Election of Pope Alexander VII

Date: April 7, 1655 • Location: Paris, France

After a conclave lasting eighty days, the College of Cardinals elected Fabio Chigi as Pope Alexander VII.

The 1655 conclave was convened following the death of Pope Innocent X and ended with the election of Cardinal Fabio Chigi as Alexander VII. The conclave quickly reached a deadlock, with Giulio Cesare Sacchetti receiving 33 votes throughout the conclave, but never securing enough for his own election. After several months of deliberation and negotiation, Chigi was elected Pope when Cardinal Mazarin, the leader of the French government, consented to Chigi's election at the request of Sacchetti.