The Vacant See

This chapter considers the problem that no pope could countenance a named successor in his lifetime so the cardinals had to negotiate a brief period without a pope every time a pope died. The College developed legal foundations for exercising authority independent of the pontiff, and for expressing and enforcing that authority. Until the fifteenth century this may not have mattered that much in practical terms, because the overall impact of papal government remained light. However, as the papal administration grew throughout the Papal States the need to preserve stability rose commensurately. To maintain the peace the cardinals partnered with potential rivals: communal authorities, the old nobility, and even the late pope’s family. Yet, the cardinals could not overcome a paradox: the more stable each vacancy, the greater the systemic threat from papal subjects who lacked other opportunities to express their grievances.