All Vatican elections

1458 Conclave

elected Pius II

16–19 August 1458 · The early modern conclaves · Apostolic Palace, Papal States

Pope Callixtus III, the first pope of the House of Borgia, died on 6 August 1458. He was severely criticized due to his nepotism and devotion towards his compatriots of Catalonia, making him very unpopular among the rather xenophobic Roman populace.

Elected pope

Pius II

Enea Piccolomini

Succeeded

Duration

4 days

Cardinal electors

locked in under conclave rules

Key officials

DeanGiorgio Fieschi
CamerlengoLudovico Trevisan

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.