Page "Conclavist" Paragraph 6

From the mid-fifteenth century, cardinals were permitted only one conclavist each, usually a servant.

This man servant served as a secretary and confidant to his cardinal master, and an intermediary between the cardinals.

Many cardinals preferred to delegate the negotiation of " promises of favors " to their conclavist, which " played so major a role in papal elections for the next three centuries ".

Clandestine meetings between conclavists were often influential on the outcome of the conclave.

According to Baumgartner, " talented conclavists could achieve a great deal for their masters, but because so much of what they did was behind the scenes, it is difficult to assess accurately their place in the elections, although many conclavists wrote diaries and memoirs detailing the events of the conclaves and their roles ".