Living wills and testaments were designed because it was believed that being prayed for sped up the time in which one stayed in purgatory and although during the modern day, living wills and testaments do not include the prayer portion, this was the main reason the concept was designed during the Middle Ages. Living wills often instructed people to pray for the deceased a set amount of times per day, week, or month, as well as the type of funeral service desired, with minute details being paid attention to (e.g. the type of candles which would burn alongside the gravestone etc.). Living wills and testaments also offered the bequeathing of physical, tangible items that the dead would no longer need. In the modern day, living wills and testaments do not include the prayer portion, but this was the main reason the concept was designed during the Middle Ages
Murder, bribery, and nepotism were the primary ways in which a pope would enter or exit the papacy prior to the 12th century. It was during the 12th century that cardinals who were senior clergy in Rome, Italy created what they referred to as a “college” to act as a council which would regulate the elections of future popes. This system became referred to as the “conclave” which refers to the practice of a “private meeting assembly of cardinals for the election of a pope”. The term “conclave” was chosen because of the Latin term “con” with means “with” and the Latin term “clavin” which means “key”, more literally translating to “locked room” as cardinals would be locked away to avoid the interference of outside politics. As of 1274 A.D., all papal elections are held in secret, adhering to this strict tradition in an attempt to remain unbiased. Elections are held again and again until a 66% majority is achieved at which point white smoke is released to signify that the council has reached a decision. The election ballets from each voting round are burned so that the election is completely anonymous and private, even for those who are present in the meeting. It is this burning which creates the iconography of the smoke being released to signify a decision. In the Middle Ages, cardinals added damp straw to the ballots which created black smoke to signify that a pope had not yet been chosen. White smoke was created by burning the paper alone, but during the modern day, chemical additives are added to ensure the white smoke color is as unambiguous as possible