Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm
Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. In the
Speaker 1: early evening on May eighth, twenty twenty five, white smoke
Speaker 1: billowed from the Sistine Chapel in Rome. A new pope
Speaker 1: had been elected. Onlookers in the Vatican City and across
Speaker 1: the world waited with bated breath for over an hour,
Speaker 1: their eyes trained on the central logia of Saint Peter's Basilica,
Speaker 1: where the new Pontiff's identity and regnal name would be announced.
Speaker 1: After fewer than two days of voting. Before too long,
Speaker 1: Cardinal Dominique Mamberti emerged to share with the world that
Speaker 1: the new head of the Catholic Church would be the
Speaker 1: former Cardinal Robert Privost, now Leo the fourteenth. As Momberti
Speaker 1: put it in the traditional Latin, we have a new pope.
Speaker 1: This papal conclave, which turned out to be among the
Speaker 1: shortest in history, although not the shortest and not too
Speaker 1: much shorter than the previous two papal elections, inspired a
Speaker 1: great deal of public interest. Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, was
Speaker 1: a widely beloved figure, and many people in the Catholic
Speaker 1: world and beyond were deeply invested in whether and how
Speaker 1: the new pontiff would carry on his legacy. Perhaps spurred
Speaker 1: on by the success of the twenty twenty four film Conclave,
Speaker 1: many people were also intrigued by the rituals and secrecy
Speaker 1: defining the election process to select a new pope. In fact,
Speaker 1: many of the rules governing this two day conclave and
Speaker 1: every conclave for hundreds of years, stem from the events
Speaker 1: of a single papal election in the past, the long
Speaker 1: conclave in history, and in many ways, the first conclave
Speaker 1: in history started in twelve sixty eight and took nearly
Speaker 1: three years, changing the way hopes are chosen forever. I'm
Speaker 1: Danish Schwartz and this is noble blood. Clement the Fourth
Speaker 1: was on his deathbed. It was twelve sixty eight and
Speaker 1: he had sat on the throne of Saint Peter for
Speaker 1: just under four years. He had lived a full life.
Speaker 1: He had fought in war, studied law, married and had
Speaker 1: two daughters, all before becoming a widower and joining the church.
Speaker 1: And he had made some important achievements during his reign,
Speaker 1: having summoned the now Saint Thomas aquinas to serve as
Speaker 1: papal theologian, and he made strides towards diplomatic relations with
Speaker 1: the Mongols. Despite his achievements, however, much of Clement's pontificate
Speaker 1: had been defined by the conflict between the papal loyalist
Speaker 1: Guelphs and the anti papal Ghibelines. You might remember those
Speaker 1: factions from our episode on the Cannibal Count of Pisa,
Speaker 1: who by this time was already beginning to betray his
Speaker 1: Gibeline sympathies. The election in which Clement had become Pope,
Speaker 1: which began in twelve sixty four and lasted around four months,
Speaker 1: had seen significant debate among the College of Cardinals about
Speaker 1: how best to protect the papacy from Gibeline threats. Clement,
Speaker 1: who was French in origin, in fact, had had to
Speaker 1: travel to Italy in disguise upon his election to the
Speaker 1: papacy in order to protect himself from Gibeline violence. Clement
Speaker 1: had reigned throughout the entirety of his pontificate from Viterbo,
Speaker 1: a city fifty miles northwest of Rome, which had been
Speaker 1: the seat of the papacy since twelve fifty seven, when
Speaker 1: Pope Alexander the fourth had moved the papal curia there
Speaker 1: in the wake of excessive violence in Rome. That violence
Speaker 1: in Rome had continued during the papacy of Clement's immediate predecessor,
Speaker 1: Urban the Fourth, and into Clement's papacy. In fifteen sixty six,
Speaker 1: Clement had overseen the completion of construction begun under Alexander
Speaker 1: the Fourth and commissioned by the Viturban Captain of the people,
Speaker 1: to convert the bishop's palace in Viturbo into a bonafide
Speaker 1: papal residence, which became known as the Palazzo de Puppy
Speaker 1: or the Palace of the Popes. Clement was devoted to
Speaker 1: protecting the independence of the papacy. Most notably, he allied
Speaker 1: with Charles the First of Anjou, the younger brother of
Speaker 1: King Louis the ninth of France, in his controversial conquest
Speaker 1: of Naples, offering him the throne in exchange for an
Speaker 1: acknowledgment of the pope as the feudal lord. Fortified with
Speaker 1: papal support and papal funding, Charles defeated the Holy Roman
Speaker 1: Emperor's illegitimate son and heir, Manfred, King of Sicily, whose
Speaker 1: Gibelin ties as a member of the powerful Hohenstauffen family
Speaker 1: and refusal to acknowledge the Pope's feudal power had made
Speaker 1: him an enemy of the Holy See. Manfred had usurped
Speaker 1: power from his young nephew Conradin, the last legitimate heir
Speaker 1: of the House of Hohenstauffen. Manfred was killed by Charles's
Speaker 1: forces in the Battle of Benevento in twelve sixty six,
Speaker 1: allowing Charles to take control of Naples. Conradin, who had
Speaker 1: been a teenager at that time, attempted to reclaim Naples
Speaker 1: and was captured some two years later in the Battle
Speaker 1: of Tagliacozzo. He was imprisoned and eventually publicly beheaded on
Speaker 1: Charles's orders on October twenty ninth, twelve sixty eight. Later,
Speaker 1: detractors would spread the rumor that Clement the Pope had
Speaker 1: supported Charles's ruthless tactics, decrying his complicity in the death
Speaker 1: of the young king, but in fact, Clement had actually
Speaker 1: pleaded for Charles to have mercy on the boy. Nevertheless,
Speaker 1: by allowing Charles to take control of Naples, Clement cemented
Speaker 1: French power in Italy, which many cardinals saw as a
Speaker 1: threat to the independence of the papacy and that of
Speaker 1: the Italian city states they hailed from in and of itself.
Speaker 1: Exactly one month after conrad In's beheading, on November twenty ninth,
Speaker 1: twelve sixty eight, Clement died following what was report cowardly
Speaker 1: a brief illness. Despite the achievements of his pontificate, he
Speaker 1: left behind not only the vacant throne of Saint Peter,
Speaker 1: but also a cardinalate divided on how best to fill it.
Speaker 1: In twelve sixty eight, the Sacred College boasted twenty cardinals,
Speaker 1: nineteen of whom participated in the papal election. The twentieth
Speaker 1: was busy accompanying Louis the ninth of France on his
Speaker 1: crusade in Tunisia. In keeping with the tradition of holding
Speaker 1: the papal election in the city where the previous pope
Speaker 1: had died, the nineteen cardinals made their way to Viterbo
Speaker 1: in late November, once word had reached them of the
Speaker 1: death of Clement the Fourth. The cardinals oversaw his burial
Speaker 1: in the Dominican convent of Santa Maria in Grotti, which
Speaker 1: stood just outside of the city. Before beginning the election
Speaker 1: proceedings just two days after his death on December one,
Speaker 1: twelve six eight. Immediately it became clear that this conclave
Speaker 1: would not be straightforward. Along with the cardinal's arrival at
Speaker 1: Come that of Charles of Anjou, the newly crowned and
Speaker 1: bloodthirsty King of Naples. Clement had underestimated Charles's ambitions for
Speaker 1: an Italian empire, and with the Pope's death, Charles had
Speaker 1: seen an opportunity to continue to consolidate power. He came
Speaker 1: to the Terbo with the intention of influencing the papal election.
Speaker 1: The issue of Charles's presence and his clear intentions for
Speaker 1: the election and thereafter quickly became the central issue dividing
Speaker 1: the cardinals. It's impossible to note the numbers with any accuracy,
Speaker 1: but it seems that there was an even enough split
Speaker 1: between those who wanted to continue the pro French tradition
Speaker 1: of the previous two popes and those who wanted to
Speaker 1: divorce the papacy from Charles's influence, not to mention those
Speaker 1: who were out to elevate their own allies, countrymen, and
Speaker 1: family members. The election was essentially deadlocked from the start.
Speaker 1: At first, the cardinals passed freely between the cathedral and
Speaker 1: their lodgings. They held only one vote each day, which
Speaker 1: day after day resulted in nothing but further tensions and
Speaker 1: no clear front runner for pope. Although we know very
Speaker 1: little about the actual deliberations or candidates considered for the papacy,
Speaker 1: it's likely that at least a few of the cardinals
Speaker 1: present were considered a pobbulate or potential candidates for pope.
Speaker 1: Although it was not necessary to be a cardinal to
Speaker 1: be elected pope technically it still isn't, and other important
Speaker 1: figures in the church hierarchy were considered. Given the fact
Speaker 1: that the cardinals were free to move about as they pleased,
Speaker 1: it's also likely that they were subject to outside pressure
Speaker 1: and influence, perhaps most notably from Charles, who would remain
Speaker 1: in Viturbo throughout the election proceedings. Later sources would have
Speaker 1: it that two months in the cardinals nearly agreed on
Speaker 1: electing Philippo Benitzi, the general of the Servite Order. It's
Speaker 1: likely that this story isn't true and was rather a
Speaker 1: fabrication meant to support Benitzi's later canonization, but he supposedly
Speaker 1: came to Viturbo in early twelve sixty nine to scold
Speaker 1: the cardinals for dragging their feet in the electoral process.
Speaker 1: They were apparently so impressed with Benizzi that they chose
Speaker 1: him to fill the empty papal throne, but he fled
Speaker 1: the city to prevent his election, forcing the cardinals back
Speaker 1: to square one. A similar, also likely untrue story of
Speaker 1: near election would also crop up long after the fact,
Speaker 1: concerning Saint Bonaventure, then known as Giovanni di Fidanza. In
Speaker 1: any case, no pope was indeed elected in those first
Speaker 1: few months, and the voting continued apace. Just under a
Speaker 1: year after the election had begun. A new wrench was
Speaker 1: thrown into the proceedings when one of the electors died.
Speaker 1: Cardinal Giordano Pironti died of unknown causes on October one,
Speaker 1: twelve sixty nine, at about fifty nine years old. He
Speaker 1: had updated his will a few weeks prior, so he
Speaker 1: may have been ill, and with his death only eighteen
Speaker 1: electors remained, an even number that did not bode well
Speaker 1: for breaking any future ties. It seems Cardinal Perunti's death
Speaker 1: was something of a turning point for the secular authorities
Speaker 1: in Viturbo, though it would take them several more months
Speaker 1: to take action. Around June twelve seventy, after the anniversary
Speaker 1: of the last pope's death came and went, and the
Speaker 1: erstwhile cardinals entered their twentieth month of unsuccessful voting. Raniero Gatti,
Speaker 1: the prefect of Atterbo, and Albertus de Montebono, the Podesta
Speaker 1: ordered that the remaining electors be sequestered in the Polazza
Speaker 1: de Pappi until they could choose the Pope's successor once
Speaker 1: and for all. These were drastic times, and the time
Speaker 1: at a long passed for drastic measures, and before long
Speaker 1: it would seem that even more drastic measures would be
Speaker 1: needed to get these cardinals to finally make their choice.
Speaker 1: In the late summer of twelve seventy one, a teenage
Speaker 1: Marco Polo was just beginning the journey that would cement
Speaker 1: him as one of history's most famous travelers. He had
Speaker 1: set off from Venice with his father Nicolo and his
Speaker 1: uncle Mafeo, and after a short eastward journey across the Mediterranean,
Speaker 1: they had arrived in the fortified city of Accer, a
Speaker 1: Crusader stronghold on the Levantine coastline. It was there that
Speaker 1: they met Archdeacon Toobaldo Visconti of Piacenza, who had followed Edward,
Speaker 1: the First of England to Occer in the Ninth Crusade
Speaker 1: earlier that year. During their visit, the Polos lamented to
Speaker 1: the archdeacon that the papal throne was still vacant after
Speaker 1: over two years of fruitless voting. Marco's father and uncle
Speaker 1: had previously traveled to China, where the Emperor Kubla Khan
Speaker 1: had given them a letter for the pope. They had
Speaker 1: been disappointed to return in twelve sixty nine to find
Speaker 1: that they still had no one to give it to.
Speaker 1: That was almost two years ago. Now Here, The brothers
Speaker 1: were making their way eastward again, now with Marco and
Speaker 1: still no news from Viterbo. They had been shocked when
Speaker 1: an elector died in twelve sixty nine, and even more
Speaker 1: so some six months later, when the viturban authorities ordered
Speaker 1: that the remaining cardinals be locked away in the Palazza
Speaker 1: de Poppy to complete their election. Around the same time,
Speaker 1: it was suggested, supposedly by the English cardinal John of Toledo,
Speaker 1: that the roof of the voting chamber in the palazzo
Speaker 1: should be removed, saying, let us uncover the room, else
Speaker 1: the holy ghost will never get at us. For you
Speaker 1: papal election fans following along at home. This was the
Speaker 1: first recorded reference to the now essential idea that the
Speaker 1: Holy Spirit guides the election of popes. It was also
Speaker 1: suggested that the elector's rations be reduced to just bread
Speaker 1: and water for the remainder of the election. The magistrates
Speaker 1: of the Turbo agreed, likely hoping that some scorching sun,
Speaker 1: torrential rain, and stupefying hunger would guide the electors in
Speaker 1: addition to the Holy Spirit. Of course, the cardinals petitioned
Speaker 1: the magistrates that Cardinal Henry of Segusio be excused from
Speaker 1: the remainder of the election due to health concerns, which
Speaker 1: would have been exacerbated by having to spend every day
Speaker 1: hungry and exposed to the elements. He had renounced his
Speaker 1: right to vote, and his request was granted. The remaining
Speaker 1: seventeen cardinals were locked into the palace, the doors and
Speaker 1: windows barred, and the roof of the voting chamber was removed.
Speaker 1: Some sources say that a makeshift roof was later added
Speaker 1: back onto the election chamber after the cardinal threatened to
Speaker 1: excommunicate the entire city, but it seems that they actually
Speaker 1: at least took their new diet in stride. By the
Speaker 1: time Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle met with
Speaker 1: the Archdeacon in Ocher in twelve seventy one, it had
Speaker 1: been almost a year since the cardinal electors had been
Speaker 1: locked up. In that time, yet another cardinal elector had
Speaker 1: died East van BankSA. The first cardinal to hail from Hungary,
Speaker 1: Cardinal Henry of Segusio, had enough time to fully recuperate
Speaker 1: and return to Viturbo to resume voting. King Louis the
Speaker 1: ninth of France died and was succeeded by his son Philip,
Speaker 1: who became Philip the Third. In his as yet unanswered
Speaker 1: letter to the as yet unanswered Pope, Kublai Khan had
Speaker 1: requested the dispatch of a hundred missionaries and some oil
Speaker 1: from the lamp of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to
Speaker 1: his court in where is now known as Beijing. The
Speaker 1: polos told Archdeacon Visconti of those requests and of their
Speaker 1: predicament in having to wait so long to make good
Speaker 1: on them, because there wasn't a pope to ask. The
Speaker 1: Archdeacon told the Polo family to bide their time by
Speaker 1: traveling to Jerusalem to fetch the oil first, and hopefully
Speaker 1: by the time they finished and returned there would be
Speaker 1: a new pope. They did that and returned to Aker
Speaker 1: to find that a pope still had not been chosen.
Speaker 1: Unable to justify keeping the Polos from their journey indefinitely,
Speaker 1: the scanti sent them on their way. The Polos did
Speaker 1: not make it far, however, before receiving an urgent message
Speaker 1: to return to Occer. In August twelve seventy one, under
Speaker 1: pressure from the new King, Philip the Third and Charles
Speaker 1: of Anjou, the authorities in Viturbo, and just about everyone else,
Speaker 1: the Cardinal electors had decided to choose the pope by committee,
Speaker 1: selecting six among their numbers and agreeing to abide by
Speaker 1: whatever decision they came to through this method. On September one,
Speaker 1: twelve seventy one, after one thousand and six days of voting,
Speaker 1: they finally came to a decision from the roofless Palace
Speaker 1: in Viterbo. The message of the cardinal's choice, traveled across
Speaker 1: the Mediterranean to Accer with the archdeacon, who was not
Speaker 1: a cardinal or even a priest, was notified that he
Speaker 1: had been chosen to fill the papal throne that had
Speaker 1: been empty for nearly three years. As someone with some
Speaker 1: ties to France, but not so many that he would
Speaker 1: be a puppet of the French crown or of Charles
Speaker 1: of Anjou, he was an unexpected candidate that apparently was
Speaker 1: satisfying enough for all parties. It is unknown how long
Speaker 1: his name had been in contention, but the struggle of
Speaker 1: the sixth Cardinal Committee to select a pope from among
Speaker 1: the cardinal electors at first suggests he may have been
Speaker 1: a last minute consideration. The Polos made it back to
Speaker 1: Ocher not long after, and were received warmly by their friend,
Speaker 1: who had suddenly become the head of the church and
Speaker 1: the prince of the papal states. He formally designated them
Speaker 1: envoys of the Church to Kubla Khan and sent them
Speaker 1: on their journey with two friars and a collection of
Speaker 1: gifts meant to demonstrate his hopes for friendly relations with
Speaker 1: the emperor. He offered a special blessing to Marco, by
Speaker 1: which the young traveler was reportedly greatly pleased. Tebaldo Visconti
Speaker 1: left to Ocer on November ninth, twelve seventy one, and
Speaker 1: reached Viturbo some months later on February twelfth, twelve seventy two,
Speaker 1: where he took the regnal name Gregory the Tenth, breaking
Speaker 1: the years long absence of the popes from Rome. He
Speaker 1: entered the city a month later in March, and was
Speaker 1: ordained a priest six days later. Finally, on March twenty seventh,
Speaker 1: twelve seventy two, over three years after the death of
Speaker 1: the previous pope, he was consecrated a bishop and crowned
Speaker 1: in Saint Peter's Basilica. Gregory's papacy lasted for only a
Speaker 1: little over four years. His reign was consequential. On July seventh,
Speaker 1: twelve seventy four, his papal bull Ubi Periculum, named for
Speaker 1: its opening line Ubi perikulum maius in ten detour, meaning
Speaker 1: where great danger lies, codified many of the practices desperately
Speaker 1: undertaken to speed along his election as standard practice for
Speaker 1: the election of future popes. In addition to already established
Speaker 1: practices like the rule requiring a two thirds majority for
Speaker 1: a ballot to pass. Gregory ordained that the cardinal electors
Speaker 1: should be sequestered for the duration of the election, specified
Speaker 1: the provision of increasingly spare rations the longer the proceedings endured,
Speaker 1: and placed various restrictions meant to both speed proceedings and
Speaker 1: prevent political intrigue, bribery, and deal making, among other new rules.
Speaker 1: Although some later popes would lift these restrictions, Gregory's bull
Speaker 1: would go on to be codified into canon law in
Speaker 1: twelve ninety eight, and though conclave practices have seen many
Speaker 1: changes and updates since, it remains a foundational part of
Speaker 1: the way modern papal elections are conducted. Gregory the Tenth
Speaker 1: died in the Tuscan city of Atritzo on January tenth,
Speaker 1: twelve seventy six, in accordance with his bull, which specified
Speaker 1: that the election should begin ten days later if all
Speaker 1: electors had arrived at his place of death by then.
Speaker 1: The conclave convened right on schedule on January twentieth. It
Speaker 1: concluded with the election of Pope Innocent the Fifth just
Speaker 1: one day later. That's the story of the longest ever
Speaker 1: papal election. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break
Speaker 1: to hear about another fascinating aspect of the legacy of
Speaker 1: Gregory the tenth. Among the many questions that arose in
Speaker 1: the weeks leading up to leo The fourteenth election, what
Speaker 1: the new Pope's stance would be on social and doctrinal issues,
Speaker 1: where he would hail from, et cetera, was the question
Speaker 1: what would he wear. A pope's first public appearance has
Speaker 1: always been his first statement to the world, a declaration
Speaker 1: of what kind of pope he would be, even before
Speaker 1: he opened his mouth. When Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, was
Speaker 1: elected in twenty thirteen, he famously bucked tradition by foregoing
Speaker 1: the red muzeta and ornate stole typically worn by newly
Speaker 1: elected popes and appearing in a simple white cossack, a
Speaker 1: move that endeared him to many who believed the papacy
Speaker 1: too removed from the lives and experiences of the common people.
Speaker 1: While Leo's Ubi et orbi address, which means to the
Speaker 1: city and the world, the first address made by newly
Speaker 1: elected popes, reflected a clear desire to continue France's legacy,
Speaker 1: he chose to wear the mozetta and the stole, perhaps
Speaker 1: symbolizing that he also intended to put his own stamp
Speaker 1: on the papacy. But since then he's mostly been seen
Speaker 1: wearing just the white cossack, as is standard for most
Speaker 1: everyday papal duties like meeting with foreign dignitaries, greeting worshippers,
Speaker 1: or riding in the popemobile. And in fact we have
Speaker 1: our old friend Gregory the Tenth to thank for that
Speaker 1: important part of papal sartorial history. While garments like the
Speaker 1: mozetta or the mitra the big hat that the pope
Speaker 1: and bishops wear during certain liturgical celebrations have been worn
Speaker 1: by popes since at least the eleventh century, if not before,
Speaker 1: it was Gregory who is first documented wearing the white
Speaker 1: cassock during his reign. Over seven hundred years later, it
Speaker 1: remained an iconic symbol of the papacy. Talk about a trendsetter.
Speaker 1: Noble Blood is a production of Eyehe Heart, Radio and
Speaker 1: Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted
Speaker 1: by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by
Speaker 1: Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy hit and Julia Melaney.
Speaker 1: The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with
Speaker 1: supervising producer rima Il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke,
Speaker 1: Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.