Matthew FraserThe Cadaver Synod: When the Corpse of a Dead Pope Was Put on Trial and “Executed”At the end of the 10th century, the Catholic Church put the putrefied corpse of a deceased pope on trial. The gruesome event was so…Jun 12, 2020Jun 12, 2020
Matthew FraserCromwell’s Posthumous ExecutionIn our era when figures from history are judged, disgraced, and their monuments removed from public places, a look back at the time when…Jun 11, 20201Jun 11, 20201
Matthew FraserSend in the Critics: The Crisis of Confidence at the New York TimesThe controversy over an inflammatory New York Times op-ed column is a symptom of a deeper media malaise with far-reaching consequences for…Jun 6, 2020Jun 6, 2020
Matthew FraserEgg Shells, Soap, and Sir Robert Walpole’s Kidney StonesDonald Trump’s belief in the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine isn’t the first time a powerful political figure found comfort in a…Jun 4, 2020Jun 4, 2020
Matthew FraserBonfire of the Insanities: Trump and SavonarolaDonald Trump’s detractors see him as a mad Roman emperor, but his devout evangelical followers see in him another figure from ancient…Jun 2, 2020Jun 2, 2020
Matthew FraserPlague, Pestilence & PandemicsWhen the coronavirus crisis is over, we will be forced to come to terms with the lessons inflicted by previous pandemics throughout…Apr 3, 2020Apr 3, 2020
Matthew FraserFake News, Censorship and DemocracyFrance’s parliament is debating a law that would give the state the power to censor “fake news”. If the law is passed, the French state…Jun 7, 2018Jun 7, 2018