September 1590 Conclave
elected Urban VII7–15 September 1590 · The early modern conclaves · Apostolic Palace, Papal States
The conclave lasted a week, and was heavily swayed by the influence of the twenty-two Spanish cardinals. Castagna, who had been favored by Sixtus V as a successor and was on the list of candidates whom Philip II of Spain had approved, was a favorite from the beginning, although a significant opposing faction supported Marco Antonio Colonna.
Elected pope
Urban VII
Giovanni Castagna
Succeeded
—
Duration
9 days
Cardinal electors
—
locked in under conclave rules
Key officials
| Dean | Giovanni Antonio Serbelloni |
| Camerlengo | Enrico Caetani |
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.