Catholic Sovereign abdicates-becomes cleric- finally is elected pope
- Thread starter Byzantion
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I have my doubts that a former ruler would get so far as the curia, much less actually become Pope. I know of a few that abdicated and retired to a monastery, but that's about it.
Uhura's Mazda
Banned
Perhaps not strictly following that order, but perhaps if Cardinal-Infante Henrique of Portugal was elected Pope and then subsequently inherited the throne, similarly to OTL, you could have a fun test case on whether a Pope could be a King simultaneously.
The likely answer would be "Hell, NO WAY". Primarily on political grounds; I am not aware of anything in canon law technically prohibiting that, but I think it would be relatively easy to argue that such a thing would be a breach in the spirit of the law, both canon and secular. But yes, historically there was no such full test AFAIK.
Henry the Chaste (the last independent king of portugal prior to the iberian union) was a cardinal. The fact the pope (who'd previously been a legate in spain) wouldn't release him from his vows so he could produce a non spanish heir was an important political point.
But yeah cardinal one step below pope.
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I would expect other powers to veto any former king becoming Pope; how would you expect him to treat his former nation fairly? There's a reason there was never a Hapsburg or Capetian pope.
Henry I of Portgual was a Cardinal (and thus eligible for the papacy by convention) when Sebastian died in battle; if you can get him elected pope, then you'd have a pope-king.
Obvious choice is Henry Benedict Stuart, who was Dean of the College of Cardinals. Not a reigning monarch, but still.
I also had a wonderful and improbable vision of Queen Christina disguising herself a man, becoming ordained, and rising through the hierarchy.
I also had a wonderful and improbable vision of Queen Christina disguising herself a man, becoming ordained, and rising through the hierarchy.
As long as you are considering Senior church figures who had a claim to the throne, Cardinal Reginald Pole, got within 2 votes of becomming the Pope and as the son of Margaret Countess of Salisbury was a Yorkist contender for the throne, and a possible candidate for the husband of Princess Mary.