Exhumations happen . Sometimes it ’s during a criminal trial ; other time it ’s to identify historical frame ; then there are times when it ’s used to simply specify paternity . Whatever the reason , there have been many cited case throughout chronicle when regime have had to reexamine the strong-arm grounds of the dearly departed .
But having an actual remains put up trial for offense already excused is when things begin to get way more strange . That ’s exactly what happened in 897 C.E. when the body of Pope Formosus was unearthed and taken to a courtroom presided over by the then - current pope whose only intention was to find Pope Formosus hangdog .
The run is know as the Cadaver Synod . The " corpse " part is easy to understand consider Formosus ' factual bushed soundbox sat accused . But if you ’re not conversant with the termsynod , it is an ecclesiastic council or gathering where decision about issues related to religion or disciplinary subject are determined .
While trying a dead dead body would be out of the question in Vatican City today , the Cadaver Synod took shoes during a time when political machination ruledthe papacy , long before 11th - century reform that modulate pontifical elections . It was a time when there was minuscule note between private property and public trust , accord toRev . John W. O’Malley , S.J.Popes during the Middle Ages could dispense favor . It was a swag for a home to be aligned with the pope , and there were tidy sum of contention . And like many tarradiddle , this one begins with the remnant of a slap-up ruler .
The Set Up: Death of Charlemagne
While Charlemagne reign over the Roman Empire ( he wascrowned emperorin 800 C.E. ) life was pretty well in the Christian West , fit in to O’Malley ’s " A History of the Popes from Peter to the Present . " Charlemagne had high standards for education and clergy and facilitated political constancy . unluckily , his Word Louis the Pious was less up to . So after Charlemagne ’s death , the imperium was divided into three under Charlemagne ’s grandson Louis the German , Charles the Bald and Lothair . More air division occurred over clock time .
intimate political knottiness were meet with legion outside threats — from the Normans , the Magyars and theSaracens , O’Malley explains .
" The whole political situation was very upturned , " he says . Papal election were manipulate in favour of stately junto . At the time , bishops were elected by local clergy with the commendation of the laypeople , which think of that local families held significant influence in elections , and that include the office of the pontiff who also was the bishop of Rome . take your man in the pontificate was a putsch for any faction .
Enter Pope Formosus
Thanks to the territorial section of Charlemagne ’s conglomerate after his decease , major breach occurred , according to Francesca Romana Valente , an archeologist with a specialization in early Christian archeology and iconography , who works withThrough Eternity tour . At this time in history , popes were n’t elect because they were recognize as religious leaders ; they were elected because they were fend for by a sure company .
Asuccessful missionaryand cardinal bishop of Porto , Italy , Formosus had increase the mien of the Church in Bulgaria enough that Bulgarian prince Bogoris petitioned Nicholas I to have Formosus as the archbishop of the Bulgarian church , Michael E. Moore wrote in the paper " The Body of Pope Formosus . " Nicholas denied the petition because of a canonical rule that a bishop could not move from one episcopal see to another . Formosus come back to Rome and Bulgaria enroll the convoluted Christian church . Nevertheless , Formosus gain the recognition of powerful suspensor , which in 9th - century Europe meant he attract plenty of enemy , too .
Formosus ' develop influence finally led to hisexcommunicationby John VIII in 876 C.E. Charges against Formosus included an attempt to become bishop of Bulgaria , being a betrayer to Charles the Bald ( who Formosus disapproved of ) and that he coveted the papacy . fortunately for Formosus , John VIII ’s pontificate ended when he was assassinated in 882 , and Pope Marinus I reinstated Formosus , who returned to hisbishopric in Porto . Marinus I last about two geezerhood , his successor St. Adrian III just one , and Stephen V about six long years .
Finally , Formosus accede to thepapacy in 891 C.E .. Guy of Spoleto ( Guido ) was now ruling over a much larger portion of Italy , which was very dangerous for the papal state of matter . Stephen V had unwillingly crowned Guy of Spoleto emperor , and therefore , Formosus , wasforced to agnise himand his Logos Lambert Roman emperor , as well .
Formosus initially looked to them for strength and protection in his new role . Except , Formosus also was collaborating with the King of Germany , Arnulf , who attempted a siege on Rome with the support of Formosus . Guy of Spoleto died that same class , however , leaving his Word as emperor , and Arnulf took a 2d opportunity to attack Rome . This time Arnulf was successful and Formosuscrowned Arnulf emperor moth of Rome . The new bond did n’t last long , however . Arnulf was paralytic as he butt on on toward Spoleto , and Formosus died in 896 .
The Posthumous Trial
Two Vicar of Christ afterward , Emperor Lambert recover his authority in Rome in 897 and Stephen VI was Alexander Pope . Stephen was driven to revisit the law-breaking of his forerunner Formosus . It was n’t enough to simply criminate him or smudge his name . Stephen had Formosus ' body dug up , dressed up ( in overblown robes ) and put up ( on a throne ) to resist tryout . The Cadaver Synod levied the care of covet the papacy and ruling over multiple bishoprics at the same time .
The prohibition against being bishop of more than one place at a time makes political horse sense as it would facilitate keep a bishop from amassing too much office . As for seeking the pontificate , that ’s clearly inappropriate . " It ’s a holy position , " says O’Malley . purchasing and sell ecclesiastical trade good is forbidden , and just as purchase your way into an election is n’t just a political crime , it ’s an ecclesiastical one too .
While Stephen VI did n’t give Formosus what would be consider a average trial today , he did delegate a deacon to speak for him . Stephen is reported to have screamed at the corpse , and the Protestant deacon ’s decrepit defense mechanism did little to plead Formosus ' case . The play of the macabre picture was increase when an quake shook the San Giovanni Laterano Roman basilica .
Unsurprisingly , Formosus was find guilty . He was stripped of his robe and his three finger used for the blessing were chopped off . All his measure and turn were annul , and all the orders confer by him were declared invalid . After burying him ( a second fourth dimension ) in a cemetery for strangers outside of Church lands , Stephen VI had Formosus dug upyet againandthrown into the Tiber River . A fisher or a monk , depending on the caption , found his body , pull it from the body of water , and hid it . Later , Formosus was reburied ( a third clock time ) at St. Peter ’s and his name cleared .
The People’s Reaction to the Synod of Formosus
The multitude of Rome were nauseate by the trial , and a few months later there was a thigh-slapper , concord to Valente . Stephen VI was imprisoned and strangled to death . His maneuver was clearly not apprize , so what was he hoping to gain from the trial run ?
" Everything is connect to the political science of the time , " Valente state . For one affair , Stephen VI was confirm by Emperor Lambert . " So this fantastical test was a way to show his allegiance to Guido [ Guy ] . " Another benefit was that the termination of the test made all of Formosus ' acts as pope null and void , according toAmelia Sothin the daybook JSTOR Daily . That was secure for Stephen because he had been made bishop by Formosus , which think of he was shamed of holding multiple position at once too .
