TIL about the Cadaver Synod: In 897, Pope Stephen VI held a bizarre trial against the corpse of Pope Formosus, accusing him of crimes like perjury and violating church laws. Formosus' decayed body was dressed in papal robes, propped up, and symbolically 'defended' in court.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1gg7e9f/til_about_the_cadaver_synod_in_897_pope_stephen/