Editing Pope Pius VII (section)

===Election===
{{main|Papal conclave, 1799–1800}}
[[File:Ile san giorgio.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Site of the papal conclave that elected Pius VII]]
Following the death of Pope Pius VI, by then virtually France's prisoner, at [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]] in 1799, the [[papal conclave|conclave]] to elect his successor met on 30 November 1799 in the Benedictine [[San Giorgio Monastery]] in Venice. There were three main candidates, two of whom proved to be unacceptable to the [[Habsburgs]], whose candidate, [[Alessandro Mattei]], could not secure sufficient votes. However, [[Carlo Bellisomi]] also was a candidate, though not favoured by [[Habsburg monarchy|Austrian]] cardinals; a "virtual veto"{{efn|Rather than formal invocation of the claimed [[papal veto]], this involved lobbying by the Austrian cardinals to deny him the necessary votes.}} was imposed against him in the name of [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]] and carried out by Cardinal [[Franziskus Herzan von Harras]].<ref>J. P. Adams,  [http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1800.html ''Sede Vacante and Conclave, 1799-1800'']. Retrieved: 13 March 2016.</ref>
[[File:Tiara of Pope Pius VII, 1800.jpg|thumb|right|190px|The tiara made for the coronation of Pope Pius VII in [[Venice]], decorated with jewels donated by local families<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=[[The Independent]]| location=[[London]]| access-date=4 September 2017| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/rhodri-marsdens-interesting-objects-pope-pius-viis-paper-crown-10116494.html| first=Rhodri| last=Marsden| title=Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: Pope Pius VII's paper crown| date=21 March 2015}}</ref>]]
After several months of stalemate, [[Ercole Consalvi]] proposed Chiaramonti as a compromise candidate.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Pius VII |last=Boutry |first=Philippe |encyclopedia=The Papacy: An Encyclopedia |volume=2: Gaius-Proxies |editor-first1=Philippe |editor-last1=Levillain |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |page=1184}}</ref> On 14 March 1800, Chiaramonti was elected pope, certainly not the choice of die-hard opponents of the [[French Revolution]], and took as his pontifical name Pius VII in honour of his immediate predecessor.<ref name=bokenkotter /> He was [[papal coronation|crowned]] on 21 March—in the adjacent [[San Giorgio Maggiore (church), Venice|monastery church]] as Emperor Francis II was not pleased by the choice of the cardinal electors and did not allow them to use [[San Marco Basilica]] for the ceremony<ref name="OM1">{{cite book |last1=O'Malley |first1=John W. |title=A History of the Popes: From Peter to the Present |date=2011 |publisher=Sheed & Ward |isbn=978-1580512282 |page=232}}</ref>—by means of a rather unusual ceremony, wearing a [[papier-mâché]] [[Papal Tiara#Design|papal tiara]]—the French had seized the tiaras held by the Holy See when occupying Rome and forcing Pius VI into exile. The new pope then left for Rome, sailing on a barely seaworthy Austrian ship, the ''Bellona'', which lacked even a [[Galley (kitchen)|galley]]. The twelve-day voyage ended at [[Pesaro]] and he proceeded to Rome.