1261 papal election

The 1261 papal election took place after the death of Pope Alexander IV on 25 May and chose Pope Urban IV as his successor. Since Pope Alexander had been resident in Viterbo since the first week of May 1261, the meeting of the cardinals to elect his successor took place in the Episcopal Palace at Viterbo, which was next to the Cathedral of S. Lorenzo. The actual date of the beginning of the Electoral Meeting is unknown. If the canon of Pope Boniface III were still in effect, then the Election could not begin until the third day after the Pope's burial.

Background

Alexander IV had unwisely continued to pursue the policy of hostility against the Hohenstaufen dynasty which had been begun by Pope Gregory IX. In 1261 the claimant was Conradin, King of Sicily since 1254, but he had been supplanted by his uncle and guardian, Manfred. This was not to the liking of Pope Alexander, who claimed the overlordship of south Italy and Sicily and the guardianship over young Conradin. Immediately on his accession Alexander excommunicated Manfred. Manfred had himself crowned King of Sicily at Palermo on 10 August 1258.

Cardinals, 1261

Pope Alexander IV, sensitive to charges of nepotism made against his predecessor, Innocent IV, had appointed no cardinals at all. Two cardinals besides Alexander himself had died since the last election in 1254 ; otherwise the electors were the same.

Elector	Origins	Order	Title	Date of creation	by Pope	Notes
Otto, O.Cist.	Diocese of Bourges, France	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Tusculum	28 May 1244	Innocent IV	on 8 July 1255 he was appointed to the Committee to judge Joachim de Fiore.
John of Toledo	English	Cardinal-priest	Bishop of Porto	28 May 1244	Innocent IV	A supporter of Henry III of England; served sixty years in the Roman Curia
Stephanus de Vancsa (Istvan Bancsa)	Hungary	Cardinal-bishop	Bishop of Palestrina	December 1251	Innocent IV	Archbishop of Strigonia
Hughes de Saint-Cher, OP	Vienne, Dauphiné	Cardinal-priest	Title of Santa Sabina on the Aventine	28 May 1244	Innocent IV	Legate in Germany, 1253
Riccardo Annibaldi	Roman	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of S. Angelo in Pescheria	1237	Gregory IX	Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica.
Ottaviano degli Ubaldini	Florence	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of Santa Maria in Via Lata	28 May 1244	Innocent IV	Apostolic Legate in the Kingdom of Sicily, from January 1255.
Giovanni Gaetano Orsini	Rome	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of S. Niccolo in Carcere	28 May 1244	Innocent IV	Alexander IV assigned him the tituli of S. Crisogono and S. Maria in Trastevere in commendam on 22 June 1259 future Pope Nicholas III
Ottobono Fieschi	Genoa	Cardinal-deacon	Deacon of Archpriest of S. Adriano	December 1251	Innocent IV	Archpriest of S. Maria Maggiore. Archdeacon of Reims.