It would be fruitless to put someone's corpse on trial but that's what happened in the late 9th and early 10th century. Pope Stephen VI put his predecessor, Pope Formosus, on trial for some alleged wrongdoing and declared him guilty.
But what was the point of putting someone's dead body on trial (known as the Cadaver Synod)? They wouldn't be able to answer.
Still, I find this little tidbit of history interesting.
2007-11-11 11:37:31 · 4 answers · asked by chrstnwrtr 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Stephen tried Formosus for heresy. The guilty verdict was intended to deny him any acclaim in this life and damnation in the next. Whether he had a few loose screws or not, Stephen knew that condemning someone as an unrepentant heretic destroyed your standing in the medieval world.
2007-11-11 11:56:31 · answer #1 · answered by tulsatop 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
A goofy little thing that ahd more ot do with the culture than anything else. Sort of frustration gone totally amiss. Similar things happened in Europe even into the 1700's, people could and often were tried and executed without ever ebing captured; effigies were often used instead of the real culprit.
Curious to say the least.
2007-11-11 19:43:52 · answer #2 · answered by 29 characters to work with...... 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
probably to discredit people that supported Formosus. Or maybe he just wanted to be a pretty awesome pope lol.
2007-11-11 20:31:01 · answer #3 · answered by archy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Insanity. It's a common ailment with zealots.
2007-11-11 19:49:08 · answer #4 · answered by Joshot 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋