diff -r 7f605fa1688d Lib/test/test_compile.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_compile.py	Tue Mar 08 21:33:21 2011 +0100
+++ b/Lib/test/test_compile.py	Tue Mar 08 23:21:51 2011 +0100
@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@
     def test_syntax_error(self):
         self.assertRaises(SyntaxError, compile, "1+*3", "filename", "exec")
 
+        # issue11441: test if a syntax error in an
+        # except clause raises the correct exception
+        with self.assertRaises(SyntaxError):
+            try:
+                raise Exception()
+            except Exception:
+                compile('1 = 1', '<unknown>', 'exec')
+
     def test_none_keyword_arg(self):
         self.assertRaises(SyntaxError, compile, "f(None=1)", "<string>", "exec")
 
diff -r 7f605fa1688d Python/ast.c
--- a/Python/ast.c	Tue Mar 08 21:33:21 2011 +0100
+++ b/Python/ast.c	Tue Mar 08 23:21:51 2011 +0100
@@ -109,6 +109,15 @@
         return;
 
     PyErr_Fetch(&type, &value, &tback);
+    if (PyExceptionInstance_Check(value)) {
+        /* value is not a tuple but an exception instance */
+        tmp = ((PyBaseExceptionObject *) value)->args;
+        Py_INCREF(tmp);
+        Py_DECREF(value);
+        value = tmp;
+    }
+    assert(PyTuple_Check(value));
+
     errstr = PyTuple_GetItem(value, 0);
     if (!errstr)
         return;
@@ -150,6 +159,7 @@
     Py_DECREF(tmp);
     if (!value)
         return;
+    PyErr_NormalizeException(&type, &value, &tback);
     PyErr_Restore(type, value, tback);
 }