1303 papal conclave
Introduction Image of Rome In the 1303 papal conclave, Benedict XI was elected to succeed Boniface VIII as pope.
Proceedings Pope Boniface VIII was buried at St. Peter's Basilica on 12 October 1303, in a tomb which he had prepared for himself. The manhandling of Boniface VIII by the forces of France and the Colonna family before his death gave the cardinals second thoughts about electing anyone hostile to the interests of Philip IV of France.The Conclave took place at the Vatican Palace next to St. Peter's, where Pope Boniface VIII had died on 11 October 1303.The Conclave began with the Mass of the Holy Spirit on 21 October, and voting began the next morning. A Dominican, and the Order's former Master General (1296-1298), Niccolò Boccasini was unanimously elected Pope Benedict XI on the first scrutiny. Niccolò Boccasini and Pedro Rodriguez were the only cardinals, of the seventeen or eighteen, who had stayed with Boniface VIII at Anagni when the papal residence was invaded by the French and the Colonna, and the Pope seized and imprisoned. Benedict's choice of numbering indicates that Antipope Benedict X was considered a legitimate pope at that time. Benedict XI was crowned at the Vatican Basilica on Sunday, 27 October 1303 by Cardinal Matteo Rosso Orsini, the prior Diaconorum.The new pope, Niccolò Boccasini of Treviso, was Italian but not Roman, and thus considered neutral in the disputes between the Roman clans, and the international struggle between Charles II and Philip IV. Benedict XI refused to excommunicate Philip IV or the Colonna, but also refused to restore to the Colonna their properties that had been seized by Boniface VIII.Pope Benedict left a detailed account of the conclave that elected him, describing how it closely adhered to the procedures mandated in the papal bull ''Ubi periculum''.
Cardinal electors  Elector Nationality Cardinalatial order and title Elevated Elevator Other ecclesiastical titles NotesGiovanni BoccamazzaRomeCardinal-bishop of Frascati1285, December 22Honorius IVDean of the College of Cardinalsnephew of Pope Honorius IVNicola BoccasiniTreviso Cardinal-Priest of Santa Sabina1298, December 4Boniface VIIITeodorico RanieriOrvietoCardinal-bishop of Palestrina1298, December 4Boniface VIIICamerlengoLeonardo PatrassoGuarcinoCardinal-bishop of Albano1300, March 2Boniface VIII Nephew of Boniface VIIIPedro RodríguezSpanishCardinal-bishop of Sabina1302, December 15Boniface VIIILegate in SabinaGiovanni Minio da Morrovalle, O.F.M.MarcheCardinal-bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina1302, December 15Boniface VIIIFormer minister general of the Order of Franciscans (1296-1304)Niccolò Alberti, O.P.PratoCardinal-bishop of Ostia e Velletri1303, December 18Benedict XIRobert de Pontigny, O.Cist.FrenchCardinal-priest of S. Pudenziana1294, September 18Celestine VProtopriest; Camerlengo of the College of CardinalsFormer Superior General of the Cistercian Order (1294)Gentile Partino, O.F.M.GuarcinoCardinal-priest of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti1300, March 2Boniface VIIIGrand penitentiary Nephew of Boniface VIIIWalter Winterburn, O.P.EnglishCardinal-priest of S. Sabina1304, February 19Benedict XINapoleone Orsini FrangipaniRomeCardinal-deacon of S. Adriano1288, May 16Nicholas IVArchpriest of the Liberian BasilicaNephew of Pope Nicholas IIILandolfo BrancaccioNeapolitanCardinal-deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria1294, September 18Celestine VGuglielmo de LonghiBergamoCardinal-deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere Tulliano1294, September 18Celestine VFormer Chancellor to Charles II of NaplesFrancesco Napoleone OrsiniRomeCardinal-deacon of S. Lucia in Orthea (Silice)1295, December 17Boniface VIIIFrancesco CaetaniAnagniCardinal-deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin1295, December 17Boniface VIIICardinal-nephewLuca FieschiGenoeseCardinal-deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata1300, March 2Boniface VIIINephew of Adrian V and grand-nephew of Innocent IVTwo other cardinals, Giacomo and Pietro Colonna (uncle and nephew), had been deposed by Pope Boniface VIII and were thus ineligible to participate in the election.
Notes
References *Fietta, Lorenzo. 1874. ''Niccolò Boccasini e il suo tempo'' (Padova 1874). *Souchon, Martin. 1888. ''Die Papstwahlen von Bonifaz VIII bis Urban VI'' (Braunschweig: Benno Goeritz 1888), pp. 15–23. *Gregorovius, Ferdinand. 1906. ''History of Rome in the Middle Ages'', Volume V. 2, second edition, revised (London: George Bell, 1906), Book X, chapter 5, pp. 515–525. *Baumgartner, Frederic J. 2003. ''Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections''. Palgrave Macmillan. . *Sibilio, Vito. 2004. ''Benedetto XI: Il papa tra Roma e Avignone'' (2004). *Sartor, Ivano. 2005. ''Papa Benedetto XI (Nicolo Boccasino) beato di Treviso'' (Editrice S. Liberale: 2005). * Conclave of 1303 (Prof. J. P. Adams)