1073 Papal Election

elected Gregory VII

22 April 1073 · The first papal elections · San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome

The papal bull "In nomine Domini" written by Pope Nicholas II in 1059, reformed the papal election process and only permitted cardinal-bishops to elect a new Pope, with the consent of minor clergy. In April 1073 there were four, the available data indicate that only two were present in Rome at the time of Alexander II's death:

Elected pope

Gregory VII

Hildebrand of Sovana

Succeeded

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Duration

1 day

Cardinal electors

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pre-conclave election

Ballot-by-ballot tallies are destroyed by design — the paper is burned in the stove whose smoke announces the result — so this entry records what the Church documents: the dates, the electors, the number of ballots where known, and the man who walked out onto the balcony.