In the spring of 1605, the highest-ranking officials of the Catholic Church engaged in a physical brawl that left one cardinal with broken bones. This violent confrontation did not occur on a battlefield, but inside the sacred walls of a papal conclave.
Following the sudden death of a pope who reigned for merely 26 days, 59 cardinal electors found themselves deadlocked. The ensuing power struggle featured international vetoes, fierce factional disputes, and a surprising objection based on a cardinal’s foul language. The resolution to this unprecedented chaos resulted in the unanimous election of a 54-year-old compromise candidate.
A Sudden Death and a Divided Room
Pope Clement VIII died in March 1605. The subsequent election placed Alessandro Ottaviano de’ Medici on the papal throne as Leo XI. Leo XI was 70 years old and in good health, but he fell ill on the very day of his coronation. He died on April 27, 1605.
With his death occurring just 37 days after the previous conclave ended, the 59 remaining cardinal electors were forced to convene again in May. The electors were split between loyalty to France and Spain, with elite families seeking to acquire power and wealth through patronage.
The Vetoes and Failed Candidates
As the May conclave began, Alessandro Peretti di Montalto supported Antonio Sauli. Pietro Aldobrandini, nephew of Pope Clement VIII, blocked Sauli from reaching the required two-thirds majority due to past grievances.
Aldobrandini then supported Robert Bellarmine, who refused to actively campaign for himself. Anselmo Marzato actively opposed Bellarmine, and Spain eventually issued a formal veto that ended his candidacy.
A Physical Brawl Over Profanity
With previous choices eliminated, Aldobrandini successfully gathered 38 electors to bring Domenico Toschi to the Pauline Chapel to be acclaimed pope. Caesar Baronius strongly opposed this move. According to later reports by Thomas Hobbes, Baronius urged the cardinals to reject Toschi because Toschi frequently used the word cazzo, a Lombard slang term for penis.
This specific objection ignited a physical altercation between the opposing sides. The fight escalated to the point that the noise could be heard on the streets outside. During this brawl, Alfonso Visconti suffered several broken bones. It remains the only recorded instance of serious injury happening during a conclave.
The Unanimous Compromise
Following the disruption, a formal vote revealed that Toschi fell two votes short of the required majority. Realizing the deadlock, the leaders of the competing factions met to find a mutually acceptable candidate. They selected Camillo Borghese, who had maintained a low profile and strict neutrality between Spain and France.
Borghese was 54 years old and received a unanimous vote that same day. He took the name Paul V. His relative youth meant the factions did not anticipate needing a third conclave anytime soon. He reigned until 1621.