November 1, 1503

Pope Julius II

Giuliano della Rovere is elected Pope Julius II after an exceptionally brief conclave

The cardinals went into conclave on 31 October. By early evening they were already walking to della Rovere's cell to congratulate him.

All Saints' Day, 1 November 1503

On 1 November 1503 the cardinals completed the second papal conclave of the year and elected Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, bishop of Ostia. He accepted and took the name Julius II; the Holy See numbers him the 216th pope.

All thirty-eight participating cardinals attended the morning Mass, signed the electoral capitulations and proceeded to the formal scrutiny. Johann Burchard's contemporary-derived tally gives della Rovere thirty-six first-choice votes — nearly unanimous, rather than unanimous.

A conclave measured in hours

The conclave had opened on 31 October and effectively settled on della Rovere that same evening. The formal election followed the next morning after only a few hours of conclave business.

Pius III had died on 18 October after a twenty-six-day pontificate, creating the second papal vacancy of the year. The September conclave had elected him; this one elected Julius.

Arranged before the doors closed

Della Rovere had secured broad support beforehand by reaching understandings with former opponents. The French-backed candidate Georges d'Amboise had been neutralised, and Cesare Borgia reached an agreement with him, after which Spanish cardinals aligned with the future pope.

Niccolò Machiavelli was in Rome on diplomatic assignment and reported the election and its political implications to Florence.

The election was on 1 November; the coronation followed on 26 November.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 7 sources not yet audited

How this was checked

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What the sources leave uncertain

The election date is secure and consistently reported as 1 November 1503.
The conventional date is the contemporary Julian-calendar date used by historical sources.
Vote reports can differ in later summaries, but Burchard’s account gives thirty-six of thirty-eight first-choice votes. “Nearly unanimous” is safer than simply “unanimous.”