Cardinals at the conclave generally grouped themselves into three major factions, according to their alignment with the French House of Valois, the Hapsburgs, or Italian states that remained independent of both major Catholic powers.

Cervini was elected Julius's successor, and chose to maintain his baptismal (birth) name as his papal name, becoming consecrated as Marcellus II.

Initially, they prepared and subscribed the conclave capitulation, which obliged the newly elected pope to maintain neutrality in the European conflicts and forbade him to conduct wars against Christian princes.

He was proposed by the French faction,[6] but also obtained the support of the Imperial cardinals (e.g. Madruzzo[3]) despite the express wishes of Charles V against Cervini's election.

[3] He retained his baptismal name, adding to it only an ordinal number (Marcellus II).