What Japan Thinks
An anthology of public works from the Meiji Restoration era; What Japan Thinks serves as a detailed look through the social and political complexities resulting from rapid westernization.
Pope Stephen VI
Unknown – August, 897
Taking advantage of a weakened papacy, Pope Stephen VI abused the power of the Holy See in his grave robbing blood feud with a dead man.
Background for Context
For the past two millennia, the papacy has been one of the most influential political and religious forces on Earth. Following the capture of Rome in 1870, the pope’s political power was stripped away, leaving him to solely act as the figurehead of the Catholic Church. In the medieval age, this was not so. From 756 through 1870, the pope was the ruler of the Papal States, a collection of provinces and principalities centralized in Rome, often under the influence of the military behemoths surrounding it. Given that the pope was the head of the Catholic Church, rulers vied for his blessing to gain religious legitimacy. During the ninth century, the Holy Roman Empire’s nobility controlled the papacy, allowing Romans to claim the Holy See. Among the nobility, internal clans and alliances complicated politics and the election of a new pope. If one faction elected their man, they could appoint favorable bishops and abbots to enforce their own agenda. These conflicting Roman nobles were able to gain control the provincial states of Naples, Tuscany, and Spoleto. The rulers of these lands each wanted their chance at the highest position in the Papal States, the papacy itself.
A papal portrait of Pope Stephen VI.
Source : TIME
The Papal Dispute
Pope Formosus had quite a storied life. During his time as Bishop of Porto, he was excommunicated by Pope John VIII for simultaneously ruling over multiple regions. It would later become known John VIII suspected Formosus was attempting to usurp the papacy, shadowing the ex-communication with questions of power consolidation and corruption. In the papal struggle for power, John VIII was murdered by his own clerics on December 16 of 882, becoming the first pope to be assassinated. John VIII’s successor, Pope Marinus I, restored Formosus’s role as Bishop of Porto. Following the reign of three popes, Formosus rose to the papacy on October 6 of 891. Pope Formosus’s five years on the Holy See were nothing short of tumultuous. His predecessor, Stephen V, appointed the duke of Spoleto to be the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Formosus would later appoint the duke’s son, Lambert, to be co-emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. In 896, Formosus began to ally with the East Frankish king Arnulf, thereby renouncing the men he helped appoint to the Holy Roman Empire’s throne. Formosus then requested for Arnulf to invade and liberate the Apennine peninsula. Crucially, Formosus attempted to remove the Spoleto’s influence over the papacy, bestowing the honor of the papal favorite to Arnulf. The request sent shockwaves through Roman society. The pope had requested a German king to liberate a Roman state, an unprecedented alliance that brought underlying family rivalries to the forefront of Roman society.
Stephen VI of Spoleto
Little is known about Stephen VI early life. His birth year and original name remain lost to history. What is known for certain is Stephen VI was born to a priest and a high-ranking member of the Spoleto family. Under pressure from Guy, the duke of Spoleto, Pope Formosus promoted Stephen VI to the position of bishop. Guy would also be the same duke of Spoleto whom Formosus would later betray. Stephen VI made an unremarkable bishop, with little of his theological views surviving to the current day. Upon Formosus’s betrayal of the Spoleto family, few were more livid than Stephen VI. Luckily for him, Formosus would die from a stroke shortly after, allowing Pope Boniface VI to ascend to the throne. Boniface VI’s fifteen-day stint in the papal robes is remembered for the mob which brought him to power, his two defrocks, and his untimely death. In the chaos to find Boniface VI’s successor, Stephen VI was elected to the Holy See.
The Cadaver Synod
Claiming the papacy, Pope Stephen VI removed all of Formosus’s appointments to the church, all except himself, that is. Being a Spoleto, Stephen VI’s hatred for Formosus was immense. In an unprecedented move, he ordered the corpse of Formosus to be dug up and stand trial for the crimes John VIII excommunicated him for. The body was subsequently removed from its grave, dressed in papal attire, and brought to trial. Despite the claimed focus on the crimes of Formosus, the trial was a sham aimed to please the Spoleto family and used to get their revenge on Formosus. The deacon appointed to speak for Formosus didn’t do him any favors in arguing his case. Interestingly, an earthquake occurred during the trial, partially collapsing the Lateran Palace. Unsurprisingly, Formosus was found guilty of all charges. Stephen VI proceeded to remove all papal honors bestowed upon Formosus and cut off his three blessing fingers. An indecisive Stephen VI hastily re-buried Formosus before digging him up from his grave once again. In a move of utter disrespect, Stephen VI and his cronies threw the body of Formosus into the Tiber. This papal grave-robbing fiasco came to be known as the Cadaver Synod.
French artist Jean-Paul Laurens 1870 painting, “Pope Formosa and Stephen VII”, depicting the Cadaver Synod. Note : Stephen VI is occasionally referred to as Stephen VII depending if Stephen II is included in the papal line.
Source : WikiArt
Pope Formosa and Stephen VII, Jean-Paul Laurens, 1870
A Legacy of Succession
Even for the ninth century, Stephen VI was exceptionally depraved. The people of Rome, many of whom were supporters of the late Formosus, were outraged when they learned of the Cadaver Synod. This anger manifested into an insurrection against Stephen VI, resulting in his imprisonment. In prison he would meet a cruel death fitting for a barbaric man, strangulation. Following Stephen VI’s deposition, Pope Romanus was elected to the papacy. Romanus would reinstate Formosus’s honors and papal legacy. After a year in power, he was succeeded by Pope Theodore II. Under his reign, Formosus’s corpse was finally removed from the Tiber. After twenty days in power, Theodore II died and was succeeded by further conflict. In a disputed election, both Sergius III and John IX were elected to become the next leader of the Catholic Church. Sergius III, a Spoleto, was driven from Rome allowing John IX to take the papacy. John IX would finally rebury Formosus, nearly four years after his death. Just as Roman society began to heal, Sergius III reappeared in Rome with an army, putting a Spoleto on the papal throne once more. Sergius III had participated in the Cadaver Synod as a Bishop and was partisan in all senses of the word. Sergius III proceeded to hold his own synod in which he reaffirmed the conviction of Formosus and nullified the actions of both popes Theodore II and John IX. This period was a dark time for the Catholic Church. The constant tug of power saw holy men falter while the ruthless prevailed, setting an example for the consequences of tribal behavior. In reviewing the corruption of the Cadaver Synod, the Vatican would overturn the ruling and reinstate the honors of Formosus. For the third and final time, Formosus was put to rest and interred in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Bibliography
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- Published
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