May 1555 Conclave
elected Paul IV15–23 May 1555 · The early modern conclaves · Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Pope Marcellus II was elected unanimously on 9 April 1555, and there were high hopes for accelerating the reform of the Church with his election. Unfortunately, shortly after his election, the 54-year-old pope fell ill and died in the early morning hours of 1 May 1555 after only 22 days of pontificate.
Elected pope
Paul IV
Gian Pietro Carafa
Succeeded
—
Duration
9 days
Cardinal electors
—
locked in under conclave rules
Key officials
| Dean | Gian Pietro Carafa |
| Camerlengo | Guido Ascanio Sforza |
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.