It's generally accepted that the papal election process as we currently recognize it began with Pope Nicholas II, the 155th pope, who in 1059 issued a landmark bull, or edict, that contained major ...

The election of a new pope underwent changes in the papal bull (a public decree from a pope) of 1058, written by Pope Nicholas II, which established the practice of having cardinal-bishops be the ...

The first official rules date back to 1059, when Pope Nicholas II gave the right to elect the pope exclusively to the cardinals. Before that, it was a messy blend of Roman clergy, nobility, and ...

Pope Nicholas II overhauled the process in 1059 to give cardinals the vote, establishing the church’s independence from nobility. He allowed for the possibility that “the perversity of ...

It's generally accepted that the papal election process as we currently recognize it began with Pope Nicholas II, the 155th pope, who in 1059 issued a landmark bull, or edict, ...

Pope Marcellus II, elected in 1555, was the last to use his baptismal name. His successor, Giovanni Pietro, chose the papal name Paul IV, and the practice has continued uninterrupted since.