1484 papal conclave

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

Papal conclave August 1484
Dates and location
26–29 August 1484 Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Key officials
Dean	Rodrigo Borja
Camerlengo	Raffaele Riario
Protodeacon	Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini
Elected pope
Giovanni Battista Cybo Name taken: Innocent VIII

The election

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

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. 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. 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. Cardinal Borja led the first faction and Cardinal della Rovere, the second; these factions were roughly aligned with the Orsini and Colonna families, respectively.

The conclave was carried out by the largest non-schismatic College since the eleventh century. 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.

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

Elector	Nationality	Order	Title	Elevated	Elevator	Notes
Rodrigo Borja	Spanish	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina, administrator of Valencia	20 February 1456	Callixtus III	Dean of the College of Cardinals; Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; future Pope Alexander VI; cardinal-nephew
Giuliano della Rovere	Ligurian	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Ostia e Velletri, bishop of Bologna, administrator of Avignon	15 December 1471	Sixtus IV	Grand Penitentiary, Future Pope Julius II; cardinal-nephew
Oliviero Carafa	Neapolitan	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Albano	18 September 1467	Paul II
Marco Barbo	Venetian	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Palestrina, patriarch of Aquileia	18 September 1467	Paul II	Cardinal-nephew
Giovanni Battista Zeno	Venetian	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Frascati	21 November 1468	Paul II	Cardinal-nephew
Giovanni Michiel	Venetian	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Marcello	21 November 1468	Paul II	Cardinal-nephew
Stefano Nardini	Forlì	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Maria in Trastevere, archbishop of Milan	7 May 1473	Sixtus IV
Giovanni Battista Cibo	Ligurian	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Cecilia, bishop of Molfetta	7 May 1473	Sixtus IV	Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals; Elected Pope Innocent VIII
Giovanni Arcimboldo	Milanese	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Prassede, bishop of Novara	7 May 1473	Sixtus IV
Philibert Hugonet	French	Cardinal-priest	Title of Ss. Giovanni e Paulo, bishop of Macon	7 May 1473	Sixtus IV
Jorge da Costa, O.Cist.	Portuguese	Cardinal-priest	Title of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro, archbishop of Lisbon	18 December 1476	Sixtus IV
Girolamo Basso della Rovere	Ligurian	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Crisogono, bishop of Recanati	10 December 1477	Sixtus IV	Cardinal-nephew
Pietro Foscari	Venetian	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Nicola fra le Immagini	25 March 1471 (in pectore), 10 December 1477	Paul II (in pectore), Sixtus IV
Giovanni d'Aragona	Neapolitan	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Sabina	10 December 1477	Sixtus IV
Raffaele Riario	Ligurian	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Lorenzo in Damaso	10 December 1477	Sixtus IV	Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church; Cardinal-nephew
Domenico della Rovere	Turinese	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Clemente, archbishop of Turin	10 February 1478	Sixtus IV
Giovanni Conti	Roman	Cardinal-priest	Title of Ss. Nereo ed Achilleo, archbishop of Conza	15 November 1483	Sixtus IV
Juan Margarit i Pau	Spanish	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Vitale, bishop of Gerona	15 November 1483	Sixtus IV
Giovanni Giacomo Sclafenati	Milanese	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Stefano al Monte Celio, bishop of Parma	15 November 1483	Sixtus IV
Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini	Sienese	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of S. Eustachio, bishop of Siena	5 March 1460	Pius II	Protodeacon; Future Pope Pius III
Gabriele Rangone, O.Min.Obs.		Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of Ss. Sergio e Bacco, bishop of Agrigento	10 December 1477	Sixtus IV
Giovanni Battista Savelli	Roman	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere Tulliano	15 May 1480	Sixtus IV
Giovanni Colonna	Roman	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro	15 May 1480	Sixtus IV
Giambattista Orsini	Roman	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of S. Maria Nuova	15 November 1483	Sixtus IV
Ascanio Sforza	Milanese	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of Ss. Vito e Modesto	17 March 1484	Sixtus IV

Absentee cardinals

Elector	Nationality	Order	Title	Elevated	Elevator	Notes
Luis Juan del Milà	Spanish	Cardinal-priest	Title of Ss. IV Coronati, bishop of Lérida	17 September 1456	Callixtus III
Thomas Bourchier	English	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Ciriaco, Archbishop of Canterbury	18 September 1467	Paul II
Jean Balue	French	Cardinal-bishop	Title of S. Susanna, Bishop of Albano, bishop of Angers	18 September 1467	Paul II
Pedro González de Mendoza	Spanish	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, archbishop of Sevilla and administrator of Sigùenza	7 May 1473	Sixtus IV
Charles II, Duke of Bourbon	French	Cardinal-priest	Title of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, archbishop of Lyon	18 December 1476	Sixtus IV
Pierre de Foix, le jeune	French	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of Ss. Cosma e Damiano, bishop of Vannes	18 December 1476	Sixtus IV
Paolo Fregoso	Genoese	Cardinal-priest	Title of S. Anastasia, archbishop of Genoa	15 May 1480	Sixtus IV