The following is a list of notable people who were beheaded, arranged alphabetically 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).
Oscar Lofeudo (1998) - Decapited in a TC2000 pre-race qualyfing in Rafaela circuit; Lofeudo was then co-driver along with Raúl Petrich (driver who also died).
Daniel Ponce (2001) - Decapited in a pick-up racing race, in Nueva California.
Shirley Ann Durdin (1985) – Durdin was decapitated by a great white shark while snorkeling in South Australia; she was eaten alive
Joseph Haydn (1809) – celebrated composer posthumously beheaded; see Haydn's head
Jordão da Silva Cantanhede (2013) – a Brazilian amateur football referee, was lynched, quartered and beheaded by football spectators after he stabbed a player in a match he officiated on June 30, 2013. Spectators then put his head on a stake in the middle of the pitch. A viral video later surfaced of medical officials reassembling his body.
João Rodrigo Silva Santos (2013) – Brazilian football player
Tim McLean (2008) – murdered and decapitated on Greyhound bus
Fribjon Bjornson (2012) – severed head found on the Nak'azdli reserve near Fort St. James
Guan Yu (219) – Executed during civil war by Sun Quan
Guan Ping (219) – son of Guan Yu – executed during civil war by Sun Quan
Wen Tianxiang (1283) – scholar and general
St Francis de Capillas (1648) – Beheaded at Fogan, China
Adolf Schlagintweit (1857) – German botanist and explorer; executed by the ruler of Kashgar
Tan Sitong (1898) – Executed with five others by Empress Dowager Cixi
José Larenas (1980) – Decapitated by a great white shark.
María José Reyes and Juan Duarte (2012) – Beheaded by a seller of antiquities in Lolol
Anne Palles (1693) – Executed in Copenhagen for witchcraft
Johann Friedrich Struensee (1772) – Executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté
Enevold Brandt (1772) – Executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté
England
Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (1076) – Executed at Winchester by order of William I for taking part in the Revolt of the Earls
Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales (1283) - Hanged, drawn and quartered in Shrewsbury by Edward I for treason
Sir William Wallace (1305) – Scottish resistance fighter, hanged, drawn and quartered by Edward I
Piers Gaveston (1312) – Executed near Warwick by Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster in the Baron's Revolt
Thomas, 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
Hugh Despenser the Younger (1326) - hanged, drawn and quartered by order of Queen Isabella
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
Richard Lyons – London Merchant and Financier (1381) – Beheaded in London 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
Wat Tyler (1381) – Beheaded in London by order of the Lord Mayor of London during the Peasants' Revolt
John Ball (1381) – Hanged, drawn and quartered at St Albans after the Peasants Revolt
Sir Simon de Burley, KG (1388) – Executed on Tower Hill by the Merciless Parliament for supporting Richard II of England
John de Beauchamp (1388) – Executed on Tower Hill by the Merciless Parliament for supporting Richard II of England
Sir John Berners (1388) – Executed on Tower Hill by the Merciless Parliament for supporting Richard II of England
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, KG (1397) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of 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 at Cirencester during reign of Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1400) – Executed at Bristol by order of Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, KG – Lord Great Chamberlain and Justice of Chester (1400) – Executed at Pleshey Castle, Essex by order of 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 at Cirencester during reign of Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, KG – Earl Marshal (1400) – Executed at Cirencester during reign of Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
Sir Benard Brocas (1400) – Beheaded at Tyburn during reign of Henry IV for the Epiphany Rising
Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester (1403) – Executed by order of Henry IV (Hanged, drawn and quartered)
Sir Richard Vernon (1403) – Executed by order of Henry IV (Hanged, drawn and quartered)
Sir Richard Venables (1403) – Executed by order of Henry IV (Hanged, drawn and quartered)
Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk – Earl Marshal (1405) – Executed at York by order of Henry IV for treason
Richard le Scrope Archbishop of York (1405) – Executed at York by order of Henry IV for treason
Sir William de Plumpton (1405) – Executed by order of Henry IV for treason
Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (1415) – Executed at Southampton by order of Henry V of England for his involvement in the Southampton Plot
Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham, KG (1415) – Executed at Southampton by order of Henry V of England for his involvement in the Southampton Plot
William de la Pole (1450) – Beheaded at sea, possibly by order of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele (1450) – Beheaded in London by rebels led by Jack Cade
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 order of Lord Clifford for being a Yorkist (stabbed to death during the Battle of Wakefield and later decapitated)
Thomas Thorpe, speaker (1461) – Beheaded by a London mob
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 order of Margaret of Anjou after the Second Battle of St Albans for being a Yorkist
William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville (1461) – Executed by order of Margaret of Anjou after the Second Battle of St Albans for being a Yorkist
Lord Aubrey de Vere (1462) – Son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (1462) – Beheaded for treason at Tower Hill by order of John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester
Thomas Tuddenham (1462) - Beheaded for treason at Tower Hill by order of John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester
John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford (1462) – Beheaded for treason at Tower Hill by order of John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1464) – Beheaded after the Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian
Robert Hungerford, 3rd Baron Hungerford (1464) – Beheaded at Newcastle after the Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian
Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros (1464) – Beheaded at Newcastle after the Battle of Hexham for being a Lancastrian
Sir Philip Wentworth (1464) – Beheaded at Middleham after the 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 order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
Sir Charles Neville (1469) – Brother of above – Executed at York by order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers – Lord High Treasurer and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (1469) – Executed by order of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick for being a Yorkist
Sir John Woodville (1469) – Son of above – Executed by order of 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 (in 1471, 1461 and 1471 respectively)
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 order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
Sir Thomas Dymoke (1470) – Executed on battlefield of Losecote by order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
Robert Welles, 8th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (1470) – Son of Richard Welles; executed after Battle of Losecoat by order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester – Lord High Treasurer (1470) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VI for being a Yorkist
Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (1471) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
John Courtenay, 15th Earl of Devon (1471) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
Sir Hugh Courtenay (1471) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
Sir Gervase Clifton (1471) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
John Delves (1471) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian (The eldest son of Sir John Delves, who was killed in the battle.)
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) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
Sir John Langstrother – Grand Prior of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (1471) – Beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian
Sir Thomas Neville, the Bastard of Fauconberg (1471) – Executed at Middleham Castle or Southampton by order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
Sir Thomas Vaughan (1483) – Executed by order of Richard III even though he was a Yorkist
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (1483) – Executed near Tower Chapel by order of Richard III for being a Lancastrian
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham – Lord High Constable (1483) – Beheaded at Shrewsbury by order of Richard III for being too close to the crown and also for being a Lancastrian
Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers – Chief Butler of England (1483) – Executed at Pontefract castle by order of Richard III for being a Lancastrian and uncle of the below
Sir Richard Grey (1483) – Executed at Pontefract Castle by order of Richard III for being a Lancastrian and nephew of the above
Sir Thomas St Leger (1483) – Beheaded at Exeter for rebellion against his brother-in-law Richard III
Sir George Browne (1484) - Beheaded at Tower Hill for rebellion against Richard III
William Catesby (1485) – Beheaded at Leicester by order of Henry VII of England after the Battle of Bosworth for being a Yorkist
Sir William Stanley (1495) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England for supporting the pretender Perkin Warbeck
James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley (1497) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England for opposing taxation
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – Heir to the English Throne from 9 April 1484 – March 1485 (1499) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England
Sir James Tyrrell (1502) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England for treason
Sir John Wyndham (1502) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England for treason
Sir Edmund Dudley – Speaker of the House of Commons (1510) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for extortion
Sir Richard Empson – Speaker of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1510) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for extortion
Sir Andrew Barton – High Admiral of Scotland (1511) – executed on capture as a pirate, according to ballads.
Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (1513) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England as Yorkist claimant to throne
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG – Lord High Steward and Lord High Constable (1521) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England as claimant to throne
Sir Rhys ap Gruffydd (1531) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for conspiracy with Scotland
Saint John Fisher – Catholic Bishop of Rochester (1535) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for refusing to take Oath of Supremacy
Robert Lawrence (1535) - Hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn for refusing to take Oath of Supremacy
Sir Thomas More – Lord Chancellor, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Speaker of the House of Commons (1535) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for refusing to take Oath of Supremacy
Anne Boleyn – Queen of England and Henry's Wife (1536) – Executed by sword at the Tower of London by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Sir Henry Norris – Groom of the Stool (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Sir William Brereton, KB – Groom of the Privy Chamber (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Sir Francis Weston – Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Mark Smeaton (1536) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy, KG (1537) – Beheaded at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford – Chief Butler of England (1537) – Beheaded at Lincoln by order of Henry VIII of England for being in the Pilgrimage of Grace
Sir Nicholas Tempest (1537) – Hung, drawn and quartered by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Bigod's Rebellion
Sir Edward Neville (1538) – Beheaded at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Bigod's Rebellion
Henry Pole, 11th Baron Montacute (1539) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Exeter Conspiracy
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC, Lord Warden of the Stannaries (1539) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Exeter Conspiracy
Sir Nicholas Carew, KG, PC – Master of the Horse (1539) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Exeter Conspiracy
Sir Thomas Dingley (1539) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being implicated in the Pilgrimage of Grace
Blessed Sir Adrian Fortescue (1539) – Executed by order of Henry VIII of England for Catholicism
Richard Whiting, Abbot of Glastonbury (1539) – Executed on Glastonbury Tor by order of Thomas Cromwell (hung, drawn and quartered)
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 order of Henry VIII of England for treason
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury (1540) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for high treason and buggery
Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane – Lord Deputy of Ireland (1541) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of 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 at Tower Green by order of Henry VIII of England for high treason
Sir Thomas Culpepper (1541) – Executed at Tyburn by order of Henry VIII for high treason (adultery with the queen)
Catherine Howard – Queen of England and Henry's Wife (1542) – Executed at Tower Green by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford – Wife of executed George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford and sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn (1542) – Executed at Tower Green by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason
Sir John Neville of Chevet (1546) – Executed by order of Henry VIII of England
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, KG – Earl Marshal (1547) – Executed at Tower Hill during the reign of Henry VIII of England for treason
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) – Beheaded for treason at Tower Hill 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 for plotting murder of John Dudley
Sir Thomas Arundell of Lanherne – Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (1552) – Beheaded at Tower Hill during the reign of Edward VI of England for treason
Sir Michael Stanhope – Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (1552) – Beheaded at Tower Hill during the reign of Edward VI of England for treason
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 at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for supporting Lady Jane Grey
Sir John Gates KB (1553) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for supporting Lady Jane Grey
Sir Thomas Palmer (1553) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for supporting Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey – Queen of England 10–19 July 1553 and Heir to the English and Irish Thrones 21 June – 10 July 1553 (1554) – Executed at Tower Green by Mary I as claimant to throne
Lord Guilford Dudley – Son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Royal Consort of England 10–19 July 1553 (1554) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for supporting Lady Jane Grey
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, KG – Father of the above, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Justice in Eyre (1554) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for rebellion
Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (1554) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for rebellion
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG – Earl Marshal (1573) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Elizabeth I of England for Ridolfi plot
Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1572) – Executed at York during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for taking part in the Rising of the North
Sir Thomas Doughty (1578) – Executed by order of Sir Francis Drake
Edward Arden (1583) – Executed at Tyburn during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for high treason (hanged, drawn and quartered)
Sir Francis Throckmorton (1584) – Executed during the reign of Elizabeth I of England
Mary, Queen of Scots – Queen of Scots and Queen consort of France (1587) – Executed during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for treason
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 during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for High Treason
Sir Christopher Blount (1601) – Executed at Tower Hill during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for High Treason
Sir Charles Danvers (1601) – Executed at Tower Hill during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for High Treason
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
Mervyn Touchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven – Executed at Tower Hill for aiding buggery (1631)
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 on orders of Parliament
Archbishop William Laud – Archbishop of Canterbury (1645) – Executed at Tower Hill on orders of Parliament
Sir John Hotham the Younger (2 January 1645) – Executed at Tower Hill on orders of Parliament for betraying the parliamentarians to the Royalists
Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet the Elder, of Scarborough (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 order of Cromwell's Parliament
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, KG – Master of the Horse, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (1649) – Executed by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (1649) – Executed by order of 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 order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Sir Henry Hyde (1650) – Beheaded in London by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Eusebius Andrews (1650) – Beheaded on Tower Hill for treason as a Royalist.
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, KG – Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, Lancashire, Vice-Admiral of Cheshire (1651) – Executed at Bolton by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Sir John Penruddock (1619–1655) – Executed at Exeter by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Sir Henry Slingsby, 1st Baronet (1658) – Beheaded on Tower Hill, London by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Reverend Dr. John Huett (1658) – Beheaded on Tower Hill, London by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist
Gregory Clement (1660) (MP) – Hanged, drawn and quartered at Charing Cross by Charles II as a regicide
Oliver Cromwell (1661) – Posthumously beheaded at Tyburn by order of Charles II as a regicide.
Henry Ireton (1661) – Posthumously beheaded at Tyburn by order of Charles II as a regicide.
John Bradshaw (1661) – Posthumously beheaded at Tyburn by order of Charles II as a regicide.
Sir Henry Vane the Younger (1662) – Executed at Tower Hill by order of Charles II for the death of his father Charles I
John Twyn (1663) – Hanged, drawn, quartered and beheaded (and head displayed on a Ludgate spike) for publishing an anonymous pamphlet justifying the right of rebellion against the king
William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford (1680) – Executed at Tower Hill for treason
Saint Oliver Plunkett (1681) – Hung, drawn and quartered in London for 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 order of Judge Jeffreys for supporting Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (1685) – Executed at Tower Hill in reign of 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 executed at Tower Hill in reign of William III for treason
Wingina (1586) – Roanoke Indian chief executed by first English settlers in the New World
Wituwamat (1623) – Neponset warrior killed and beheaded by the Plymouth Colony Pilgrim/soldier Miles Standish
Metacomet (1676) – New England Indian chief "King Philip" executed for resisting white settlement
Blackbeard (1718) – Famous pirate beheaded after capture at Ocracoke Island
Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1519) – Spanish conquistador who discovered the Pacific Ocean. Executed by rivals Francisco Pizarro and Pedro Arias de Avila
Dutty Boukman (1791) – Executed by the French for promoting a slave rebellion
Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (Tiradentes) (1792) – the body was quartered after his hanging for revolutionary activity
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Ignacio Allende (1811) – Mexican insurgents were beheaded after their execution by firing squad
Manuel Ascencio Padilla (1816) – Executed for insurrection after the Battle of La Laguna
Diego de Almagro (1538) – Executed in Cuzco by his rival 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.
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
François-Jean de la Barre (1766) – beheaded and burnt in Abbeville for blasphemy
Note: some estimates place the number of persons executed by the guillotine, particularly during the Reign of Terror (1793–1794), at 40,000.
François III Maximilien de la Woestyne, 3rd Marquess of Becelaere
Arnaud II de La Porte (23 August 1792) Second political victim of the guillotine
Jacques Cazotte (1792) – Guillotined for treason
Louis XVI of France (21 January 1793)
Marie Antoinette (16th October 1793)
Madame du Barry (8th December 1793)
Charlotte Corday (1793) – Executed for the murder of Jean-Paul Marat
Olympe de Gouges (1793) – Guillotined for sedition
Jean Sylvain Bailly (1793)
Madame Roland (1793) – Guillotined for Girondist
Antoine Lavoisier (1794) – the "Father of Modern Chemistry"; Guillotined for treason
Madame Élisabeth (1794)
Georges Danton (1794)
General Arthur Dillon - Guillotined in Paris for conspiracy (1794)
Jacques Hébert (1794) – Guillotined for sedition
Marie Marguerite Françoise Hébert (1794)
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
Thérèse de Choiseul-Stainville (1794) – Guillotined
André Chénier (1794) – Poet, guillotined on trumped-up charges
Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville (1795) – Guillotined for abuse of his post as Public Prosecutor
Giuseppe Ceracchi (1801) – Guillotined by Napoleon for his role in the Conspiration des poignards
Four Sergeants of La Rochelle (1822) – executed for treason against Louis XVIII of France
Giuseppe Marco Fieschi (1836) – executed by guillotine for attempting to assassinate King Louis-Philippe
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
Téophile Deroo, the "Pollet Band" (1909) – guillotined in Béthune (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), by Anatole Deibler, for a series of murders
Canut Vromant, the "Pollet Band" (1909) – guillotined in Béthune (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), by Anatole Deibler, for a series of murders
Auguste Pollet, the "Pollet Band" (1909) – guillotined in Béthune (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), by Anatole Deibler, for a series of murders
Abel Pollet, the "Pollet Band" (1909) – guillotined in Béthune (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), by Anatole Deibler, for a series of murders
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
Jean Larivière (1951) – decapitated in racing car crash
Some spectators of the 1955 Le Mans disaster
Jacques Fesch (1957) – executed in Paris for killing a policeman
Gerry Birrell (1973) – decapitated in racing car crash
Christian Ranucci (1976) – guillotined in Marseille for murder
Jérôme Carrein (1977) – guillotined in Douai for murder
Hamida Djandoubi (1977) – guillotined in Marseille for murder – last guillotine execution, as well as last execution in France and last in Western world to be carried out by beheading
Demetre II (1289) – Executed by the Mongol Arghun Khan for rebellion
Priscillian (385) – Beheaded for heresy at Trier
Klaus Störtebeker (1400) – Beheaded for being a pirate in Hamburg
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)
Thomas von Imbroich (1558) - Beheaded for heresy in Cologne
Johann Philipp Kratz von Scharffenstein (1635) - Beheaded for treason in Vienna
Hans Ulrich von Schaffgotsch (1635) - Beheaded for treason in Regensburg
Schinderhannes (1803) – Guillotined in Mainz for armed robbery and other crimes
Max Hödel (1878) – Executed for attempting to assassinate Emperor Wilhelm I
Fritz Haarmann (1925) – The Butcher (or Vampire) of Hanover – Guillotined in Hanover for murder
Peter Kürten (1931) – The Vampire of Düsseldorf – Guillotined in Cologne for murder
Bruno Tesch (1933) – Executed in Altona with three others after "Altona 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
Edgar Josef André (1936) – Beheaded in Hamburg for treasonous involvement in the Reichstag Fire
Helmut Hirsch (1937) – Executed in Berlin 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
Franz Jägerstätter (1943) – Guillotined in Berlin as a conscientious 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
Werner Seelenbinder (1944) – beheaded with an axe, for being a communist
Friedrich Lorenz (1944) – beheaded by Nazi party at Halle an der Saale
Csaba Kesjár, decapitated in a German Formula 3 race, in Norisring.
William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure (1716) – executed at Tower Hill as a Jacobite Rebel
James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater (1716) – executed at Tower Hill as a Jacobite Rebel
Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerinoch (1746) – beheaded at Tower Hill as a Jacobite supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, he was taken prisoner at Culloden
William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock (1746) – beheaded at Tower Hill as a Jacobite supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, he was taken prisoner at Culloden
Charles Radclyffe, titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater (1746) – executed at Tower Hill as a Jacobite Rebel
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (1747) – executed at Tower Hill as 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 in lieu of his youthful son, who had actually led Clan Fraser for the Jacobite cause
Jeremiah Brandreth (1817) – hanged and beheaded in Derby for treason; last British decapitation by axe
Hon. Henry William John, later 4th Earl of Strafford (1899) – decapitated by a train
J. G. Parry-Thomas (1927) – partially decapitated by drive chain in world land speed record attempt (this may not have been a cause of his death though)
Donald Campbell (1967) – decapitated in crash during world water speed record attempt
Jolanta Bledaite (2008) – Lithuanian immigrant, tortured and killed in Scotland
Gerald Mellin (2008) – tied a rope around his neck and connected it to a tree before driving away in his sports car to commit suicide.
David Phyall (2008) – see List of unusual deaths
David Cawthorne Haines (2014) — decapitated in the Syro-Arabian desert by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
László Hunyadi (1457) – Executed by Ladislaus V for plotting against him
János Kádár (2007) – Posthumously decapitated by dig desecrater(s).
Guru Tegh Bahadur (1675) – Ninth guru of Sikhs executed in Delhi by order of Mogul emperor Aurangzeb
Saint John de Brito (1693) – executed in India for preaching Christianity
Raja Dahir (712) – executed on command of Muhammad bin Qasim after Dahir's kingdom of Sindh was defeated.
2013 India–Pakistan border skirmishes- Two Indian soldiers, Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh were killed and their bodies were apparently found mutilated, with one decapitated by Pakistan Army.
Zam Ledoh (2013) – decapitated by a saltwater crocodile
Teumann (653 BC), king of Elam, by the conquering Assyrian Ashubanipal at the Battle of Til-Tuba; his son Tammaritu was also beheaded
Imam Husayn ibn Ali and his 72 companions (680) – at the Battle of Karbala
Ja'far al-Barmaki (803) – Vizier executed for allegedly having an affair with Caliph Harun al-Rashid's sister Abassa
Shosei Koda (2004) – Japanese citizen beheaded by terrorists
Kim Sun-il (2004) – South Korean citizen beheaded by terrorists
Kenneth Bigley (2004) – UK citizen beheaded by terrorists
Nick Berg (2004) – US citizen beheaded by terrorists
Eugene Armstrong (2004) – US citizen beheaded by terrorists
Jack Hensley (2004) – US citizen beheaded by terrorists
Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. (2004) – US citizen beheaded by terrorists
Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti (2007) – Saddam Hussein's half brother decapitated during hanging for crimes against humanity
James Foley (2014) – by ISIS militants
Steven Sotloff (2014) – by ISIS militants
Ireland
Ascall mac Ragnaill (1171) - Beheaded after capture when attempting to capture Dublin.
Tigernán Ua Ruairc (1172) – Beheaded on Hill of Ward, Meath during a parlay with Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath.
Cornelius Grogan (1798) – Hanged and beheaded in Wexford for taking part in the Irish rebellion of 1798
John Henry Colclough (1798) – Hanged and beheaded in Wexford for taking part in the Irish rebellion of 1798
Bagenal Beauchamp Harvey (1798) – Hanged and beheaded in Wexford for taking part in the Irish rebellion of 1798
John Kelly (1798) – Hanged and beheaded in Wexford for taking part in the Irish rebellion of 1798
John Murphy (priest) (1798) - Hanged and beheaded in Tullow for taking part in the Irish rebellion of 1798
Lucius Appuleius Saturninus (100 BC) – radical tribune; Gaius Rabirius toyed with his severed head at a dinner party
Marcus Antonius Orator (87 BC) – grandfather of Marc Antony
Marcus Marius Gratidianus (82 BC), praetor whose head was paraded through Rome after execution
Gaius Marcius Censorinus (general) (82 BC), beheaded by Sulla, his head was sent to Preneste to lower Gaius Marius the Younger's troop's morale
Marcus Licinius Crassus (53 BC) – general, politician and richest man then in the world – beheaded posthumously after his defeat in Parthia
Publius Licinius Crassus (53 BC) – son of Marcus Licinius Crassus – beheaded posthumously in Parthia
Pompey the Great (48 BC) – general, politician and member of the First Triumvirate – assassinated and beheaded posthumously in Egypt
Gnaeus Pompeius (45 BC) – Pompey's son – executed for treason by Julius Caesar
Titus Labienus (45 BC) – general, politician and one of Julius Caesar's foremost subordinates – Killed and beheaded posthumously at the Battle of Munda
Gaius Trebonius (43 BC) – politician and general, tortured and beheaded by Publius Cornelius Dolabella; his head was kicked around like a football by Dolabella's soldiers
Cicero (43 BC) – politician, lawyer and Rome's greatest orator – executed by order of Marc Anthony
Marcus Antonius Antyllus (30 BC) – son of Marc Antony – executed by Octavian
Galba (69) – assassinated Roman emperor
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
Giordano d'Anglano (1267) – beheaded in Brolo, Sicily by Charles of Anjou after the Battle of Tagliacozzo
Conradin, King of Sicily (29 October 1268) – executed in Naples by Charles of Anjou
Frederick I of Baden, Margrave of Baden (29 October 1268) – executed in Naples by Charles of Anjou
Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice (1355) – executed for a failed coup d'état
Antongaleazzo Bentivoglio (1435) – beheaded in Bologna as a rebel
Gian Paolo Baglioni (1520) – beheaded in Rome for attempted assassination
Giovanni Carafa, Duke of Paliano (1561) – beheaded by order of Pope Pius IV
Pietro Carnesecchi (1567) – beheaded by the Christian inquisition for heresy
Beatrice Cenci and Lucrezia Peroni (1599) – beheaded by sword in Rome for murder of Francesco Cenci
Ferrante Pallavicino (1644) – beheaded at Avignon for blasphemy by order of Pope Urban VIII
Felice Orsini (1858) – executed by Napoléon III for attempting to assassinate him
Jochen Rindt (1970) – Partially decapitated by lap belt of his lotus 72 in a crash during practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Even though his Lotus didn't have any wings the crash wasn't caused by the lack of wings, the crash was caused by the input shaft to the front brakes failing and pitching the car into a fencepost smashing the nose and causing Rindt to slide out the through the shattered nose by centrifugal force of the spinning car, Rindt agreed to using a lap belt but not a crotch strap. If he did, he wouldn't have been killed in the accident.
Home islands
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
Kondo Isami, commander of the Shinsengumi (1868) – executed at Itabashi
William Ellis Newton, VC – Australian pilot beheaded in Papua New Guinea by Japanese forces
Leonard Siffleet (1943) – Australian soldier beheaded in Papua New Guinea by Japanese captors
Stanley James Woodbridge (1945) – British RAF crewman captured and beheaded by Japanese forces in Burma
Kenji Goto (2015) – Journalist beheaded in Syria by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants after the breakdown of negociations for his release
Columba Kim (1839) – beheaded for being Christian
Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert (1839) – beheaded in Saenamteo for being Christian
Kim Okgyun, Korean activist (1894) – assassinated and beheaded at sea by Hong Jong-u due to leading Gapsin Revolution
Netherlands/Belgium
Wijerd Jelckama (1523) – Executed in Leeuwarden for the Frisian rebellion
Anthony van Stralen, Lord of Merksem(1568) – Beheaded by the Governor, the Duke of Alba, at Vilvoorde for treason.
Jan van Casembroot (1568) – Beheaded by the Governor, the Duke of Alba, at Vilvoorde for treason.
Lamoral, Count of Egmont (1568) – Beheaded in Brussels for treason.
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn (1568) – Beheaded in Brussels for treason
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1619) – Executed in the Hague for Hollandic separatism by Prince Maurice
Chris Bristow (1960) – Decapitated in racing car crash
Nabil Namzieb (2016) – Beheaded in Amsterdam by a Maroccan gang for conflicts in underground drug-war
Ali Pasha of Yanina (1822) – Shot and beheaded by order of Sultan Mahmud II
Bajo Pivljanin (1685), Serb hajduk in Venetian service, beheaded and head sent to Sultan Mehmed IV
Northwest India before 1947
Raja Dahir (712) – executed on command of Muhammad bin Qasim after Dahir's empire was defeated.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Daniel Pearl (2002) – American journalist killed by terrorists
Bernard de Tremelay (1153) Grand Master of the Knights Templar – killed and beheaded at the Battle of Ascalon by Egyptians.
Raynald of Châtillon (1187) – executed by Saladin after the Battle of Hattin
Gerard de Ridefort (1189) Grand Master of the Knights Templar – executed by Saladin at the Battle of Acre
2700 Muslim prisoners (1191) – beheaded on orders of Richard I of England after the Battle of Acre.
Melas Mero (2014) – decapitated by a saltwater crocodile
Unnamed girl (2009) – decapitated by a saltwater crocodile
Bernard Then (2015) - executed by MILF terrorists.
Poland
Kazimierz Lyszczynski (1689) – executed in Warsaw by Christians for being atheist
Piotr Stańczak (February 2009) – polish engineer beheaded in Pakistan by terrorists
Nicolae Labiş (1956) – fell off of a tram while going to a friend's house and was decapitated when his head hit the pavement between the two trams
Yuri II of Vladimir (1238) – Beheaded after losing the Battle of the Sit River
Philipp Schall von Bell (1560) – Executed in captivity by order of Ivan the Terrible.
Stenka Razin (1671) – Quartered alive in Moscow for Cossack revolution
Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky (Tararui) (1682) – Beheaded for involvement in the Moscow uprising of 1682
Ivan Tsykler (1697) – Quartered on charges of conspiracy against Peter the Great
Mary Hamilton (lady in waiting) (1719) – Executed for infanticide and slandering Catherine I of Russia
Yemelyan Pugachev (1775) – Quartered in Moscow for insurrection by Catherine II of Russia
Yevgeny Rodionov (1996) – Beheaded by Chechen militants
Prince Faisal bin Musa'id (1975) – for the assassination of his uncle, King Faisal
Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. (2004) – American engineer killed by terrorists
Rizana Nafeek (2013) – Sri Lankan woman for homicide
Scotland
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 order 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 at Edinburgh Castle on trumped-up charges in front of James II of Scotland
Lord David Douglas (1440) – Executed at Edinburgh Castle on trumped-up charges in front of James II of Scotland
Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde (1455) – Executed on the orders of James II 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 complicity in murder of Lord Darnley
William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie (1584) – Executed by order of James VI of Scotland
John Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell (1613) – Beheaded in Edinburgh for carrying out a revenge killing
Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney (1615) – Executed by order of James VI of Scotland
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 order of Charles II of Scotland on the Scottish maiden for treason
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (1685) – son of above. Executed by order of James VII of Scotland on the Scottish maiden for treason
Godfrey McCulloch (1697) – Executed on the Scottish maiden for murder. Last man to be executed by the maiden
Peter Revson (1974) – racing driver decapitated in testing crash
Tom Pryce (1977) – racing driver partially decapitated by chin strap
Eulogius of Cordova (859) – Executed by Muslim rulers for blasphemy
Rodrigo Calderon (1621) – Executed in Madrid
Antonio Osorio de Acuña (1526) – Executed in Simancas for supporting the Comunero Revolt
Juan Bravo (1521) – Executed in Villalar de los Comuneros, Valladolid
Juan de Padilla (1521) – Executed in Villalar de los Comuneros, Valladolid
Francisco Maldonado (1521) – Executed in Villalar de los Comuneros, Valladolid
Jennifer Mills-Westley (2011) – beheaded in a supermarket in Los Cristianos, Tenerife.
Keppetipola Disawe (1818) – Executed in Kandy, Sri Lanka
Mattias Gregersson (1520) – Bishop of Strängnäs. Executed by Danes in the Stockholm Bloodbath
Vincent Henningsson (1520) – Bishop of Skara. Executed by Danes in the Stockholm Bloodbath
Grigory Kotoshikhin (1667) – Russian defected diplomat. Executed in Stockholm for the murder of a homeowner under the influence of alcohol.
Anna Zippel (1676) – Executed in Stockholm for witchcraft
Brita Zippel (1676) – sister of above. Executed in Stockholm for witchcraft
Gävle Boy (1676) – witness in the trial against the above sisters. Executed for perjury
Anna Eriksdotter (1704) – beheaded for sorcery.
Jacob Johan Anckarström (1792) – executed for assassination of Gustav III
Metta Fock (1810) – executed for murder of her husband and children.
Anna Månsdotter (1890) – executed by axe for murder. Last woman executed in Sweden
John Filip Nordlund (1900) – Executed by axe in Västerås for mass murder
Johan Alfred Ander (1910) – Executed by guillotine in Stockholm for murder. Last Swedish execution
James Foley (2014) — decapitated in the Syro-Arabian desert by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Steven Sotloff (2014) — decapitated in the Syro-Arabian desert by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Switzerland
Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg and 61 companions following the siege of Greifensee during the Old Zürich War (1444)
Anna Göldi (1782) – Executed as the "last witch in Switzerland"
At least 21 insurgent black slaves executed (1811) after the German Coast Uprising near New Orleans, Louisiana. Their heads were displayed on pikes and gates as a warning
Isaac N. Ebey (1857) – Washington state pioneer murdered by Haida Indians
Pearl Bryan (1896) – Murdered in Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Tom Ketchum (1901) – accidentally decapitated in New Mexico Territory in botched hanging for train robbery
12 victims of the Cleveland Torso Murderer (1935-1938)
Gordon Reid and Ruby Ellen Shaffer (1952) – decapitated in racing car crash
Denny Keith (1964) – decapitated in racing car crash
Charles Bassett (1966) – decapitated in crash of jet aircraft
Les Ritchey (1966) – decapitated in drag racing crash
Ken Kotalac (1969) – decapitated in drag bike racing crash
François Cevert (1973) – cut in pieces in racing car crash
Helmuth Koinigg (1974) – decapitated in racing car crash
16 victims of Jeffrey Dahmer (1978–1991)
Boris Sagal (1981) – partially decapitated by helicopter
Vic Morrow and Myca Dinh Le (1982) – decapitated by crashing helicopter during film shoot
Christa Hoyt (1990) – decapitated by serial killer Danny Rolling
Russell Phillips (1995) – decapitated in racing car crash
Robert Lees (2004) – decapitated by murderer
Randy Fry (2004) – decapitated by a great white shark
Katie Flynn (2005) – decapitated in car crash
Aasiya Zubair (2009) – decapitated in New York state by murderer/husband Muzzammil Hassan
Hanny Tawadros and Amgad Konds (2013) – decapitated posthumously, allegedly by murderer Yusef Ibrahim
Patricia Ward (2014) – decapitated in her son's apartment in New York City by her deranged son then dragged to the street. Witness initially thought it was a part of a Halloween display. The son then committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.
Colleen Hufford (2014) – 54-year-old woman was decapitated in Oklahoma by a 30-year-old pro-Jihad, Islamist, Jah'Keem Yisrael, formerly Alton Alexander Nolen. Jah'Keem reportedly began a second beheading and sliced the neck of Tracey Johnson. Jah'Keem was ultimately stopped by Vaughn Foods employee who privately kept a gun for protection.
Caleb Schwab (2016) - Caleb, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state representative Scott Schwab, was decapitated while sliding down the world's tallest water slide (Verrückt) at Schlitterbahn Kansas City in Kansas City, Kansas. State officials in Kansas announced in November 2016 that the water slide would be demolished because of the incident, despite being the world's tallest water slide.
Vicente Liem de la Paz (1773) – Beheaded in Tonkin as Christian martyr
Pierre Dumoulin-Borie (1838) – Beheaded in Tonkin as Christian martyr
Bernard Võ Văn Duệ (1838) – Beheaded in Korea as Christian martyr
Andrew Dũng-Lạc (1839) – Beheaded in Korea as Christian martyr
Augustin Schoeffler (1851) – Beheaded in Tonkin as Christian martyr
Jean-Louis Bonnard (1852) – Beheaded in Korea as Christian martyr
Michael Hồ Đình Hy (1857) – Beheaded in Korea as Christian martyr
Théophane Vénard (1861) – Beheaded in Tonkin as Christian martyr
Ba Cụt (Lê Quang Vinh) (1956) – Guillotined in Cần Thơ for insurrection and multiple murder
Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd (February 1136) – executed by the Anglo-Norman forces led by Maurice de Londres at Kidwelly Castle, Wales, after a failed uprising
Llewelyn ap Gruffydd (1282) – Beheaded posthumously after his death in battle at Aberedw.
Sir Gruffudd Vychan (1447) – Executed at Powis Castle by Lord Powis for unclear reasons.
Sir Roger Vaughan (1471) – Beheaded at Chepstow by Jasper Tudor, Earl of Bedford for being a Yorkist.
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
Saint Acisclus
Saint Agnes
Saint Alban (around 304) – Executed in Britain by Romans for converting to Christianity
Saint Andrew Kim of Korea (1846) – Beheaded in Korea for being Christian
Saint Ansanus
Saint Anthimus of Rome
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Christopher
Saint Columba of Spain (c853) – Executed in Spain by Moors for not converting to Islam
Saint Columba of France
Saint Columba (the Virgin) of Cornwall, England
Saints Cosmas and Damian (c.287) – Executed by Emperor Diocletian in purge of Christians in Syria
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 Dorothea of Alexandria
Saint Dymphna
Saint Emmeram
Saint Eurosia
Saint Felicitas of Rome
Saints Felix and Nabor
Saints Firmus and Rusticus
Saint George
Saint Gereon
Saint Gordianus
Saint James, traditionally
Saint Marcellus
Saint Maximilian (295) – Executed by Romans for conscientious objection to military service
Saint Nicasius of Rheims, at Rheims (407) – Executed by Vandals during conquest of Rheims
Saint Pancras
Apostle Paul, traditionally
Saint Peter of Rates
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
Medusa, a Gorgon beheaded by Perseus
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
