Papal conclave, 1769

Coat of arms during the vacancy of the Holy See
Dates and location
15 February – 19 May 1769 Apostolic Palace, Papal States
Key officials
Dean	Carlo Alberto Guidobono Cavalchini
Sub-Dean	Federico Marcello Lante
Camerlengo	Carlo Rezzonico
Protopriest	Giacomo Oddi
Protodeacon	Alessandro Albani
Elected Pope
Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli (Name taken: Clement XIV)
← 1758 1774–75 →

A papal conclave which lasted from 15 February to 19 May 1769 was convoked after the death of Pope Clement XIII. It elected as his successor Cardinal Lorenzo Ganganelli, who took the name Clement XIV.

Clement XIII died suddenly on 2 February 1769, a day before the date of the consistory that he had convoked to examine the demands for the general suppression of the Society of Jesus. The various courts under the House of Bourbon and the Kingdom of Portugal (under the House of Braganza) had exerted strong pressure on the Holy See to suppress this order through almost the whole of his pontificate. In 1759 Jesuits were expelled from Portugal, in 1762 from the Kingdom of France, in 1767 from Spain and in 1768 from the Kingdom of Naples, the Kingdom of Sicily and the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. Clement XIII strongly defended the Society (e.g. in the bull Apostolicum pascendi in 1765), but without success. In January 1769 France and Naples seized the papal territories around Avignon, Benevento and Pontecorvo to force the pope to issue a decree for the suppression of the order. The sudden death of 75-year-old Clement XIII left this difficult decision to his successor.

Forty six out of fifty seven cardinals participated in the conclave:

Twenty nine electors were created by Clement XIII, while fifteen by Pope Benedict XIV. Alessandro Albani received the red hat from Innocent XIII, and Neri Maria Corsini from Clement XII.