1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: In the past couple of weeks, we've been fascinated watching 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: an ancient tradition play out, picking a new pope for 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: the world's one and a half billion Roman Catholics. You 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: know what, The way it's done really hasn't changed much 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: over more than a thousand years, although the political intrigue 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: is a little bit more discreet. Political rivalries of all 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: sorts go back to the dawn of human history, but 8 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: how far do they go when picking a spiritual leader. 9 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: It seems timely to revisit this story about a medieval 10 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: pope whose opponents dug up his body, dressed it up 11 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: in his vestments, and tried him for stuff they said 12 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: he did when he was alive. I'm Patty Steele. Yeah, 13 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: believe it or not. Dead pope on trial. That's next 14 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:52,480 Speaker 1: on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. No matter 15 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: how progressive we think we are, there are traditions that 16 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: take us back over a thousand years or more that 17 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: are fascinating to a lot of us and incredibly meaningful 18 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: to a lot of other folks. This past month, we've 19 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: seen the death of a much loved pope, then the 20 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,960 Speaker 1: conclave at the Vatican where the new pope, the first 21 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: from the United States, was chosen by one hundred and 22 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: thirty three cardinals. The protocol for how they gather, vote 23 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: and announce their decision to the world really hasn't changed 24 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: much over the centuries. We're talking puffs of smoke to 25 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,119 Speaker 1: let us know what's going on. But is the rivalry 26 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,680 Speaker 1: as intense as it was a thousand years ago? That's 27 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: an intriguing question. It turns out it got pretty crazy 28 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: back then. Okay, here's an image to consider. Imagine the 29 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: Pope dies, He's laid to rest, then dug up from 30 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: his grave, dressed up and put on trial for stuff 31 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: he did in life. It actually happened. It's the ultimate 32 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: case of political rivalry. Now, if you saw the musical Hamilton, 33 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: like over forty million other folks, you know that political 34 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: rivalry can be really entertaining but also deadly serious, at 35 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: least when you don't feel personally invested in it. It's 36 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,239 Speaker 1: kind of a laugh for Hamilton and his nemesis Aaron Burr. 37 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: It ended with Pistols at Dawn, the most infamous duel 38 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: in American history, and it gave Broadway a massive hit. 39 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: But political rivalries are nothing new. Okay, let's head back 40 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: in time to the Dark Ages, to one of the 41 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: most bizarre rivalries in human history, ending in a dead 42 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: pope being put on trial. It's the ninth century Rome 43 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: is like a medieval soap opera on steroids. Pope Formosis 44 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: had died in eight ninety six, but he was really 45 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: powerful and loved by his supporters. Now, in fairness, he 46 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: made some questionable decisions, but hey, who doesn't. Anyway, he 47 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: was still revered by his followers, and that really disturbed 48 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: the new pope and his cohorts. Understand, in those days, 49 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: being the pope wasn't just a religious thing. It was 50 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: about the pope's pure political power. Up until the fifteen hundreds, 51 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: the pope actually had the power to choose the Holy 52 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: Roman Emperor, and that's where the whole mess grew. Hair 53 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: Formoses had named an emperor who was not the first 54 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: choice of his detractors. So after his death, the new Pope, 55 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: Stephen the seventh, wanted to undo all of the edicts 56 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: for Moses had proclaimed during his reign, including his choice 57 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: for the Holy Roman Emperor. But that meant Pope Stephen 58 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 1: had to totally delegitimize for Moses He and his posse 59 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: wanted to erase for Moses's time as pope from the 60 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: record books as how hungry they were for power. They 61 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: claimed that while for Mosis was on the papal throne, 62 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: he had committed some really serious crimes. So what to do? Well, 63 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: now comes the most unbelievable part. I know, Let's dig 64 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: him up and put him on trial. Yeah, I'm serious. 65 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: What happened next was actually referred to as the cadaver 66 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: synod or trial. They exhumed his body to under a 67 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: year after his death, dragged his decomposed remains to court, 68 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: dressed him up investments, and propped him up on a 69 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: throne complete with all the other pope type regalia. Talk 70 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: about uncovering his skeletons in the closet, I mean literally, 71 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: The trial itself was something out of a horror movie. 72 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: Just imagine a bunch of furious clergy members crowded around 73 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: a rotting corpse shouting accusations at it. So what were 74 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: they accusing him of? Perjury, violating church canons, becoming the 75 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 1: pope illegally, and basically being unworthy of being a pope 76 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: in the first place, so they could undo everything he'd 77 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: done on the job and make sure he wasn't worshiped 78 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: as a former representative of Christ on earth. They wanted 79 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: to invalidate all the decisions he made when he was alive. 80 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: They shouted questions at the body about the accusations. A 81 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: deacon had been appointed to answer those questions for the defense, 82 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: but most likely he didn't really do a great job 83 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: of representing the dead. Guy onlooker said he had to 84 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: be really careful for fear of representing Foremoses too well 85 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: and enraging those who ordered the trial. And plus, if 86 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: he did a great job of representing Formoses, he wasn't 87 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 1: going to get any money from him, or even a 88 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: pat on the back, they said. As the trial took place, 89 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: handlers of Formoses's body had to prop it up and 90 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: move it around in response to questions. Oh my gosh, 91 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: can you imagine how weird that was? And the craziness continued. 92 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: Midway through the trial, an earthquake shook the room. Both 93 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 1: sides declared it was a sign from God supporting their side. Now. 94 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: At the end of the trial, Formosis was found guilty 95 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: of all charges. Big surprise there, and they actually overturned 96 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,840 Speaker 1: his papacy declaring his papal acts null and void. Imagine 97 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,280 Speaker 1: that happening today. A courtroom where a judge not only 98 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: convicts all corpse sitting there in the flesh, well the flesh, 99 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: of wrongdoing, and then invalidates all the decisions the individual 100 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: made when alive. Next came the punishment face can't execute, 101 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: I mean, he's already dead. So after the trial he 102 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: was placed in a graveyard for foreigners. But pretty soon 103 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: the new pope decided that's not punishment enough. A few 104 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 1: months later they dig him up again and Formoses' body 105 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: is tied to weights and tossed into the Tiber River, 106 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: the traditional Roman burial for the worst criminals and rulers 107 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: who have fallen out of favor. But first they removed 108 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: the three fingers on his right hand that he'd used 109 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: for blessings. All of this to prevent his body or 110 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: parts of it from becoming a holy relic or relics. Actually, 111 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: ancient churches all over Italy still have relics. You can 112 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: go see them, full body or body parts of saints, 113 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: popes and other religious figures. I saw some a couple 114 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: of years back. It was kind of odd, but this 115 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: wasn't the end of Formosis's very busy afterlife. His corpse 116 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: didn't rest peacefully at the bottom of the river. Despite 117 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:08,919 Speaker 1: being weighted down. It eventually somehow washed up on the 118 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: river bank and was retrieved by a fisherman. Some said 119 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: it began to perform miracles, that it was a miracle 120 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: that it made it to shore public like crazy. Finally, 121 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: Stephen the Seventh, the guy who had ordered the cadaver synid, 122 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: was thrown in jail, and eventually he was strangled to death. 123 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: There this gets more and more like a Game of 124 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: Throne storyline. Right by the end of the year, the 125 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: next pope re established Formoss's reputation at his edicts and 126 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: ordered him reburied in Saint Peter's Basilica alongside every other pope. 127 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: His fellow clergyman said, maybe he's the real deal, after all, 128 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: They even declared him a martyr. Soon, the new pope 129 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: banned for all time any more trials of corpses. So 130 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: if you're still asking if you could put the body 131 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: of a dead pope on trial, the answer is you 132 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: used to be able to, but not anymore since the 133 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: Church outlawed cadaver trials eleven hundred years ago, and that 134 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: is the ultimate story of political rivalry, kind of a 135 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: reminder of how far people will go to hold onto 136 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: power and settle scores. Pope Leo the fourteenth has arrived 137 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 1: on the papal throne at a much less violent time 138 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: in human history, or so we think, and hopefully he'll 139 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: be abridged to greater love and understanding between all religions 140 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: and all people. I hope you're enjoying the Backstory with 141 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Please leave a review and follow or subscribe 142 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: for free to get new episodes delivered automatically, and feel 143 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: free to dm me if you have a story you'd 144 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and 145 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstory 146 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia, Premier Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, 147 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our 148 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. 149 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out to me with comments and 150 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and 151 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the 152 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: Backstory with Patty Steele. The pieces of history you didn't 153 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: know you needed to know.