The Gamblers' Conclave: Bets, Public Opinion and Continuity of the Papal Power in 16th-Century Rome

• Published in: Annales : histoire, sciences sociales (French ed.) sciences sociales (French ed.), 2009-03, Vol.64 (2), p.375-403
• Main Author: Villard, Renaud
• Format: Article
• Language: fre
• Subjects: Elections; Gambling; Papacy; Political Power; Public Opinion; Rituals; Rome, Italy; Sixteenth Century
• ISSN: 0395-2649

In 16th-century Rome, the most important scansions of a pontificate gave rise to numerous bets, which mobilized huge resources, & arose enthusiasm among the whole Roman society. The bettors' slips, which were often resold, indicated how probable they evaluated an event: thus they centralized rumors & information. The out-of-control in bets gradually blurred reality: it became difficult to know if the deaths & elections of popes at the bookmakers' actually echoed real events outside. This disjunction had unexpected political consequences: by mimicking conclaves through betting, the Romans invented a new ritual that filled the political vacuum. Gamblers, as they assumed the attributes of sovereignty, unwillingly enabled the continuance of political power, & the progressive pacification of pontifical states. At the same time, the fear arose that the pope's election could be guided not by the Holy Spirit, but by financial interests: consequently, the popes started prohibiting those bets & restraining public speech, so that the princely secret would not be confiscated by the crowd. Adapted from the source document.