been rare, with most occurring during the first Christian millennium. The question of how a pope might relinquish office nevertheless still interested canonists until long after this date, and rules about how popes might resign were incorporated into the twentieth-century codes of canon law even before Benedict XVI dramatically invoked them in 2013.
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- The Cambridge History of the Papacy , pp. 477 - 498Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025