A papal conclave was held between 22 September and 28 October 1362 in the Palais des Papes of Avignon to elect the successor of Pope Innocent VI. Guillaume de Grimoard was elected pope and took the name Urban V.

Guy of Boulogne was a statesman and cardinal who served the Avignon Papacy for 33 years. He participated in the papal conclaves of 1352, 1362 and 1370, and was the Subdean of the Sacred College of Cardinals. His diplomatic postings were extensive, including Hungary, Italy, and Spain. He headed an effort to end the Hundred Years' War. The historian Kenneth Setton called him "one of the commanding figures of his day, and the letters of Petrarch abound with references to him".