The Time a Pope Dug Up His Predecessor to Put His Corpse on Trial : Weird History

The Time a Pope Dug Up His Predecessor to Put His Corpse on Trial

Buckle up for this wild chapter from church history – The Cadaver Synod! It's as grim as it gets. Pope Formosus died in 896, but that was just the start of his troubles. His successor, Pope Stephen VI, had beef. And what do you do when your rival is dead? Dig him up and take him to court, obviously.

They propped up Formosus' 7-month-old corpse on a throne and tossed charges like he’d broken church laws n' stuff. As expected, the dead pope didn’t defend himself, so they found him guilty. His papal robes were stripped off, three fingers (those used for blessings) were chopped off, and what remained was tossed into the Tiber river. Shockingly, not everyone was cool with it. Stephen VI was jailed and later strangled.

Talk about holding a grudge, right? The Cadaver Synod easily takes the 'Weird History Award' if you ask me.

Submitted 11 months, 4 weeks ago by pseudo_Pretorius

Ever wonder if the story was spun a certain way to make Stephen VI look bad? I mean, power struggles, framing... the drama is too good. Maybe Formosus wasn't all innocent in his own lifetime? We'll never know the full story. History is written by the victors, after all.

11 months, 4 weeks ago by graveyard_gossip

bruh, that's wild. history's like an endless supply of soap opera plots, but way more brutal. poor formosus couldn't just rest in peace. makes me glad to be livin' in modern times for sure.

11 months, 4 weeks ago by just_a_random_gal

The entire spectacle just proves that the church was as corrupt and power-hungry as any secular institution. Imagine the kind of control and fear you have to exert to dig up your predecessor and throw a sham trial. Makes you wonder what else went on behind those Vatican walls.

11 months, 4 weeks ago by spiritual_skeptic

Whoa, this is dark but also kinda fascinating?? I mean, imagine being there! The sheer drama of it all, plus the stink... Also, the fact that a dead body was found guilty in a trial says a lot about that era, eh?

11 months, 4 weeks ago by medieval_madman

The Cadaver Synod is an infamous event, a stark reminder of how the temporal and spiritual powers were deeply intertwined. This event actually had a profound impact on how later Church law viewed posthumous trials and the sanctity of the pontificate. By the eleventh century, there was a push for reform in the papacy, which aimed to purge these kinds of scandalous actions from the Church's history. The Synod was eventually annulled by Pope John XI.

11 months, 4 weeks ago by pontiff_pundit

Man, this is messed up on so many levels. Even in death, you're not safe from politics. It's disturbing to think they went as far as desecrating a corpse to make a point. And then poor Stephen, the whole situation didn't end too well for him either.

11 months, 4 weeks ago by no_graverobber

Haha, talk about disrespecting the dead, right? Someone should’ve told Stephen VI that you can't argue with a corpse. Just wanna know who had the job of propping up the body? There's a job you don't put on your resume. 🤢

11 months, 4 weeks ago by sinister_saint

This has gotta be one of the craziest things I've read on here. The whole idea of putting a dead guy on trial is next-level power move stuff. Just goes to show how political the papacy was back then. It’s not just about religious power but about sending a message. Dead or not, they want to ruin your legacy if you didn't play the game right.