Conclave elects Pope Leo XII

Background. Pius VII died in 1823 after a pontificate spanning over two decades, and a conclave opened on 2 September to elect his successor. Castiglioni lost support when the zelanti cardinals realized he was quite close to Consalvi; only then did the zelanti-promoted Annibale della Genga, vicar of Rome, begin to gather support. Before the conclave opened, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies had objected to five candidates, including della Genga.

Election. On the final ballot, the cardinals elected Cardinal Annibale della Genga, the cardinal vicar of Rome, as the new pope on 28 September 1823. He took the name Leo XII. His election was driven by the zelanti faction, overcoming the active opposition of France and prior objections from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Coronation. Cardinal protodeacon Fabrizio Ruffo crowned Leo XII as pontiff on 5 October 1823. Immediately following his election, Leo XII dismissed Ercole Consalvi, who had been his rival in the conclave, and rejected the policies of Pius VII. Leo XII was in ill health from the time of his election, though he was noted for enduring pain well.