The Pope and His Electors

This chapter explains who the cardinals were and how their priorities for the papacy evolved over the course of the early modern period. It is organized around discussions of how the cardinal developed as a concept and of the cardinals’ key relationships: with the pope himself, with their own families, with the Catholic faith, and with secular powers. The chapter explains how Italian elites colonized the papacy from the fifteenth century onwards, adapting it to serve their own political ends, and how this changed profiles and priorities within the Sacred College in the process. It discusses the impact of religious changes, in particular the spread of Protestantism, on cardinals and their spiritual mission, and shows how changes in the papacy’s international position impacted the cardinals’ perceptions of their role.