Election of Pope Alexander VI
- When
- 1492
- Where
- Sistine Chapel
- Episodes
- 1
Following the death of Pope Innocent VIII on 25 July 1492, the College of Cardinals convened in the Sistine Chapel. After a delay to await Cardinal Gherardo, the conclave elected Cardinal Rodrigo Borja as Pope Alexander VI on 11 August 1492.
Episodes
Background and detail
Conclave Proceedings. The conclave was delayed from the prescribed 4 August start to await the arrival of Cardinal Gherardo from Venice. The cardinals had decided to use the Sistine Chapel for balloting. On the fourth ballot, Cardinal Rodrigo Borja, the vice-chancellor, was elected pope.
Historical Significance. This event marked the first papal conclave held in the Sistine Chapel. Historians debate the extent of simony versus political rivalry between della Rovere and Sforza in influencing the outcome. Concerns about this conclave were among the reasons that Pope Julius II enacted stronger rules against simony in 1503.
People involved
- Rodrigo Borja · Elected Pope (Alexander VI)
- Giuliano della Rovere · Cardinal and Candidate
- Ascanio Sforza · Cardinal and Candidate
- Gherardo · Cardinal whose arrival delayed the conclave
Sources
- 1492 conclave Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-11
- Pope Alexander VI Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.