1591 Conclave

elected Innocent IX

27–29 October 1591 · The early modern conclaves · Apostolic Palace, Papal States

The 1591 conclave (27–29 October) was held after the death of Pope Gregory XIV on 16 October that year, after less than a year as pope. This left the Holy See vacant for the third time in 14 months.

Elected pope

Innocent IX

Giovanni Facchinetti

Succeeded

Gregory XIV

Duration

3 days

3 ballots

Cardinal electors

—

locked in under conclave rules

Key officials

Dean	Alfonso Gesualdo
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.