So at the Papal Conclave of 1549-50 Cardinal Pole was only two votes short of the required majority to become Pope. Only his own opposition to his election and the arrival of the French Cardinal's stopped his election. Suppose Cardinal Pole decided he wanted to be Pope, campaigned and got he last votes he needed. What would the Pontificate of Pope Reginald Pole look like? What name would he take? How would this effect England, especially during Mary I's reign? How would Pole's papacy effect the Council of Trent?
WI: Pope Reginald Pole
- Thread starter Emperor Constantine
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If he didn't want it then I'm assuming that he voted for someone else, so if he changes his mind that's one vote right there and simply showing a bit of interest would of been enough to get another one I would have thought. How the French will react I don't know but Henry II is likely to be pissed, IIRC the French ambassador went as far as threatening a schism if a Pope was elected before the French cardinals arrived. Not sure if it's going to be enough for another Avignon Papacy or just very frosty cold war type situation. His apparent feeling on justification by faith alone instead of acts could possibly take the Church in some interesting directions.
I agree with the frosty relations. I doubt very seriously that the French would create an anti-pope during the Protestant reclamation. At the most Henri II would withdraw the French Church's revenue from Rome for a while then get over it after Reginald makes some promise to France. So how could a Pope Pole effect the council of Trent? I mean I know he supported Mary I in her reign but seemed to be against the Burning of Heretics so would his papacy push more people and countries into the protestant camp or perhaps draw some protestants back to Rome?
Well, IIRC both he and Mary were opposed to burning of heretics - although Mary was happy to bump off Cranmer and Gardiner. It is worth remembering that unlike the Elizabethan persecutions, the Marian burnings were done by the local authorities.
Given his recorded ideas, we could well see some reconciliations/rapprochements; at least temporarily.
Given his recorded ideas, we could well see some reconciliations/rapprochements; at least temporarily.
True about the burnings but neither Mary nor Pole really lifted a finger to stop them. Also, what type of rapprochements and with what counties or with what nobles? For instance, I doubt Henry VIII would reconcile with a Rome ruled by the son of a woman he brutally executed.
My bad. Henry VIII died in 1547 so Edward VI would actually be King. There is even less of a chance of a reconciliation with Edward VI then with Henry VIII. Also, I assume you mean the Huguenots but which Germans? Any chance of Reginald being able to handle the Netherlands?
In this era you couldn't vote for yourself even if you really wanted the job, the normal procedure was to public declare you vote for some complete no hoper who absolutely no one else would vote which would signal you wanted the job (as you aren't voting for any of the real candidates).
How though? I mean I read that Pole was appointed a Cardinal, along with several others, for the sole reason of investigating the Church's many problems and recommending solutions. The report produced put much of the blame of the Roman Curia so, with Pole being on the special commision that authored this report, is it reasonable to think that some of the Lutherans would be willing to at least attend meeting about church reform? I mean could Pole convince Lutheran Bishops to attend the Council of Trent?
Also true. If you want the job, don't vote for yourself.
Yep. Even Rodrigo Borgia, the future Pope Alexander VI, voted for someone else, even though he vigorously campaigned for the Papal Throne.
Well IDK if he has that right. Remember in OTL he died hours after Queen Mary. According to Wikipedia he was in failing health from 1555 onwards but it could have been from England's climate. After all he had been absent from England for 25 years so it could be the shift in climate that damaged his health, I'm not sure. I doubt he would crown King Philip II. If he crowned a close relative it would either be his niece from his brother Baron Montagu or his nephew by his brother Geoffrey Pole.
Any thoughts on how his Papacy would look like? I mean how would it effect the Council of Trent and relations with the Protestant States? I think was mentioned earlier that relations between the Holy See and France would get frosty but other then that I can't predict much.
Edit: Another thought came to me: how would Mary I's reign look like without Pole as Archbishop of Canterbury? How would a different Archbishop change her religious policy?