Les médecins du conclave. L’élection pontificale entre médecine et politique au début de l’époque moderne

Since 1458, papal sources attest the presence of physicians assisting cardinals during the pontifical election. This presence was not purely formal. In this framework, doctors played different roles and sometimes their activities affected the results of the Conclave. In this sense, the Conclave could be considered as a « lieu de médecine » and an original viewpoint on the relationship between medicine and Christianity. Crossing medical sources related to the medical practices or produced by institutions or actors involved in the Conclave, the article offers a first glance on medical presence and activity in this particular context. Firstly we offer a general survey of the different physicians working during the early modern Conclaves and consider the way in which this function affected their career. We paid particular attention to the analysis of the criteria of their nomination. Secondly we analyze their specific functions during pontifical elections and the way in which they interacted with the proceeding of the Conclave