List of people who were beheaded

The following is a list of notable people who were beheaded, arranged by country or region and with date of decapitation. Special sections on "Religious figures" and "Fictional characters" are also appended.

These individuals may have lost their heads either accidentally or intentionally (as a form of execution or posthumously).

Salome and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, by Titian

Saint Paul's beheading.Painting by Enrique Simonet in 1887

Austria

• Joseph Haydn (1809) – See Haydn's head

Canada

• Tim McLean (2008)

China

• Wen Tianxiang, scholar and general
• Guan Yu (219) – Executed during civil war by Sun Quan
• Guan Ping (219) – son of above. Executed during civil war by Sun Quan
• Tan Sitong (1898) – Executed with 5 others by Empress Dowager Cixi

Denmark

• Johann Friedrich Struensee (1772) – Executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté.
• Enevold Brandt (1772) – Executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté.

England

The heads of famous English traitors were customarily spiked on London Bridge

• Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (1076) – Executed at Winchester by order of William I for taking part in the Revolt of the Earls
• Sir William Wallace (1305) – famous Scottish resistance fighter, hanged, drawn and quartered by order of Edward I
• Piers Gaveston (1312) – Executed near Warwick by Thomas Plantagenet, 2nd Earl of Lancaster in the Baron's Revolt
• Thomas Plantagenet, 2nd Earl of Lancaster – Lord High Steward – (1322) – Executed at Pontefract by Edward II of England
• Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel (1326) – Executed at Hereford by Queen Isabella, Regent for Edward III
• Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent – Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports – (1330) – Executed at Winchester by Queen Isabella, Regent for Edward III
• Sir Robert Hales – Lord High Treasurer – (1381) – Executed at Tower Hill by rebels during the Peasants' Revolt
• Simon of Sudbury – Lord Chancellor, Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London – (1381) – Executed at Tower Hill by rebels during the Peasants' Revolt
• Sir John Cavendish – Chief Justice of the King's Bench, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge – (1381) – Executed in Bury St Edmunds by rebels during the Peasants' Revolt

• Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, KG (1397) – Executed at Tower Hill by Richard II of England
• William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, Sir John Bussy and Sir Henry Green – (1399) Executed in Bristol castle by the Duke of Hereford (soon to be Henry IV of England)
• Ralph de Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley (1400) – Executed by Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
• Thomas le Despenser, 4th Baron le Despencer (1400) – Executed by Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
• John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, KG – Lord Great Chamberlain and Justice of Chester (1400) – Executed by Joan Fitzalan, Countess of Hereford, with the approval of her son-in-law Henry IV, for the Epiphany Rising
• John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, KG (1400) – Executed by Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
• Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, KG – Earl Marshal (1400) – Executed by Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
• Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester (1403) – Executed by Henry IV {Hung,drawn and quartered)
• Sir Richard Vernon (1403) – Executed by Henry IV {Hung,drawn and quartered)
• Sir Richard Venables (1403) – Executed by Henry IV {Hung,drawn and quartered)

• Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk – Earl Marshal – (1405) – Executed by Henry IV
• Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (1415) – Executed by Henry V of England for his involvement in the Southampton Plot
• Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham, KG (1415) – Executed by Henry V of England for his involvement in the Southampton Plot
• William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas (1440) – Executed by Sir William Crichton, Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar, and James Douglas, Earl of Avondale
• David Douglas (1440) – Executed by Sir William Crichton, Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar, and James Douglas, Earl of Avondale
• William de la Pole (1450) – Beheaded at sea, possibly by order of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
• James Touchet, 5th Baron Audley (1459) – Executed after Battle of Blore Heath for being a Lancastrian.
• Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC – Lord Chancellor – (1460) – Executed after the Battle of Wakefield for being a Yorkist
• Edmund, Earl of Rutland (1460) – Executed by Lord Clifford for being a Yorkist (stabbed to death during the Battle of Wakefield and later decapitated)

• Thomas Courtenay, 14th Earl of Devon (1461) – Executed after the Battle of Towton for being a Lancastrian.
• Sir Owen Tudor (1461) – Executed after the Battle of Towton for being a Lancastrian.
• James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond – 1st Earl of Wiltshire (1461) – Executed after the Battle of Towton for being a Lancastrian.
• Sir Thomas Kyriell (1461) – Executed by Margaret of Anjou after the Second Battle of St Albans for being a Yorkist.
• William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville (1461) – Executed by Margaret of Anjou after the Second Battle of St Albans for being a Yorkist.
• John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (1462) – Executed by John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester
• Lord Aubrey de Vere (1462) – Son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (1462)- Executed by John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester
• Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1464) – Executed after Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian
• Thomas de Ros, 10th Baron de Ros (1464) – Executed after Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian
• Sir Philip Wentworth (1464) – Executed after Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian
• Sir William Tailboys (1464) – Executed after Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian.

• Sir Humphrey Neville (1469) – Executed at York by Edward IV for being a Lancastrian.
• Sir Charles Neville (1469) – Brother of above – Executed at York by Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
• Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers – Lord High Treasurer and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports – (1469) – Executed by the Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick for being a Yorkist.
• Sir John Woodville (1469) – Son of above – Executed by the Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick for being a Yorkist.
• Sir Henry Courtenay (1469) – Executed for treason at Salisbury for being a Lancastrian, Brother of Sir Hugh Courtenay and the 14th and 15th Earls of Devon who were all executed for being Lancastrians.
• William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation) (1469) – Executed after Battle of Edgecote Moor for being a Yorkist.
• Sir Richard Herbert (1469) – Executed after Battle of Edgecote Moor for being a Yorkist, also illegitimate son of the above.
• Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon (1469) – Captured and executed in Bridgewater for being a Yorkist.
• Richard Welles, 7th Baron Welles (1470) – Executed on battlefield of Losecote by Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
• Sir Thomas Dymoke (1470) – Executed on battlefield of Losecote by Edward IV for being a Lancastrian.
• Robert Welles, 8th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (1470) – Son of Richard Welles. Executed after Battle of Losecoat by Edward IV for being a Lancastrian.

• John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester – Lord High Treasurer – (1470) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VI for being a Yorkist
• Sir Thomas Neville (1471) – Executed by Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
• Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (1471) – Executed after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
• John Courtenay, 15th Earl of Devon (1471) – Executed after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian.
• Sir Hugh Courtenay – Executed after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian.
• Sir Thomas Tresham – MP for Buckinghamshire, Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire, High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, High Sheriff of Sussex, High Sheriff of Surrey, Comptroller of the Household, Speaker of the House of Commons – (1471) – Executed after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
• Sir Thomas Vaughan (1483) – Executed by Richard III even though he was a Yorkist.
• William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (1483) – Executed by Richard III for being a Lancastrian.
• Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham – Lord High Constable – (1483) – Executed by Richard III for being to close the crown and also for being a Lancastrian.
• Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers – Chief Butler of England – (1483) – Executed by Richard III for being a Lancastrian and uncle of the below.
• Sir Richard Grey (1483) – Executed by Richard III for being a Lancastrian and nephew of the above.

• Sir William Stanley (1495) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VII of England for supporting the pretender Perkin Warbeck.
• James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley (1497) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VII of England
• Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – Heir to the English Throne from 9 April 1484 – March 1485 – (1499) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VII of England
• Sir James Tyrrell (1502) – Executed by Henry VII of England
• Sir Edmund Dudley – Speaker of the House of Commons – (1510) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England
• Sir Richard Empson – Speaker of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – (1510) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England
• Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (1513) – Executed by Henry VIII of England
• Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG – Lord High Steward and Lord High Constable – (1521) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England
• Saint John Fisher – Catholic Bishop of Rochester – (1535)- Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Saint Sir Thomas More – Lord Chancellor, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Speaker of the House of Commons – (1535) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England

• George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Anne Boleyn – Queen of England and Henry's Wife – (1536) – Executed at the Tower of London by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Sir Henry Norris – Groom of the Stool – (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Sir William Brereton, KB – Groom of the Privy Chamber – (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Sir Francis Weston – Gentleman of the Privy Chamber – (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Mark Smeaton (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for High Treason

• Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy, KG (1537) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford – Chief Butler of England – (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir John Bigod (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir Thomas Percy (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir Henry Percy (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir John Bulmer (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir Stephan Hamilton (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir Nicholas Tempast (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir William Lumley (1537) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
• Sir Edward Neville (1538) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace

• Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC, Lord Warden of the Stannaries – (1539) – Executed on Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England
• Sir Nicholas Carew, KG, PC – Master of the Horse – (1539) – Executed by Henry VIII of England
• Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu (1539) – Executed by order of Henry VIII of England
• Sir Adrian Fortescue (1539) – Executed by order of Henry VIII of England
• Thomas Dingley(1539) – Executed by order of Henry VIII of England

• Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, KG, PC – Secretary of State, Master of the Rolls, Lord Privy Seal, Governor of the Isle of Wight, Justice in Eyre, Lord Great Chamberlain – (1540) – Executed at Tower Hill by Henry VIII of England
• Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury (1540) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for high treason and buggery.
• Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane – Lord Deputy of Ireland (1541) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for High Treason after allowing the escape of his nephew Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare
• Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury (1541) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for high treason
• Catherine Howard – Queen of England and Henry's Wife (1542) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Thomas Culpepper (1542) – Executed by Henry VII for high treason
• Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford – Wife of executed George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford and sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn – (1542) – Executed by Henry VIII of England for High Treason
• Sir John Neville of Chevet (1546 )- Executed by Henry VIII of England

• Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, KG – Earl Marshal (1547) – Executed at Template:Tower Hill during the reign of Edward VI of England
• Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley – Master-General of the Ordnance, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord High Admiral, also was the husband of Henry VIII sixth wife and widow Catherine Parr and the brother of Henry's third wife Jane Seymour – (1549) – Executed during the reign of Edward VI of England
• Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, KG, PC, Earl Marshal, Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Admiral, Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549 – (1552) – Executed at Tower Hill during the reign of Edward VI of England
• Sir Thomas Arundell of Lanherne – Gentleman of the Privy Chamber – (1552) – Executed during the reign of Edward VI of England
• Sir Michael Stanhope – Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber – (1552) – Executed during the reign of Edward VI of England
• Sir Miles Partridge (1552) – Executed during the reign of Edward VI of England
• Sir Ralph Vane (1552) – Executed during the reign of Edward VI of England

• John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG – Vice-Admiral, Lord Admiral, Governor of Boulogne, President of the Council in the Marches, Lord Great Chamberlain, Grand Master of the Royal Household, Earl Marshal of England, Lord President of the Council, Warden General of the Scottish Marches – (1553) – Executed by Mary I
• Lord Guilford Dudley – Son of the above and Royal Consort of England 10 July – 19 July 1553 – (1554) – Executed at Tower Hill by Mary I
• Lady Jane Grey – Queen of England 10 July – 19 July 1553 and Heir to the English and Irish Thrones 21 June – 10 July 1553 – (1554) – Executed by Mary I.
• Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, KG -Father of the above, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Justice in Eyre – (1554) – Executed by Mary I
• Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (1554) – Executed at Tower Hill by Mary I for trying to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne.
• Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG – Earl Marshal – (1572) – Executed at Tower Hill by Elizabeth I of England
• Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1572) – Executed at York by Elizabeth I of England for taking part in the Rising of the North
• Sir Thomas Doughty (1578) – Executed by Sir Francis Drake

• James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton – Lord High Admiral of Scotland, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, Regent of Scotland (1581) – Executed by James VI of Scotland
• Edward Arden (1583) – Executed at Tyburn by Elizabeth I of England for high treason (hanged, drawn and quartered)
• Sir Francis Throckmorton (1584) – Executed by Elizabeth I of England
• Anthony Babington (1586} – Executed at Tower Hill for treason via the Babington Plot (hung, drawn and quartered)
• Mary, Queen of Scots – Queen of Scots and Queen consort of France – (1587) – Executed by Elizabeth I of England.
• Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG – Master of the Horse, Earl Marshal, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire, Custos Rotulorum of Staffordshire, Master-General of the Ordnance – (1601) – Executed at Tower Hill by Elizabeth I of England for High Treason
• Sir Christopher Blount (1601) – Executed by Elizabeth I of England for High Treason
• Sir Gervase Helwys (1615) – Executed at Tower Hill

This contemporary German print depicts Charles I's decapitation in 1649.

• Sir Walter Raleigh – Lord Warden of the Stannaries, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Vice-Admiral of Devon, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, Governor of Jersey – (1618) – Executed in the Old Palace Yard, Westminster by orders of James VI of Scotland
• Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, KG – Custos Rotulorum of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, Lord Deputy of Ireland, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland – (1641) – Executed at Tower Hill by Charles I on orders of Parliament
• Archbishop William Laud – Archbishop of Canterbury – (1645) – Executed at Tower Hill by Charles I on orders of Parliament
• Sir John Hotham the Younger (2 January 1645) – Executed for betraying the parliamentarians to the Royalists
• Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet the Elder, of Scorborough (died 3 January 1645) – Father of above – Executed for betraying the parliamentarians to the Royalists
• Charles I of England and Scotland (1649) – Executed in Whitehall, London by Cromwell's Parliament

Execution of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth on Tower Hill, 15 July 1685 (O.S), in a popular print.

• James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, KG – Master of the Horse, Lord Chancellor of Scotland – (1649) – Executed by Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
• Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (1649) – Executed by Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
• Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, KG – Master of the Horse, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex, Justice in Eyre – (1649) – Executed in London by Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
• James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, KG – Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, Lancashire, Vice-Admiral of Cheshire – (1651) – Executed at Bolton by Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
• Sir John Penruddock (1619–1655) – Executed by at Exeter Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist Rebel
• Sir Henry Slingsby, 1st Baronet (1658) – Executed on Tower Hill, London by Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
• Oliver Cromwell (1661) – although already dead, he was beheaded by order of Charles II; some believe his mother ordered it

• Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll (1661) – Executed by Charles II for the death of his father Charles I
• Sir Henry Vane the Younger (1662) – Executed at Tower Hill by Charles II for the death of his father Charles I
• William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford (1680) – Executed by being falsely accused of treason
• William Russell, Lord Russell – Member of Parliament for Tavistock and Tavistock – (1683) – Executed for being involved with the Rye House Plot
• Algernon Sidney (1683) – Executed at Tower Hill for being involved with the Rye House Plot
• Sir Thomas Armstrong – Member of Parliament for Stafford (1684) – Executed by Judge Jeffreys for supporting Monmouth
• James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (1685) – Executed at Tower Hill by James II after the Battle of Sedgemoor for treason.
• Lady Alice Lisle (1685) – Executed at Winchester by Judge Jeffreys during the Bloody Assizes for harbouring Monmouth rebels
• Sir John Fenwick (1697) – Jacobite Rebel

Scotland

The Scottish Maiden on display at the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

• Donnchadh, Earl of Lennox (1425) – Executed by orders of James I of Scotland
• Lord Walter Stewart and Lord Alexander Sewart (1425) – Executed by orders of James I of Scotland
• Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany (1425) – Executed by orders of James I of Scotland
• Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (1437) – Executed for his part in the murder of James I of Scotland
• William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas (1440) – Executed on trumped up charges in front of James II of Scotland
• Lord David Douglas (1440) – Executed on trumped up charges in front of James II of Scotland
• Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde (1455) – Executed on the orders of James III of Scotland
• John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie (1463) – Executed on the orders of James III of Scotland

• Sir James Hamilton of Finnart – Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland – (1540) – Executed by order of James V of Scotland
• James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (1581) – Executed on the Scottish maiden for complicty in murder of Lord Darnley
• William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie (1584) – Executed by James VI of Scotland
• Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney (1615) – Executed by James VI of Scotland
• Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (1631) – Executed by orders of James VI of Scotland for unnatural sexual crimes.
• Sir John Gordon, 1st Baronet, of Haddo (1644) – Executed on the Scottish maiden by the Covenanters for treason as a Royalist.
• Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll (1661) – Executed by Charles II of England on the Scottish maiden for treason.
• Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (1685) – son of above. Executed by James II of England on the Scottish maiden for treason.
• Godfrey McCulloch (1697) – Executed on the Scottish maiden for murder. Last man to be executed by the maiden.

Great Britain

• William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure (1716) – Jacobite Rebel
• James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater (1716) – Jacobite Rebel, executed at Tower Hill
• Charles Radclyffe, titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater (1746) – Jacobite Rebel
• Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerinoch (1746) – a Jacobite supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, he was taken prisoner at Culloden and beheaded on 18 August 1746.
• William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock (1746) – a Jacobite supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, he was taken prisoner at Culloden and beheaded at Tower Hill on 18 August 1746
• Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (1747) – a prominent veteran Jacobite supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. Though too old to participate in the 1745 Rising, he was chosen by the British Crown for execution at Tower Hill in lieu of his youthful son, who had actually led Clan Fraser for the Jacobite cause
  • Hon. Henry William John, later 4th Earl of Strafford (1899)- decapitated by a train.

• Gerald Mellin (2008) – see List of unusual deaths
• David Phyall (2008) – see List of unusual deaths
• Jolanta Bledaite – Lithuanian, tortured and killed, 2008

Byzantine Empire

• Constantine XI Palaiologos, last of the reigning Byzantine Emperors

European New World colonies

Blackbeard's severed head hanging from Maynard's bowsprit

Execution of Diego de Almagro

• Colonial North America

Metacomet, New England Indian chief "King Philip"

Blackbeard, notorious Caribbean pirate

• Panama

Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Spanish conquistador who discovered the Pacific Ocean (1519)

• Haiti

Dutty Boukman (1791)

• Brazil

Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (Tiradentes) – the body was quartered after his hanging (1792)

• Mexico

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Ignacio Allende, Mexican insurgents were beheaded after their execution by firing squad in 1811

• Peru

Diego de Almagro (1538) – Executed in Cuzco by Francisco Pizarro

Gonzalo Pizarro (1548) – Executed in Peru by Pedro de la Gasca for rebellion.

Finland

• Tahvo Putkonen (1825) - beheaded for murder. This was the last beheading in Finland.

France

Ancien Regime

• Olivier III de Clisson (1343) – executed by Philip VI of France for treason.
• Jean de Montaigu (1409) – executed in Paris by Charles VI of France
• Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery (1574) – executed by Catherine de Medici for treason
• Henri de Talleyrand-Périgord, comte de Chalais (1626) – executed in Nantes for conspiracy against Cardinal Richelieu
• Jean-François de la Barre (1766) – beheaded and burnt in Abbéville for blasphemy.

French Revolution

The execution of Robespierre

• Jacques Cazotte (1792) – Guillotined for treason
• Marie Antoinette (1793)
• Louis XVI of France (1793)
• Madame du Barry (1793)
• Charlotte Corday (1793) – Executed for the murder of Jean-Paul Marat
• Olympe de Gouges (1793) – Guillotined for sedition
• Antoine Lavoisier (1794)
• Madame Élisabeth (1794)
• Georges Danton (1794)
• Jacques Hébert (1794) – Guillotined for sedition

• Camille Desmoulins (1794) – Guillotined for plotting against Robespierre
• Marie Jean Hérault de Séchelles (1794) – Guillotined for plotting against Robespierre
• François Joseph Westermann (1794) – Guillotined for plotting against Robespierre
• Pierre Philippeaux (1794) – Guillotined for plotting against Robespierre
• Maximilien Robespierre (1794) – Guillotined by order of the Committee of General Security
• Georges Couthon (1794) – Guillotined by order of the Committee of General Security
• Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (1794) – Guillotined by order of the Committee of General Security
• Alexandre de Beauharnais (1794) – Husband of Josephine (who remarried Napoleon). Guillotined
• Françoise-Thérèse de Choiseul-Stainville, Princesse Joseph de Monaco (1794) – Guillotined
• André Chénier (1794) – Guillotined
• Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville (1795) – Guillotined for abuse of his post as Public Prosecutor.

Republic of France

• Four Sergeants of La Rochelle (1822) – executed for treason against Louis XVIII of France
• François Claudius Koenigstein, known as Ravachol (1892) – Guillotined for murder and anarchy
• Sante Geronimo Caserio (1894) – executed for assassination of president Marie François Sadi Carnot.
• Henri Landru (1922) – executed for serial murder.
• Paul Gorguloff (1932)- executed in Paris for assassination of President Paul Doumer
• Eugen Weidmann (1939) – Executed for murder. Last public execution by guillotine in France.
• Jacques Fesch (1957) – executed in Paris for killing a policeman.
• Hamida Djandoubi (1977) – executed in Marseille for murder – last guillotine execution

Georgia

• Demetre II (1289) – Executed by the Mongol Arghun Khan for rebellion.

Germany

Pre-20th century

• Thomas Müntzer (1525) – beheaded after the Battle of Frankenhausen during German Peasants' War
• Ludwig Haetzer (1529) – Executed in Konstanz for protestant radicalism (but technically for adultery)
• Max Hödel (1878) – Executed for attempting to assassinate Emperor Wilhelm I

Weimar Republic

• Peter Kürten (1931) – The Vampire of Düsseldorf – Guillotined in Cologne for murder.

Nazi Germany

File:Plötzenseedeathroom.jpg

The execution room at Plötzensee Prison, Berlin and guillotine.

• Bruno Tesch (1933) – Executed in Altona with three others after "Bloody Sunday".
• Marinus van der Lubbe (1934) – Guillotined in Leipzig for starting the Reichstag fire.
• Benita von Falkenhayn and Renate von Natzmer (1935) – Executed by axe in Berlin for espionage.
• Helmut Hirsch (1837) – Executed in Brlin for treason.
• Lilo Herrmann (1938) – Guillotined in Berlin for treason.
• Maurice Bavaud (1941) – Guillotined in Berlin for attempting to assassinate Hitler.
• Helmuth Hübener (1942) – Guillotined in Berlin for treason.
• Ilse Stöbe (1942) – Guillotined in Berlin for treason via Red Orchestra.
• Rudolf von Scheliha (1942) – Guillotined in Berlin for treason via Red Orchestra.
• Franz Jägerstätter (1943) – Guillotined in Berlin as a concientious objector.
• Maria Restituta (1943) – Guillotined for treason.
• Cato Bontjes van Beek (1943) – Guillotined in Berlin for conspiracy to commit treason
• Mildred Harnack (1943) – American born. Guillotined in Berlin for anti-Nazi activity via Red Orchestra.
• Sophie Scholl (1943) – Guillotined for treason via White Rose resistance group.
• Hans Scholl (1943) – brother of above – Guillotined for treason via White Rose resistance group.
• Christoph Probst (1943) – Guillotined for treason via White Rose resistance group.
• Willi Graf (1943) – Guillotined for treason via White Rose resistance group.
• Alex Schmorell (1943) – Guillotined for treason via White Rose resistance group.
• Kurt Huber (1943) – Guillotined for treason via White Rose resistance group.
• Otto and Elise Hampel (1943) – Guillotined in Berlin for treason.
• Musa Cälil (1944) – Guillotined in Berlin for anti-Nazi activities

Hungary

• László Hunyadi (1457) – Executed by Ladislaus V for plotting against him.

Iraq

• Shosei Koda
• Kim Sun-il
• Kenneth Bigley
• Nick Berg
• Eugene Armstrong
• Jack Hensley
• Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti
• Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.

Italy

The Execution of Marino Faliero, Eugène Delacroix, 1827.

Ancient Rome

• Marcus Antonius Orator (87 BC)
• Marcus Licinius Crassus (53 BC)
• Publius Licinius Crassus, son of Marcus Licinius Crassus (53 BC)
• Pompey the Great (48 BC)
• Gnaeus Pompeius, Pompey's son (45 BC)
• Titus Labienus (45 BC)
• Cicero (43 BC)
• Pope Stephen I (257) – Christian Martyr executed by Emperor Valerian
• Pope Sixtus II (258) – Christian Martyr executed by Emperor Valerian
• Stilicho (408) – executed in coup d'état after Gothic invasion.
• Anthemius (472) – Emperor – Assassinated by Ricimer

Medieval Venice

• Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice (1355) – Executed for a failed coup d'état.

Later Italy

• Giovanni Carafa, Duke of Paliano (1561) - executed by order of Pope Pius IV
• Beatrice Cenci and Lucrezia Peroni (1599) – executed in Rome for murder of Francesco Cenci
• Felice Orsini (1858) – Executed by Napoléon III for attempting to assassinate him.

Japan

• Ishida Mitsunari, daimyo and general (1600) - beheaded in Kyoto after the Battle of Sekigahara
• Ankokuji Ekei, Buddhist monk and ally of Mitsunari (1600)- beheaded in Kyoto after the Battle of Sekigahara
• Konishi Yukinaga,(1600)- ally of Mitsunari - beheaded in Kyoto after the Battle of Sekigahara
• Asano Naganori, lord of the Forty-seven Ronin (1701)- ordered to commit seppuku (hari kiri) followed by beheading
• Kondō Isami, commander of the Shinsengumi (1868) - executed at Itabashi
• Stanley James Woodbridge, British RAF crewman (1945) - beheaded by Japanese forces during WWII

Netherlands

• Wijerd Jelckama (1523) – Executed in Leeuwarden for the Frisian rebellion
• Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1619) – Executed in the Hague for Hollandic separatism by Prince Maurice.

Ottoman Empire

Execution of Raynald of Châtillon

• Raynald of Châtillon (1186) – Executed by Saladin after the Battle of Hattin
• Thousands of Christian crusaders (1396) – Executed by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I after the Battle of Nicopolis
• Ali Pasha (1822) – Shot and beheaded by order of Sultan Mahmud II

Pakistan

• Daniel Pearl (2002) – Beheaded by Muslim terrorists.

Poland

• Kazimierz Łyszczyński (1689) – executed in Warsaw for heresy

Russia

• Stenka Razin (1671} – Quartered alive in Moscow for Cossack revolution.
• Mary Hamilton (lady in waiting) (1719) – Executed for infanticide and slandering Catherine I of Russia
• Yemelyan Pugachev (1719) – Executed in Moscow for insurrection by Catherine II of Russia
• Yevgeny Rodionov (1996) – Beheaded by Chechnyan rebels.

Saudi Arabia

• Prince Faisal bin Musa'id (1975) – for the assassination of his uncle, the king.
• Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. (2004) – American engineer killed by Muslim terrorists

Spain

• Eulogius of Cordova (859) – Executed by Muslim rulers for blasphemy.
• Antonio Osorio de Acuña (1526) – Executed in Simancas for supporting the Comunero Revolt.

Sweden

• Anna Zippel (1676) – Executed in Stockholm for witchcraft.
• Brita Zippel (1876) – sister of above. Executed in Stockholm for witchcraft.
• Jacob Johan Anckarström (1792) – executed for assassination of Gustav III

Switzerland

Execution of Greifensee garrison

• Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg and 61 companions following the siege of Greifensee during the Old Zürich War (1444)
• Jean Daniel Abraham Davel (1717) – Executed in Lausanne for treason.
• Anna Göldi (1782) – Executed as the "last witch in Switzerland"

United States

• Pearl Bryan (1896) – Murdered in Fort Thomas, Kentucky
• Tom Ketchum (1901) – accidentally decapitated in New Mexico Territory in botched hanging for train robbery.
• Some victims of Danny Rolling
• Victims of Jeffrey Dahmer (1978–1991)
• Helmuth Koinigg (1974) – decapitated in racing car crash.
• Boris Sagal (1981) – decapitated by helicopter.
• Adam Walsh (1981) – decapitated by murderer.
• Vic Morrow (1982) – decapitated by crashing helicopter.
• Russell Phillips (1995) – decapitated in racing car crash
• Robert Lees (2004) – decapitated by murderer
• Aasiya Zubair (2009) – decapitated in New York state by murderer – husband Muzzammil Hassan charged with murder.
• Yang Xin (2009) – decapitated by murderer.

Religious figures

Biblical accounts

Judith beheading Holofernes

• Goliath – according to Scripture (in the Old Testament), after he was killed by David, this example illustrates the aforementioned post-mortem decapitation
• John the Baptist in the Gospels by order of Herod Antipas
• Holofernes in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith (historical accuracy disputed)
• Apostle James, traditionally
• Apostle Paul, traditionally

Christian saints

The martyrdom of St Alban, from a 13th century manuscript, now in the Trinity College Library, Dublin

The martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian by Fra Angelico (Musee du Louvre, Paris)

The martyrdom of St Nicasius

• Saint Acisclus
• Saint Agnes
• Saint Alban (around 304)
• Saint Ansanus
• Saint Anthimus of Rome
• Saint Christopher
• Saint Columba of Spain
• Saint Columba of France
• Saint Columba (the Virgin) of Cornwall, England
• Saints Cosmas and Damian
• Saint Cyprian (258) – Bishop of Carthage, North Africa – Christian Martyr executed by Emperor Valerian
• Saint Denis, who carried his head to his final resting place, a familiar hagiographical trope (see Cephalophore)
• Saint Diomedes
• Saint Dymphna
• Saint Eurosia
• Saint Felicitas of Rome
• Saints Felix and Nabor
• Saints Firmus and Rusticus
• Saint George
• Saint Gereon
• Saint Gordianus
• Saint John Fisher
• Saint John de Brito
• Saint Marcellus
• Saint Maximilian
• Saint Nicasius of Rheims, at Rheims (407)
• Saint Oliver Plunkett in Ireland
• Saint Pancras
• Saint Polyeuctus
• Saint Quiteria
• Saints Rufina and Secunda
• Saints Simplicius and Faustinus
• Saint Typasius
• Saint Urith of Chittlehampton, Devon, England
• Saint Venantius, at Camerino
• Saint Winefride of Flintshire in Wales
• Saint Andrew Kim Taegon of Korea
• Saint Thomas More

Islamic

• Imam Husayn ibn Ali and his 72 companions (680) – at the Battle of Karbala
• 2700 Muslim prisoners of Richard I of England (1191) – after the Battle of Acre

Sikh

• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1675) – for refusing to convert to Islam.
• Baba Deep Singh (1757) – in the Battle of Amritsa
• 1000 Sikhs (1746) – executed by Lakhpat Rai in Lahore.

Fictional characters

Perseus with the Head of Medusa, by Benvenuto Cellini (Florence)

• Al Simmons from Spawn
• Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 5
• Alucard from Hellsing
• Beowolf, boss from Devil May Cry 3
• Bushido Brown from The Boondocks.
• Charon and Cerberus from Dante's Inferno
• Emperor Doviculus, main antagonist from Brutal Legend
• Fitch in Silent Hill: Homecoming
• Helios, Eurydale, Stheno, and Medusa bosses from the God of War video game series.
• Helter Skelter, Death Metal, Speed Buster, Skelter Helter, Million Gunman, and New Destroyman #2 from the No More Heroes series.
• Hidan from Naruto
• Jarbilong, a fallen angel from the manhwa Priest
• Kenny from South Park
• Medusa the Gorgon, killed and beheaded by Perseus in Greek legend.
• Pamela Voorhees, the main antagonist in Friday the 13th
• Peter Griffin from Family Guy (although the incidents are non-cannon).
• Sho, one of the murdered students from Battle Royale and Kiriyama, the main antagonist in the film version.
• Slum King, main antagonist from Violence Jack.
• Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington a.k.a Nearly Headless Nick – Hogwarts ghost from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.
• The Headless Horseman
• Tomie, the titular horror film character from the series of the same name.

See also

• Tower Hill
• Scottish Maiden