The Papal conclave of 1939 was convoked on the brink of World War II with the death of Pope Pius XI on February 10 of that same year in the Apostolic Palace. The conclave to elect Pius' successor began on March 1 and ended a day later, on March 2, after three ballots. The cardinals elected Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, then Camerlengo and Vatican Secretary of State, as the new pope. He accepted the election and took the pontifical name of Pius XII.