Talk:Pope Formosus

How many fingers

We appear to have a disagreement between Pope Stephen VII and this article. Specifically, this article says three fingers were cut off, but Stephen's article says two fingers were. I believe I read somewhere that Sergius III cut off the remaining fingers. Is that where the two numbers come from? for instance, says two. says three. I apologize if I'm confused, since I know almost nothing about Catholicism, but I'd like to see this resolved. - Wesley crossman 06:46, Apr 29, 2004 (UTC)

The two sources (indeed, every source I've seen) agree that the fingers used in extending the apostolic benediction were cut off. Unless they did it differently back then, that would be the middle three fingers, (think of the hands of the Pope blessing Uri et Orbi from his balcony) leaving only the thumb and pinky behind. - Nunh-huh 06:23, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Okay. Should I/you change Stephen's article or do you want to wait for confirmation? - Wesley crossman 06:46, Apr 29, 2004 (UTC)

I leave it up to you, but I think: go for it. -- Nunh-huh 23:58, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)

When I did a search on Wikipedia for "Formosus" without including the word "Pope" the Disambiguation page didn't list "Pope Formosus".

--NotWillDecker

The contemporary sources actually disagree on how many fingers were cut off. Some say two, some say three. I've been researching this for a PhD dissertation for several years. You can find some of my results here: http://www.wsmonroe.com --WSM

"immoral man"

I removed a statement referring to Pope Sergius as an "immoral man" because that is POV.

Le pape en mort

I though for sure the title of the Laurens work was Le pape en mort? Srnec 15:02, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

This is a lousy picture

Can't we have one of him that's not of his corpse? Zazaban (talk) 04:39, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

His body was found after thrown in the river

Nothing is mentioned in the article about the body of Pope Formosus being found by a fisherman after it was thrown in the river. The body was kept later by the Vatican as a body of a saint. --188.161.252.8 (talk) 12:08, 20 October 2010 (UTC)

Second Cadaver Synod

The article presents a long list of authorities who do not mention a Second Cadaver Synod: "Joseph Brusher, S.J. says that "Sergius [III] indulged in no resurrection-man tactics himself"[5] and Schaff, Milman,[6]Gregorovius,[7] von Mosheim, [8] Miley,[9] Mann,[10] Darras,[11] John the Deacon of Naples, Flodoard, and others make no mention of this story." This long list is nothing but an attempt to provide negative evidence, which has little value. Positive evidence is needed. The list should be trimmed. --Vicedomino (talk) 09:20, 10 January 2018 (UTC)

Dates in main article do not make sense

There is a serious need for clarification of the dates of his activities and excommunication in the article. They do not match known dates for other external events and are self-contradictory. I suggest a complete re-write. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:810D:8DBF:C81C:4874:AE99:C6AE:2FCE (talk) 20:58, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

Did anyone ever go through on the rewrite? If so, were any sources removed from the article? Bvoyles (talk) 16:26, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: The Middle Ages

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 17 August 2025 and 15 December 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Bvoyles (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by JoshViel (talk) 20:08, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

First Paragraph in "Papacy"

The initial paragraph within the "Papacy" section of this page includes several important details about Pope Formosus, but lacks any citations. Does anyone know where the editor got the information of Formosus intervening in Byzantine/French court affairs from? I would love to read further. Bvoyles (talk) 19:25, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Papacy Section

I have edited the Papacy to add more context to the discussed actions of Formosus's time in the Papacy Zwatter (talk) 22:18, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Papacy/Legacy Section Edits, Addition of Liudprand of Cremona Account

I am editing the "Papacy" section to include more detail on the historical and cultural context behind the rivalry of Formosus and Guy III of Spoleto, while also adding more details on the conflict with the Saracens. I also will be changing the "Legacy" section to reflect more modern historiography. Lastly, I am adding a new header titled "Liudprand of Cremona's Account" to introduce primary source content to the page. Open to any and all feedback regarding these changes. Bvoyles (talk) 22:39, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

"Early Career" First Paragraph Rewrite

I rewrote the first paragraph of "Early Career" to be more concise and describe the reasoning behind the denial of Boris I's request to have Formosus installed as the arch bishop of Bulgaria. This paragraph also now will offer more details as to what Formosus was doing as an envoy within Bulgaria. I left the last line of the paragraph as I have not yet found any information as to what Formosus was doing within France. IF there are any changes that need to be made i am open to feed back. Oborgeson4 (talk) 00:20, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

First Paragraph of Legacy Edits

I reworded some of the sentences of the original section in order to make the writing flow a little bit better and remove some of the run on sentences, I also added more on the scope of the timeframe of when the synod of the corpse happened. There are a few additions I made to indicate some of the motive behind the Synod as well. Finally I changed the part of the paragraph that talks about Formosus's body being pulled from the river by monks to fisherman as described in Liudbrand of Cremona's account. Oborgeson4 (talk) 00:29, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Political Conflict Section

I renamed the "Papacy" section to "Political Conflicts" as it showcases more of the political involvement Formosus had throughout his time in the papacy. I then added sub-headings to separate different conflicts he was involved in. I also removed the paragraph regarding the death of Charles 'The Fat' and Guy III becoming emperor, as it does not relate all that much to Formosus's involvement in the conflict. If any changes are needed I am open to feedback. Zwatter (talk) 05:43, 29 November 2025 (UTC)

King Arnulf v. Guy III of Spoleto

In the sub-section of the "King Arnulf v. Guy III of Spoleto," I added some historiographical context to emphasize the importance of the conflict to Formosus and show how he work on his own behalf to orchestrate the invasion in order to protect his position in the papacy. Zwatter (talk) 06:11, 29 November 2025 (UTC)