In the year 897, a pope dug up his dead enemy, sat him on a throne, and asked him questions. This is the strangest trial in history.
Imagine a courtroom where the defendant is a rotting corpse [cadáver en descomposición] — dressed in rich robes, propped up on a chair, and unable to say a single word.
Rome, January 897. Inside the huge Lateran Basilica, hundreds of priests and nobles are waiting. The air smells terrible. In the middle of the room sits the dead body of Pope Formosus. He died nine months ago, but today he is going to face a trial [juicio].
The man in charge is Pope Stephen VI. He is angry, and he wants revenge [venganza]. Why? Because Formosus made some powerful enemies during his life. He had crowned a foreign king as emperor, and an Italian noble family — the Spoletos — never forgave him. Stephen needed their support, so he made a terrible decision: if he could not punish a living man, he would punish a dead one.
The body was dug up [desenterrado] from its tomb, dressed in papal robes, and placed on a throne. Next to it stood a young, terrified deacon. His job was to speak for the dead pope and answer the questions. According to the accounts, Stephen shouted at the corpse: “Why did you become pope when you were already a bishop of another city?” Of course, nobody answered. The poor deacon trembled and said almost nothing.
The result was no surprise. Formosus was found guilty [declarado culpable] of every charge. The punishment was cruel, even for a dead man. His papal robes were torn off, and three fingers [dedos] of his right hand — the ones he used to bless people — were cut off. Then the body was thrown into the River Tiber.
But the story does not end there. According to the chronicles, a fisherman pulled the body out of the river [sacó el cuerpo del río] and hid it. Then, as if history wanted to answer, a strong earthquake shook Rome. Part of the Lateran Basilica collapsed, and the people of Rome were outraged [estaban indignados]. They believed God was angry.
The crowd turned against Stephen. He was arrested, thrown into prison, and strangled a few months later. In the following years, other popes cancelled the trial [anularon], brought the body back to the church, and made a new rule: nobody could ever put a dead person on trial again. The “Cadaver Synod” is still remembered as one of the darkest, weirdest moments of the Middle Ages.
That is the lesson of this story: when politics gets personal, even death is not a good excuse to escape justice… or revenge.
🧰 Vocabulary Spotlight
| Word | Say it | En español | In real life |
|---|---|---|---|
| rotting corpse | /RÁ-ting KORPS/ | cadáver en descomposición | “There’s a rotting apple in my bag — I forgot it there!” |
| to put on trial | /put on TRÁ-yal/ | someter a juicio | “The company was put on trial for lying to its customers.” |
| guilty | /GÍL-ti/ | culpable | “I feel guilty because I forgot my friend’s birthday.” |
| to dig up | /dig ÁP/ | desenterrar; sacar a la luz | “My dog dug up a bone in the garden.” |
| outraged | /AUT-reiyd/ | indignado | “Everyone was outraged when the train was cancelled again.” |
🎯 Bite-Sized Quiz
Two quick questions, zero pressure. Think first, then open the box to check!
1. Why did Pope Stephen VI put Formosus on trial?
- Because Formosus was still alive and had escaped
- Because of politics and revenge against a dead enemy
- Because Formosus had stolen the Church’s money
Show the answer
B. Stephen wanted revenge and needed the support of Formosus’s enemies. Formosus had died nine months before the trial.
2. “The body was thrown into the Tiber.” Which sentence has the same meaning?
- Someone threw the body into the Tiber.
- The body throws something into the Tiber.
- The body is going to throw itself into the Tiber.
Show the answer
A. Passive: was thrown (el cuerpo fue arrojado). Active: someone threw the body (alguien arrojó el cuerpo).
Join the Conversation
If you could put one historical figure on trial, who would it be — and why?
Tell us in the comments, in English or Spanish! Every attempt counts, and nobody is checking your grammar.
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