# Okay, I'll bite. What about the Cadaver Synod? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 5, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625 "2015-10-05T17:18:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/21 "2015-10-21T20:09:47Z")
Prince John, son of George V, may have had autism. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/22 "2015-10-21T20:14:49Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Prince John, son of George V, may have had autism. Yes I need to correct myself. He is thought to have autism or something on the spectrum\* but specifically to John W. Kennedy there did not seem to be any retardation. - In my opinion, some of John’s issues could have been because of the constant seizures. As my daughter’s pediatric neurologist said, extended seizures or many minor ones result in some type of brain damage. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/23 "2015-10-23T17:33:24Z")
What I love about the Cadaver Synod is that two later popes refuted it, then an even later pope reinstated it. And I had to read the wikipedia page on the Stephen numbering mess. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/24 "2015-10-23T18:57:04Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > So the Posthumous name is given while he’s still alive? Sort of…it’s the [era name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_era_name), while he’s alive, and applied to the emperor himself after his death - we’re currently in the Heisei period, and after Akihito passes, he will be known as Emperor Heisei, and even before Hirohito passed and became known as Emperor Showa, it was the Showa period. I don’t actually know when the era name is decided, but I don’t think it’s in the heir’s childhood. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/25 "2015-10-24T16:56:14Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Sort of…it’s the [era name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_era_name), while he’s alive, and applied to the emperor himself after his death - we’re currently in the Heisei period, and after Akihito passes, he will be known as Emperor Heisei, and even before Hirohito passed and became known as Emperor Showa, it was the Showa period. > > I don’t actually know when the era name is decided, but I don’t think it’s in the heir’s childhood. The wiki you linked partly answers: It doesn’t say when or how each new era name is chosen and decided upon, but it does say that each new era name comes into effect when the new emperor ascends, and this is now (since 1979) the official law. This seems to suggest that the name is actually decided upon, somehow, before that happens. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/26 "2015-10-24T23:16:13Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Sort of…it’s the [era name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_era_name), while he’s alive, and applied to the emperor himself after his death - we’re currently in the Heisei period, and after Akihito passes, he will be known as Emperor Heisei, and even before Hirohito passed and became known as Emperor Showa, it was the Showa period. > > I don’t actually know when the era name is decided, but I don’t think it’s in the heir’s childhood. > [@Senegoid](#): > > The wiki you linked partly answers: It doesn’t say when or how each new era name is chosen and decided upon, but it does say that each new era name comes into effect when the new emperor ascends, and this is now (since 1979) the official law. This seems to suggest that the name is actually decided upon, somehow, before that happens. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/27 "2015-11-04T14:34:39Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > By contrast, all English or British monarch have reigned under one of their baptismal names. With the sole exception of [Robert III of Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_III_of_Scotland). He was born John Stewart, and Robert was no part of his baptismal name. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/28 "2015-11-04T17:12:45Z")
And potential heirs to the British monarchy are given so many baptismal names that, even restricting themselves to those, they still have effectively free reign to choose whatever they want. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/29 "2015-11-04T17:30:30Z")
I’m pretty certain the king could choose any name he felt like. Don’t expect to see King Peewee any time soon though. Having your name changed is fairly easy. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/30 "2015-11-04T17:57:18Z")
He really just needs to be “Bob” - King Bob. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/31 "2015-11-05T00:45:47Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Well, exciting times, those! They couldn’t even settle on what number Stephen (VI) VII was. The Wiki page for [Pope Stephen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope-elect_Stephen) says the confusion over the numbering goes all the way back to Stephen II (or was it III?) Same thing in Sweden. The kings who took the name Eric were misnumbered after one took the name Eric XIV, although he was probably really Eric VII but took the lineage from a fictional book. His brother and later King Charles IX was also probably Charles III. Part of the problem with Popes though is that a Pope is subsequently named an antipope, but by that time there has been successors that took the name and incremented the number while assuming that their predecessor was legitimate. And of course there’s the kings of Britain before Union, who were given different numbers in Scotland and England (& Wales) because there were more previous Jameses in the Scottish history. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/32 "2015-11-06T14:46:55Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > With the sole exception of [Robert III of Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_III_of_Scotland). He was born John Stewart, and Robert was no part of his baptismal name. Robert III was neither an English nor a British monarch, so he’s not an exception. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/33 "2015-11-07T01:06:16Z")
> [@Powers](#): > > Robert III was neither an English nor a British monarch, so he’s not an exception. Depends on the definition of the phrase “British monarch”. Robert III was not king of Britain, but he was a king in Britain. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/34 "2015-11-07T03:19:30Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > Depends on the definition of the phrase “British monarch”. Robert III was not king of Britain, but he was a king in Britain. I’m not familiar with the use of the phrase “British monarch” to refer to monarchs who reigned only over Scotland. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625/35 "2015-11-08T04:04:55Z")
> [@Powers](#): > > I’m not familiar with the use of the phrase “British monarch” to refer to monarchs who reigned only over Scotland. > Powers &8^] Conventional or not, it is still true that he was a monarch and that he was British, which makes him a “British monarch” under the laws of English grammar. (Or even Inglis!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-bite-what-about-the-cadaver-synod/733625.md?page=1)