Decapitation 70802 225860460 2008-07-15T19:08:11Z Polylerus 111744 Boukman {{Refimprove|date=September 2007}} '''Decapitation''' (from [[Latin]], ''caput'', ''capitis'', meaning head), or '''beheading''', is the cutting off of the [[head (anatomy)|head]] of a man or animal. '''Beheading''' typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of [[murder]] or [[capital punishment|execution]]; it may be accomplished, for example, with an [[axe]], [[sword]], any kind of wire, or [[knife]], or by means of a [[guillotine]]. Accidental decapitation can be the result of an [[explosion]], automobile or industrial accident, improperly-administered execution by [[hanging]] or other violent injury. [[Suicide]] by decapitation is rare, but not unknown. An [[executioner]] carrying out decapitations is called a headsman. The word ''decapitation'' can also refer, on occasion, to the removal of the head from a [[body]] that is already dead. This might be done to take the head as a [[headhunting|trophy]], for [[gibbet|public display]], to make the deceased more difficult to identify, or for other reasons. In an analogous fashion, decapitation can also refer to the removal of a head of an organization. If, for example, the leader of a country were killed, that might be referred to as 'decapitation'. It is also used of a political strategy aimed at unseating high-profile members of a party, as used by the [[Liberal Democrats]] in the [[United Kingdom general election, 2005]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1489270/Defiant-Kennedy-takes-'decapitation'-strategy-into-Tory-heartland.html|title=Defiant Kennedy takes 'decapitation' strategy into Tory heartland|last=Carlin|first=Brendan|coauthors=David Sapsted|date=2005-05-04|work=The Telegraph|accessdate=2008-06-21}}</ref> Decapitation is fatal, as [[brain death]] occurs within seconds to minutes without the support of the organism's body. ==History== [[Image:Judith Beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Judith]], beheading [[Holofernes]] by [[Caravaggio]]. Ca. 1598.]] [[Image:Beheading Fac simile of a Miniature on Wood in the Cosmographie Universelle of Munster in folio Basle 1552.png|thumb|Beheading—[[facsimile]] of a miniature on wood in the ''Cosmographie Universelle'' of Munster: in folio, Basle, 1552.]] ===Honour=== Decapitation has been used as a form of [[capital punishment]] for millennia. The terms "capital offence", "capital crime", "capital punishment," derive from the Latin ''caput'', "head", referring to the punishment for serious offenses involving the forfeiture of the head; i.e. death by beheading<ref>Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, edited by Noah Porter, published by G & C. Merriam Co., 1913</ref>. Decapitation by sword (or axe, a military weapon as well) was sometimes considered the "honourable" way to die for an [[aristocracy|aristocrat]], who, presumably being a warrior, could often expect to die by the sword in any event; in England it was considered a privilege of noblemen to be beheaded. This would be distinguished from a "dishonourable" death on the [[gallows]] or through [[burning at the stake]]. [[High Treason]] by nobles was punished by beheading; male commoners, including [[knight]]s, were [[hanged, drawn, and quartered]]; female commoners were [[burned at the stake]]. In countries where beheading was the usual means of capital punishment, such as in Scandinavia, the noblemen would be beheaded with a sword, symbolizing their class as a military caste, thus dying by an instrument of war, while the commoners would be beheaded with an axe. ===Painlessness=== If the [[headsman]]'s [[axe]] or [[executioner's sword|sword]] was sharp and his aim was true, decapitation was quick and was presumed to be a relatively painless form of death. If the instrument was blunt or the executioner clumsy, however, multiple strokes might be required to sever the head. The person to be executed was therefore advised to give a [[gold]] [[coin]] to the headsman so that he did his job with care. Not getting their proper money's worth, [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]] and [[Mary, Queen of Scots]] required three strikes at their respective executions. But compared to Devereux and Mary, [[Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury]] required ten strokes before the fatal blow. [[Image:CosmasDamianfraangelico.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The Beheading of [[Cosmas and Damian]], by [[Fra Angelico]]]] To ensure the blow would be fatal, executioners' swords usually were blade-heavy two-handed swords. Likewise, if an axe was used, it almost invariably would be used by both hands. ===Guillotine=== Decapitation by [[guillotine]] was a common, mechanically-assisted form of [[capital punishment|execution]], invented shortly before the [[French Revolution]] (although an earlier version of the guillotine, the [[Halifax Gibbet]], was used in [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]], England from 1286 until the 17th century). The aim was to create a painless and quick form of execution that did not require great skill to carry out. The executioner, after chopping off the head, would hold it up to the crowd. It was believed (with dubious evidence) that the head could still see for around ten seconds. The French had a strict code of etiquette surrounding the executions; a man named Legros, one of the assistants at the execution of [[Charlotte Corday]], was imprisoned and dismissed for slapping the face of the victim after the blade had fallen in order to see whether any flicker of life remained {{Fact|date=April 2008}}. The guillotine was used in [[France]] during the French Revolution and remained the normal judicial method in both peacetime and wartime into the 1970s, the [[firing squad]] being used in certain cases. France abolished the death penalty in 1981. The guillotine was also used in [[Algeria]] before the [[France|French]] relinquished control of it, as shown in [[Gillo Pontecorvo]]'s film ''[[The Battle of Algiers (film)|The Battle of Algiers]]''. Another guillotine existed in [[Vatican City]] until recent years. It had been brought in by [[Napoleon]]'s forces during the early 19th century; and, in 1870, the Pope still claimed the authority to use it and did indeed use it, once. In recent times however, the Vatican has abolished capital punishment in its own jurisdiction, and recent [[Pope]]s have condemned capital punishment where it is still practiced. [[Image:Heads on pikes.jpg|left|thumb|Aristocratic heads on pikes - a cartoon from the French Revolution]] ===German ''Fallbeil''=== Many German states had used a guillotine-like device known as a [[Fallbeil]] since the 17th and 18th centuries, and decapitation by guillotine was the usual means of execution in Germany until the abolition of the death penalty in West Germany in 1949. In [[Nazi Germany]], the guillotine was reserved for criminal convicts and political crimes including treason. A famous example of the guillotine being used was the members of the [[White Rose]] resistance movement, a group of students in Munich led by [[Sophie Scholl]] and her brother [[Hans Scholl|Hans]]. Contrary to popular myth, executions were generally not conducted face-up, and chief executioner [[Johann Reichhart]] was peculiarly insistent on maintaining "professional" protocol throughout the era, having administered the death penalty during the earlier Weimar era. Nonetheless, the Nazis' use of the Fallbeil was chillingly routine. It is estimated that some 40,000 persons were guillotined in Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1945. This number includes resistance fighters both in Nazi Germany itself and in those countries that were occupied by them. As these resistance fighters were not part of any regular army they were considered common criminals and were in many cases taken to Germany and decapitated. Decapitation was considered a "dishonorable" death, unlike an "honorable" death, e.g., by [[execution by firing squad]]. [[Image:Ambrogio Lorenzetti 005.jpg|thumb|A fresco by [[Ambrogio Lorenzetti]]]] ===Nordic countries=== In [[Nordic Countries]], decapitation was the usual means of carrying out capital punishment. Noblemen were beheaded with a [[sword]], and commoners with an [[axe]]. The last executions by decapitation in [[Finland]] in 1825, [[Norway]] in 1876 and in [[Iceland]] in 1830 were carried out with axes. The same was the case in [[Denmark]] in 1892. The last decapitation in [[Sweden]] was carried out in 1910 with a [[guillotine]]. The last execution in Sweden carried out with an axe was in 1900. ===''Book of Revelation''=== It is of note that in the [[Bible|biblical]] [[Book of Revelation]], beheading is named as a method of execution of [[Christian]] martyrs during a great persecution (Rev. 20:4). There is no historical record of precisely such an event, so certain commentators believe that this verse refers to a last great persecution of the church that some Christians believe will occur shortly before the [[Second Coming of Christ]]. There are some who interpret this as losing the natural (or carnal) mind, and taking on the "mind of Christ". ===China=== In traditional [[China]] decapitation was considered a more severe form of punishment than strangulation although strangulation caused more-prolonged suffering. This was because the Chinese believed that their bodies were gifts from their parents, and that it was therefore disrespectful to their ancestors to return their bodies to the grave dismembered. The Chinese however had other punishments, such as the [[Slow slicing|lingering death]], that involved cutting the body into multiple pieces. In addition, there was also a practice of cutting the body at the waist, which was a common way of execution before being abolished in early Qing dynasty. ===Japan=== In [[Japan]], decapitation was a common punishment, sometimes for minor offenses. [[Samurai]] were often allowed to decapitate soldiers who had fled from battle, as it was considered cowardly. Decapitation was historically performed as the second step in [[seppuku]] (ritual [[suicide]] by [[disembowelment]]). After the victim had sliced his own [[abdomen]] open, another warrior would strike his head off from behind with a [[wakizashi]] to hasten death and to reduce the suffering. The blow was expected to be precise enough to leave intact a small strip of skin at the front of the neck - to spare invited and honored guests the indelicacy of witnessing a decapitated head rolling about, or towards them, whilst spraying blood; such an event would have been considered inelegant and in bad taste. The sword was expected to be used upon the slightest sign that the practitioner might yield to pain and cry out - avoiding dishonor to him, and to all partaking in the privilege of observing an honorable demise. As skill was involved, only the most trusted warrior was honored enough to take part. In the late [[Sengoku period]], decapitation was performed as soon as the person chosen to carry out seppuku had made the slightest wound to his abdomen. Decapitation (without seppuku) was also considered the severest and most degrading form of punishment. One of the most brutal decapitations was that of a [[daimyo]], [[Ishida Mitsunari]], who had warred against [[Ieyasu Tokugawa]]. After he lost the [[Battle of Sekigahara]], he was buried in the ground and his head was sawn off with a blunt bamboo saw. These unusual punishments were abolished in the early [[Meiji period|Meiji]] era. However, the Japanese used decapitation extensively during World War II, especially against Chinese Nationals. A particularly brutal case is that of the [[Nanking Massacre]], in which thousands of Chinese were killed through decapitation. The Japanese viewed the Chinese, Koreans, and other Asians as inferior to Japan and not worthy of humane treatment, partially explaining the many decapitations carried out by the Japanese. After World War II, Japan stopped using decapitation as a punishment against both Japanese citizens and foreign citizens. ===India=== The [[Muslim]] rulers of [[India]], especially the [[Mughals]], treated their religious rivals with exceptional severity.The [[Sikh]] [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] was openly beheaded at [[Chandni Chowk]] in [[Delhi]] by [[Aurangzeb]] after he refused to convert to Islam. To add insult to the injury he forbade any ritual cremation of the Guru. An infuriated [[Jaita the Rangretta]], a sweeper-caste devotee of the Guru, snatched the head away from the executioners and brought it to [[Anandpur Sahib]] for the traditional ceremony. The headless torso was also stolen by another devotee of the Guru and cremated in Delhi. ==Modern world== [[Image:Beheadingchina2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Condemned Chinese about to be beheaded by Japanese soldiers, 1901]] ===Sharia law=== Decapitation by sword has in modern times occurred in jurisdictions subject to [[Islam]]ic [[Sharia]] law. As of 2007, [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Yemen]], and [[Qatar]] all had laws allowing decapitation, but only Saudi Arabia was known to practice the sentence; a curved, single-edged sword is used, in public. This event is carried out in the main mosque of the city on Friday following prayers. Rape, murder, drug crimes, and religious crimes draw this public punishment. ===Terrorist decapitation=== Militant Islamic groups have, in recent years, begun carrying out beheadings. Among those who practiced this slaughter were [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]] and [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]], who confessed to beheading [[United States|American]] [[journalist]] [[Daniel Pearl]] and American contractor, [[Nick Berg|Nicholas Berg]], among other American and foreign civilians. ===Bosnia and Herzegovina=== During the [[war in Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (1992-1995) there were a number of ritual beheadings of Serbs who were taken as prisoners of war by [[mujahedin]] members of the [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian Army]]. At least one case is documented and proven in court by the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia|ICTY]] where mujahedin, members of 3rd Corps of Army BiH, beheaded [[Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian Serb]] [[Dragan Popović]].<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2006/p1054-e.htm UN - TRIBUNAL CONVICTS ENVER HADZIHASANOVIC AND AMIR KUBURA Press Release, March 2006]</ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/had-3ai030926e.htm UN - THIRD AMENDED INDICTMENT - THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA]</ref> ===Colombia=== Less orthodox instances of decapitation have also occurred in recent times in some areas of [[Colombia]]. [[Marxist]] [[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia|FARC]] guerrilla as well as right-wing paramilitary groups such as the [[United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia|AUC]] have sometimes used this method to intimidate local populations and political opponents, and it has not been uncommon for criminal gangs of druglords to also make limited use of decapitation on occasion.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} The primary means of decapitation in these cases has been the use of a [[machete]] or a [[chainsaw]]. ===Philippines=== The militant Islamic separatist group [[Abu Sayyaf]] is known to practice beheading in the southern islands of the [[Philippines]].<ref>"Abu Sayyaf Group (Philippines, Islamist separatists)," [[Council on Foreign Relations]]. [http://www.cfr.org/publication/9235/ URL]</ref> ===Indonesia=== In largely Muslim [[Indonesia]], three Christian schoolgirls were beheaded and one other was critically wounded by Islamist extremists in October 2005.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173913,00.html Three Schoolgirls Beheaded in Indonesia, [[Fox News]]]</ref> ===Saudi Arabia=== In April 2005, Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded six Somali nationals for auto theft, causing tension between the two countries. Without a government however, Somalia couldn't intervene on behalf of its citizens. Somalis all over the world have protested the Saudi action. Saudi Arabian authorities also beheaded four men in February 2007— Sangeeth Kumara, Victor Corea, Ranjith Silva and Sanath Pushpakumara. These four Sri Lankan workers were convicted in a Saudi Arabian court for an armed robbery committed in October 2004. Their deaths sparked reactions from the international human rights watchdog [[Amnesty International]], which called on the Saudi authorities to abolish the death sentence. The court also ruled that the bodies of the four workers be crucified for public view as an example for others. In most of the cases the respective embassy gets notification only after the execution thereby eliminating chances for international or diplomatic uproar.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2007/02/070223_saudi_hrw.shtml BBC]</ref> On [[January 12]], [[2008]], an Indonesian housemaid was beheaded in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of killing her employer.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7185532.stm Saudi Arabia beheads foreign maid]</ref> ===Thailand=== In Southern [[Thailand]], there were at least 15 cases where [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] have been beheaded in 2005. Thai officials suspect the attackers are part of the [[South Thailand insurgency]] who are seeking to separate the Muslim-dominated south from the rest of Thailand<ref>{{cite news |title=Buddhist decapitated in Thailand |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,16055672-1702,00.html |publisher=[[Herald Sun]] |date=2005-07-26 |accessdate=2008-02-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Man beheaded, two shot dead |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16917051-23109,00.html |publisher=[[News Limited]] |date=2005-10-14 |accessdate=2008-02-15 }}</ref>. ===Chechnya=== [[Chechnya|Chechen]] rebels were known to practice beheading against the captured Russian Army soldiers during the [[First Chechen War]] and the [[Second Chechen War]]. Four Western telecommunication workers (three Britons and a New Zealander) who were taken hostage for ransom in Chechnya in 1998, were eventually beheaded and their heads were found on a side of a road<ref>{{cite news |title=Four Western hostages beheaded in Chechnya |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9812/08/chechnya.01/ |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=1998-12-08 |accessdate=2008-02-15 }}</ref>. In 1999, a [[beheading video]] was widely circulated on the internet, depicting a Russian soldier being beheaded by Chechen rebels. ===Iraq=== Beheadings have emerged as another tactic especially in Iraq since April 2003. Foreign civilians have borne the brunt of the beheadings, although U.S. and Iraqi military personnel have also been targeted. After kidnapping the victim, the kidnappers typically make some sort of demand of the government of the hostage's nation and give a time limit for the demand to be carried out, often 72 hours. Beheading is often threatened if the government fails to heed the wishes of the hostage takers. Frequently the crude beheadings are videotaped and made available on the Internet. Judicial execution is practiced in Iraq, but is generally carried out by [[hanging]]. ===Ghulam Nabi (Pakistan)=== A video obtained by the [[Associated Press]] on [[April 20]], [[2007]] shows a young boy, appearing to be around 12 years of age, viciously beheading a man identified as [[Ghulam Nabi]], a Pakistani militant accused of betraying the [[Taliban]]. According to the AP report, "A continuous 2 1/2-minute shot then shows the victim lying on his side on a patch of rubble-strewn ground. A man holds Nabi by his beard while the boy, wearing a camouflage military jacket and oversized white sneakers, cuts into the throat. Other men and boys call out "Allahu akbar!" — "Allah is greater!" — as blood spurts from the wound. The film, overlain with jihadi songs, then shows the boy hacking and slashing at the man's neck until the head is severed."<ref>[http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/21/apworld/20070421081329&sec=apworld The Star Online] Video in Pakistan shows youngster beheading man for alleged betrayal of Taliban leader Dated: Saturday, [[April 21]], [[2007]] </ref> ===Somalia=== On [[March 13]] 2008, it was reported that [[Hizbul Shabaab]] militants fighting the presence of an interim government backed by thousands of Ethiopian combat troops in Somalia beheaded three government soldiers. It was the first case of beheadings since the government and its Ethiopian military allies ousted the Islamists from power in late 2006, sparking a bloody insurgency characterised by roadside bombs and hit-and-run attacks.<ref>[http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Islamists_behead_three_soldiers_in_Somalia.shtml Garowe Online - Home<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Notable people who have been beheaded== [[Image:Titian-salome.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Salome]] and the Beheading of [[St. John the Baptist]], by [[Titian]]]] ===Biblical accounts=== *[[Goliath (Bible)|Goliath]] (according to scripture, this example illustrates the aforementioned "removal-of-the-head-from-a-body-that-is-already-dead" variety) *[[John the Baptist]] in the [[Gospel]]s *[[Holofernes]] in the [[deuterocanonical books|deuterocanonical]] ''[[Book of Judith]]'' (historical accuracy disputed) *[[Saint James the Great|Apostle James]], traditionally *[[Paul of Tarsus|Apostle Paul]], traditionally ===Christian saints=== *[[Saint Acisclus]] *[[Saint Agnes]] *[[Saint Alban]] (around 304) *[[Saint Ansanus]] *[[Saint Anthimus of Rome]] *[[Saint Christopher]] *[[Saint Columba of Spain|Saint Columba]] of [[Spain]]. *[[Saint Columba of Sens|Saint Columba]] of [[France]]. *[[Saint Columba (the Virgin)]] of [[Cornwall]], [[England]]. *[[Cosmas and Damian|Saints Cosmas and Damian]] *[[Denis|Saint Denis]], who carried his head to his final resting place, a familiar hagiographical [[Trope (literature)|trope]] (see [[Cephalophore]]). *[[Saint Diomedes]] *[[Saint Eurosia]] *[[Saint Felicitas of Rome]] *[[Saints Felix and Nabor]] *[[Saint Firmus and Saint Rusticus]] *[[Saint Gereon]] *[[Gordianus and Epimachus|Saint Gordianus]] *Saint [[John de Brito]] *[[Marcellus the Centurion|Saint Marcellus]] *[[Saint Maximilian]] *[[Saint Nicasius of Rheims]], at [[Rheims]] *[[Saint Oliver Plunkett]] in [[Ireland]] *[[Saint Pancras]] *[[Saint Polyeuctus]] *[[Saint Quiteria]] *[[Rufina and Secunda|Saints Rufina and Secunda]] *[[Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix|Saints Simplicius and Faustinus]] *[[Saint Typasius]] *[[Urith|Saint Urith]] of [[Chittlehampton]], [[Devon]], [[England]]. *[[Venantius of Camerino|Saint Venantius]], at [[Camerino]] *[[Saint Winefride]] of [[Flintshire]] in [[Wales]]. *[[Saint Andrew Kim|Saint Andrew Kim Taegon]] of [[Korea]] *[[Saint Thomas More]] ===Islamic=== *680 [[Imam]] [[Husayn bin Ali]] and his 72 companions at the [[Battle of Karbala]]. ===Germany=== *In July 1931, notorious serial killer [[Peter Kürten]], known as "[[The Vampire of Düsseldorf]]", was executed on the guillotine in [[Cologne]]. * On [[1 August]] [[1933]], in [[Altona, Hamburg|Altona]], [[Bruno Tesch (antifascist)|Bruno Tesch]] and three others were beheaded. These were the first executions in the [[Third Reich]]. The executions concerned the Altona Bloody Sunday (''Altonaer Blutsonntag'') riot, an [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] march on [[17 July]] [[1932]] that turned violent and led to 18 people being shot dead <ref>[http://www.asfpg.de/english/4763/17330.html asfpg ~ Altonaer Stiftung für philosophische Grundlagenforschung<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/157552/The-Axe-of-Wandsbek/overview Das Beil Von Wandsbek - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - The New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. *In February 1935 [[Benita von Falkenhayn]] and [[Renate von Natzmer]] were beheaded with the axe and block in [[Berlin]] for espionage for [[Poland]]. Axe beheading was the only method of executions in Berlin until 1938. *In February 1943, university students [[Hans Scholl]], his sister [[Sophie Scholl]], and [[Christoph Probst]] of the [[White Rose]] protest movement, for distributing anti-war and anti-Nazi leaflets. Four other members of the [[White Rose]] were also executed by the Nazi [[People's Court (Germany)|People's Court]] later that same year. The LDS anti-Nazi [[Helmuth Hübener]] was also decapitated by People’s Court order. ===China=== *[[Wen Tianxiang]] *[[Guan Yu]] *[[Guan Ping]] ===Japan=== *[[Asano Naganori]], lord of the [[Forty-seven ronin]] *[[Ishida Mitsunari]], [[daimyo]] and general. *[[Ankokuji Ekei]], Buddhist monk and ally of Mitsunari. *[[Kondō Isami]], commander of the [[Shinsengumi]] ===Britain=== [[Image:Heads on spikes.png|right|thumb|The heads of famous English traitors were customarily spiked on [[London Bridge]]]] *[[Sir William Wallace]], (1305) *[[William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings]] (1483) *[[Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham]] (1483) *[[Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick]] (1499) *[[Edmund Dudley]] (1510) *[[Richard Empson]] (1510) *[[Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk]] (1513) *[[Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham]] (1521) *[[John Fisher|Saint John Fisher]] (1535) *[[Thomas More|Saint Thomas More]] (1535) *[[George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford]] (1536) *[[Anne Boleyn]] (1536) *[[Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter]] (1539) *[[Thomas Cromwell|Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex]] (1540) *[[Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury]] (1541) *[[Catherine Howard]] (1542) *[[Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford]] (1542) *[[Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey]] (1547) *[[Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley]] (1549) *[[Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset]] (1552) *[[John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland]] (1553) *[[Lord Guilford Dudley]] (1554) *[[Lady Jane Grey]] (1554) *[[Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk]] (1554) *[[Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk]] (1572) *[[Mary I of Scotland|Mary, Queen of Scots]] (1587) *[[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]] (1601) *[[Sir Walter Raleigh]] (1618) *[[Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford]] (1641) *[[William Laud]] (1645) *[[Charles I of England and Scotland]] (1649) *[[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton]] (1649) *[[Oliver Cromwell]] (1661) Although already dead, he was beheaded by order of [[Charles II of Scotland|Charles II]]; some believe his mother ordered him to. *[[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth]] (1685) *[[Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerinoch]] (1746). A Jacobite supporter of [[Prince Charles Edward Stuart]], he was taken prisoner at [[Culloden]], he was beheaded on 18 August 1746. His last words to the executioner were "Take care with that damned axe !" *[[William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock]]. A Jacobite supporter of [[Prince Charles Edward Stuart]], he was taken prisoner at [[Culloden]], he was beheaded 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 in lieu of his youthful son, who had actually led Clan Fraser for the Jacobite cause. ===Colonial Americas=== *Panama :[[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]] was the 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]] and [[Ignacio Allende]], Mexican insurgentes were beheaded after their executions by [[Firing Squad]] in 1811. ===[[French Revolution]]=== *[[Marie Antoinette]] *[[Louis XVI of France]] *[[Georges Danton]] *[[Madame du Barry]] *[[Antoine Lavoisier]] *[[Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène of France|Madame Élisabeth]] *[[Maximilien Robespierre]] *[[Charlotte Corday]] ===[[World War II]]=== *[[Franz Jägerstätter]] *[[Maria Restituta]] ===Turkey=== *[[Asteğmen Kubilay]] ===Iraq=== *[[Shosei Koda]] *[[Kim Sun-il]] *[[Kenneth Bigley]] *[[Nick Berg]] *[[Eugene Armstrong]] *[[Jack Hensley]] *[[Maher Kemal]] ===Netherlands=== *[[Wijard Gerlofs Donia]] *[[Johan van Oldenbarnevelt]] *[[Marinus van der Lubbe]] ===Russia=== * In August 2007 a video surfaced on the Internet of Russian neo-Nazis beheading a one man and shooting one other. One of the men was from Dagestan and the other, from Tajikistan. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6946810.stm] * [[Yemelyan Pugachev]] ===United States=== *[[Vic Morrow]] *[[Russell Phillips]] *[[Boris Sagal]] *[[Murder of Adam Walsh|Adam Walsh]] *[[Robert Lees]] *some victims of [[Danny Rolling]] ===Switzerland=== *[[w:de:Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg|Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg]] and 61 companions following the siege of [[Greifensee, Zurich|Greifensee]] during the [[Old Zürich War]] (1444). ===Saudi Arabia=== *Prince [[Faisal bin Musa'id]] *[[Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.]] ==See also== * [[Cephalophore]] * [[Dismemberment]] * [[Headhunting]] * [[Head transplant]] * [[Mike the Headless Chicken]] * [[Sword of Justice]] * [[Internal decapitation]] - where the [[skull]] is dislodged from the [[Vertebral column|spine]], a typically fatal injury. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== *[http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/history/landru/guillotine_7.html Crime Library] *[http://beheadedart.com Beheaded Art] *[http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_decapitator The East London Decapitator] [[Category:Execution methods]] [[cs:Poprava stětím]] [[da:Halshugning]] [[de:Enthauptung]] [[es:Decapitación]] [[fa:سر بریدن]] [[fr:Décapitation]] [[gd:Dìcheannachadh]] [[gl:Decapitación]] [[ko:참수]] [[id:Hukuman pancung]] [[is:Afhöfðun]] [[it:Decapitazione]] [[he:עריפת ראש]] [[nl:Onthoofding]] [[ja:斬首刑]] [[no:Halshogging]] [[nn:Halshogging]] [[pl:Ścięcie (kara)]] [[pt:Decapitação]] [[ru:Обезглавливание]] [[simple:Decapitation]] [[fi:Mestaus]] [[sv:Halshuggning]] [[uk:Обезголовлювання]] [[zh:斬首]]