List of people who were beheaded

• Joseph Haydn (1809) – celebrated composer posthumously beheaded; see Haydn's head

• Imam Husayn ibn Ali and his 72 companions (680) – at the Battle of Karbala
• Al-Walid II was the Umayyad caliph (r. 743–744). He was killed and beheaded by his cousin Yazid III. Yazid had Walid's head hoisted "on a lance and paraded around Damascus".[1]
• Al-Walid ibn Tarif al-Shaybani, was a Kharijite rebel leader. In 794 he launched a rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate, but was defeated and killed and beheaded in 795.
• Ja'far al-Barmaki (803) – Vizier executed on the orders Caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809).
• Al-Amin the sixth Abbasid Caliph, (r. 809–813) was beheaded on 27 September 813 during the conflict. He was the first murdered Caliph of the Abbasid House.
• Al-Musta'in, was the twelfth Abbasid caliph (r. 861–866) in the 866, he was killed on the orders of his cousin al-Mu'tazz.

• Kyaram Sloyan (2016) - posthumously decapitated by Azerbaijani soldiers during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Photos and videos of various soldiers posing with his severed head were widely circulated online after his death.[2]
• Genadi Petrosyan (2020) - ethnically Armenian citizen of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Republic of Artsakh) beheaded by Azerbaijani soldiers during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
• Yuri Asryan (2020) - ethnically Armenian citizen of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Republic of Artsakh) beheaded by Azerbaijani soldiers during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Along with Genadi Petrosyan, videos and photos of both beheadings were circulated through social media, most notably Telegram.[3]

• Jordão da Silva Cantanhede (2013) – a Brazilian amateur football referee,[4] was lynched, quartered and beheaded by football spectators in Pio XII after he stabbed a player in a match he officiated on 30 June 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.[5][6][7]
• João Rodrigo Silva Santos (2013) – Brazilian football player, murdered and beheaded by suspected drug traffickers.[8]

• Phocas (610) – Emperor overthrown and beheaded by Heraclius
• Leontios (706)
• Tiberius III (706)
• Justinian II (711)

• Tim McLean (2008) – murdered and beheaded on Greyhound Canada bus in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
• Fribjon Bjornson (2012) – severed head found on the Nak'azdli reserve near Fort St. James, British Columbia[9]

Mural depicting Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin; the severed head of Huan Yi is in an open box at bottom.

• Huan Yi (Fan Wuji) (桓齮, 227 BC) — traitorous Qin general; his severed head was instrumental in Jing Ke's assassination attempt of the Qin king.
• Han Xin (韓信, 196 BC) – executed by Empress Lü
• Guan Yu (關羽, 219) – executed during civil war by Sun Quan
• Guan Ping (關平, 219) – son of Guan Yu, executed during civil war by Sun Quan
• Wen Tianxiang (文天祥, 1283) – scholar and general
• Xia Wanchun (夏完淳, 1647) – poet, executed by Qing official Hong Chengchou who betrayed Ming before Ming Dynasty fell.
• St Francis de Capillas(聖劉方濟, 1648) – beheaded at Fogang, China
• Adolf Schlagintweit (1857) – German botanist and explorer; executed by the ruler of Kashgar
• Tan Sitong (譚嗣同, 1898) – executed with five others by Empress Dowager Cixi

• María José Reyes and Juan Duarte (2012) – beheaded by a seller of antiquities in Lolol

• Anne Palles (1693) – executed in Copenhagen for witchcraft
• Povel Juel (1723) – executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté
• Niels Knudsen Drostrup (1752) - executed in Logstor for arson [10]
• Johann Friedrich Struensee (1772) – executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté
• Enevold Brandt (1772) – executed in Copenhagen for lèse-majesté
• Kim Wall (2017) – her body was found both dismembered and decapitated in a submarine. See Murder of Kim Wall.

• Zaida Catalán (2017) – Swedish politician of Chilean descent, kidnapped and executed in 2017

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

Piers Gaveston at the feet of the Earl of Warwick, 1312

Execution of Hugh Despenser the younger, 1326

The execution of Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset at Tewkesbury, 1471

• 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
• 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 Castle 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[11]
• John de Beauchamp (1388) – executed on Tower Hill by the Merciless Parliament for supporting Richard II of England[11]
• Sir John Emsley (1388) – executed on Tower Hill by the Merciless Parliament for supporting Richard II of England[11]
• Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, KG (1397) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Richard II of England[11]
• 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 David Walsh (1403) – executed by order of Henry IV (Hanged, drawn and quartered)
• Danney Parsons (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[12]
• Richard le Scrope, Archbishop of York (1405) – executed at York by order of Henry IV for treason[13]
• 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 Tuchet, 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 of the House of Commons (1461) – beheaded by a London mob
• Sir Owen Tudor (1461) – executed after the Battle of Mortimer's Cross 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
• Thomas Courtenay, 14th Earl of Devon (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
• 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[11]
• 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 Touchus Winterton (1469) – executed at York by order of Edward IV for being a Lancastrian
• Sir Charles Winterton (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 Richard Smith (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 Lawrence Davis (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[11]
• 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
• Ben Glover (1471) – beheaded after the Battle of Tewkesbury for being a Lancastrian[14] (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[15]
• Sir Thomas Vaughan (1483) – executed by order of Richard III
• William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (1483) – executed near Tower Chapel by order of Richard III[11]
• Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham – Lord High Constable (1483) – beheaded at Shrewsbury by order of Richard III
• Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers – Chief Butler of England (1483) – executed at Pontefract Castle by order of Richard III
• Sir Richard Grey (1483) – executed at Pontefract Castle by order of Richard III
• Sir Thomas St. Leger (1483) – beheaded at Exeter for rebellion against his brother-in-law Richard III
• Sir George Browne (1483) – 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[11]
• Simon Mountford (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[11]
• 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[11]
• Sir James Tyrrell (1502) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England for treason[11]
• Sir Leon Taylor (1502) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VII of England for treason[11]
• Sir Edmund Dudley – Speaker of the House of Commons (1510) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for extortion[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• Sir Rhys ap Gruffydd (1531) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for conspiracy with Scotland[11]
• 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[11]
• Robert Lawrence (1535) – hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn for refusing to take Oath of Supremacy
• Saint Thomas More – knight, 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[11]
• 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[11]
• George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1536) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason[11]
• Sir Henry Norris – Groom of the Stool (1536) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason[11]
• Sir William Brereton, KB – Groom of the Privy Chamber (1536) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason[11]
• Sir Francis Weston – Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (1536) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason[11]
• Mark Smeaton (1536) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for High Treason[11]
• 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[11]
• 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
• Adam Chen (1537) – hanged, drawn and quartered by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Bigod's Rebellion
• Sir Colin Keast (1538) – beheaded at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Bigod's Rebellion[11]
• Henry Pole, 11th Baron Montacute (1539) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being in Exeter Conspiracy[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• Sir Thomas Dingley (1539) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for being implicated in the Pilgrimage of Grace[11]
• Blessed Sir Adrian Fortescue (1539) – executed by order of Henry VIII of England for Catholicism[11]
• Richard Whiting, Abbot of Glastonbury (1539) – executed on Glastonbury Tor by order of Thomas Cromwell (hung, drawn and quartered)

Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1587

Raleigh just before being beheaded in 1618– an illustration from c. 1860

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

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

• 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[11]
• Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury (1540) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII of England for high treason and buggery[16]
• 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[11]
• Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury (1541) – executed at Tower Green by order of Henry VIII of England for high treason[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11][17]
• Sir Michael Stanhope – Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (1552) – beheaded at Tower Hill during the reign of Edward VI of England for treason[17]
• 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[11]
• Sir John Gates KB (1553) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for supporting Lady Jane Grey[18]
• Sir Thomas Palmer (1553) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for supporting Lady Jane Grey[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (1554) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Mary I for rebellion[11]
• Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG – Earl Marshal (1573) – executed at Tower Hill by order of Elizabeth I of England for Ridolfi plot[11]
• 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[11]
• Sir Christopher Blount (1601) – executed at Tower Hill during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for High Treason[11]
• Sir Charles Danvers (1601) – executed at Tower Hill during the reign of Elizabeth I of England for High Treason[19]
• 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)[11]
• 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[11]
• Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet (1644) – executed at Tower Hill for treason on orders of Parliament[20]
• Archbishop William Laud – Archbishop of Canterbury (1645) – executed at Tower Hill on orders of Parliament[11]
• Sir John Hotham the Younger (2 January 1645) – executed at Tower Hill on orders of Parliament for betraying the parliamentarians to the Royalists[11]
• Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet the Elder, of Scarborough (died 3 January 1645) – father of above – executed for betraying the parliamentarians to the Royalists[11]
• 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
• John Gerard (1654) – beheaded on Tower Hill for plotting against Oliver Cromwell
• 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[11]
• Reverend Dr. John Huett (1658) – beheaded on Tower Hill, London by order of Cromwell's Parliament for being a Royalist[11]
• Gregory Clement (1660) (MP) – hanged, drawn and quartered at Charing Cross by Charles II as a regicide[21]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• Saint Oliver Plunkett (1681) – hanged, 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[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]

• Tahvo Putkonen (1825) – beheaded for murder; this was the last legal beheading in Finland.

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

Execution of Lord Lovat, 1747

Jeremiah Brandreth's head, 1817

• William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure (1716) – executed at Tower Hill as a Jacobite Rebel[11]
• James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater (1716) – executed at Tower Hill as a Jacobite Rebel[11]
• 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[11]
• 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[11]
• Charles Radclyffe, titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater (1746) – executed at Tower Hill as a Jacobite Rebel[11]
• Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (1747) – executed at Tower Hill as a prominent veteran Jacobite supporter of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. Although 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[11]
• Jeremiah Brandreth (1817) – hanged and beheaded in Derby for treason; followed by William Turner and Issac Ludlam, the last British decapitations by axe
• Arthur Thistlewood and the four other Cato Street Conspirators (1820) – hanged and beheaded outside Newgate Prison for treason. A surgical knife was used to remove the heads.
• James Wilson, Andrew Hardie, and John Baird (1820) were hanged and beheaded for treason for their involvement in the Radical War. A hatchet was used to perform the decapitation. These were the last three people to be hanged and beheaded in the United Kingdom.
• Jolanta Bledaite (2008) – Lithuanian immigrant, tortured and killed in Scotland[25]
• 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.[26]
• David Phyall (2008) – see List of unusual deaths
• Lee Rigby (2013) - decapitated by Islamists who ran him over with a car before decapitating him.
• 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
• Gurgen Margaryan (2004) - beheaded in his sleep by Azerbaijani Lieutenant Ramil Safarov during a NATO summit in Budapest. Safarov stated during both his interrogation and trial that he murdered Margaryan because he was of Armenian descent.[27] Safarov was later pardoned upon extradition by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.[28]
• János Kádár (2007) – posthumously decapitated by dig desecrater(s).[29]

• Hemchandra Vikramaditya, also known as Hemu (1556) – after being wounded by Mughal army in the Second Battle of Panipat, Hemu was beheaded by Bairam Khan, a commander-in-chief of the Mughal army
• Afzal Khan (1659) – general who served the Adil Shahi dynasty was beheaded by the Maratha forces on the order of Chatrapati Shivaji.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1675) – ninth guru of Sikhs executed in Delhi by order of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb
• Saint John de Brito (1693) – Portuguese Jesuit missionary executed in India for preaching Christianity
• Raja Dahir (711/712) – executed on command of Muhammad bin Qasim after Dahir's Kingdom of Sindh was defeated
• Mourya Sawant (1912) – last Ranes was beheaded by Portuguese. Mourya Sawant was Hindu martyr who struggled against Portuguese and he also against forced conversion of the Goans to Christianity
• 2013 India–Pakistan border skirmishes – two Indian Army soldiers, Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh were killed and their bodies were apparently found mutilated, with one decapitated by Pakistan Army

• Jon Arason (1550) – was the last Icelandic Roman Catholic bishop and poet, who was executed in his struggle against the imposition of the Protestant Reformation in Iceland.

Execution of Buqa

• Buqa (1289) - Grand Vizier. Executed for treason.

• 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

Death of Raynald of Châtillon

• 6,000 Roman soldiers (66) – beheaded at the Jerusalem riots of 66 by Eliezar, the Jewish rebel leader who opposed gentile influence in Judea
• Shimon ben Gamliel and Ishmael ben Elisha ha-Kohen (70) – two rabbis among the Ten Martyrs.
• 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
• 2,700 Muslim prisoners (1191) – beheaded on orders of Richard I of England after the Battle of Acre.

• 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

Beheading of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

• 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
• Balthasar Gérard (1584) – tortured and beheaded for assassinating Willem of Orange
• Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1619) – executed in the Hague for Hollandic separatism by Prince Maurice
• Emile Ferfaille (1918) guillotined in Furnes for murder – last guillotine execution
• Nabil Amzieb (2016) – beheaded in Amsterdam by a Moroccan gang for conflicts in underground drug-war

• Ole Nypan (1670) - executed for witchcraft.
• Anders Olson Lysne (1803) - executed for lèse-majesté.
• Peter Westerstrøm (1809) - executed for mass murder.
• Aslak Hætta (1854) - executed for murder.
• Mons Somby (1854) - executed for murder.
• Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen (1876) - executed for murder and robbery, the last public execution in Norway.

• Bajo Pivljanin (1685) – Serb hajduk in Venetian service, beheaded and head sent to Sultan Mehmed IV
• Abdullah bin Saud (1818) – last ruler of the First Saudi State and was beheaded by the Ottomans[31]
• Ali Pasha of Yanina (1822) – shot and beheaded by order of Sultan Mahmud II

• Arab Sind Province of Caliphate

Raja Dahir (712) – executed on command of Muhammad bin Qasim after Dahir's empire was defeated.

• United Provinces of Agra and Oudh

Syed Ahmad Barelvi (1831) – Sufi mujahideen who was beheaded by Indian army in the battle of balakot

• Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Daniel Pearl (2002) – American journalist killed by al-Qaeda.

Piotr Stańczak (February 2009) – Polish engineer beheaded in Pakistan by Radical Islamic terrorists

• Leonard Siffleet (1943)

The following were all executed by ISIL-inspired terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.

• Bernard Then (2015)[32]
• Robert Hall (2016)
• John Ridsdel (2016)
• Jürgen Kantner (2017)

• Kazimierz Łyszczyński (1689) – executed in Warsaw by Christians for being atheist
• Rozalia Lubomirska (1794) - guillotined during French Revolution

• 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 Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula
• Rizana Nafeek (2013) – Sri Lankan woman for homicide

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 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
• Mrs Hamilton (1679) – beheaded for the murder of James Baillie, 2nd Lord Forrester[33]
• 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

• Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović (1389) – executed during the Battle of Kosovo by order of Bayezid I.
• Miloš Obilić (1389) – probably decapitated by order of Bayezid I after assassinating Murad I.[34]
• Aleksa Nenadović (1804) – executed in Valjevo during the Slaughter of the Knezes.
• Ilija Birčanin (1804) – executed in Valjevo during the Slaughter of the Knezes.
• Karađorđe (1817) – Assassinated by order of his groomsman, Miloš Obrenović. The cause of death itself was a substantial chest injuries caused by an axe, however, his body was immediately decapitated.

• Eulogius of Cordova (859) – executed by Muslim rulers of Córdoba for blasphemy
• Lope Fortuñónez de Albero (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Fortún Galíndez de Huesca (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Martín Galíndez de Ayerbe (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Bertrán de Ejea (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Miguel de Rada de Perarrúa (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Íñigo López de Naval (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Cecodín de Ruesta (1135) – executed by King of Aragon, Ramiro II, for treason[35][36]
• Muhammed VI (1362) – beheaded by Peter I of Castille with restored Muhammad V as Sultan of Granada.
• 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
• Antonio Osorio de Acuña (1526) – executed in Simancas for supporting the Comunero Revolt
• Juan de Lanuza y Urrea (1591) – "Justicia de Aragón", beheaded by personal order of Felipe II on 20 December 1591, 89 days after swearing in his appointment.[37]
• Rodrigo Calderon (1621) – executed in Madrid
• Eduardo Montori Sanz (1996) – beheaded in Ejea de los Caballeros[38]
• Jennifer Mills-Westley (2011) – beheaded in a supermarket in Los Cristianos, Tenerife.[39]

• Puviraja Pandaram (1591) – Hindu king who was beheaded by Portuguese. Portuguese, led by André Furtado as commander, mounted a military campaign against the Jaffna kingdom from Mannar and succeed for conquer Jaffna kingdom.[40]
• Keppetipola Disawe (1818) – beheaded by British Ceylon in Kandy, Sri Lanka for fighting for independence.

Execution of Anna Månsdotter. The executioner Dalman stands to the far left, hiding his axe behind his back.

• 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
• Johan Johansson Griis (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) — beheaded in the Syro-Arabian desert by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
• Steven Sotloff (2014) — beheaded in the Syro-Arabian desert by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Execution of Greifensee garrison

• 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"

• Isaac N. Ebey (1857) – Washington state pioneer murdered by Haida Indians
• Pearl Bryan (1896) – murdered in Fort Thomas, Kentucky
• Captain Harry Miller (1936) – beheaded after murder near New Trenton, Indiana, "Head and Hands" murder[41]
• Sixteen victims of Jeffrey Dahmer (1978–1991)
• Christa Hoyt (1990) – decapitated by serial killer Danny Rolling
• Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton (1995) – decapitated and dismembered by Daniel Lugo and Adrian Doorbal members of the infamous Sun Gym gang in Miami[42]
• Aasiya Zubair (2009) – decapitated in New York by murderer/husband Muzzammil Hassan
• Hanny Tawadros and Amgad Konds (2013) – decapitated posthumously, allegedly by murderer Yusef Ibrahim[43]
• 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.
• Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino (2016) – decapitated by murderer
• Jennifer Schlecht (2019) – decapitated by her husband in their Harlem flat, he then killed their daughter and hung himself on a fan. Yonathan Tedla (the husband) put Jennifer Schlecht's head in her lap.
• Cecilia Gibson (2020) – 79-year-old Cecilia Gibson, step-grandmother of her killer, Kenny W. McBride, 45, was bludgeoned in head while in house, then McBride decapitated and placed Ms. Gibson's head in their back yard. Kenny W. McBride was arrested at time of reporting after body was dead for two days. McBride's father had married and his new wife's mother, Cecilia Gibson, all lived in the same residence in Bedford, Michigan where the crime occurred.[44]

Execution of Pierre Dumoulin-Borie

• 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

• The Terminator in Terminator Genisys

• List of prisoners of the Tower of London
• Maiden (guillotine), also known as "The Maiden" or "The Scottish Maiden"
• Tower Hill