Famous Last Words James Scott, Duke of Monmouth London, England July 15, 1685 “Do not hack me as you did my lord Russell.” Monmouth was executed for treason after leading an unsuccessful rebellion against his uncle, King James II & VII (second of England and Ireland, seventh of Scotland). Monmouth was called the illegitimate son…
The Yangzhou massacre, as many as 800,000 victims
May 20, 1645 Yangzhou, China The 10-day Yangzhou massacre begins, resulting in a death toll as high as 800,000 The Yangzhou area was loyal to the Ming empire, and when the Qing dynasty took hold soldiers eliminated potential threats, inflicted punishment for resisting the new dynasty, and made a public example out of the city.…
9-year-old burned at the stake for intercourse with the Devil
May 9, 1628 Würzburg, Germany Johann Bernhard Reichardt, a 9-year-old boy, is burned at the stake with 4 others for being a witch The boy was suspected by his father to have been involved with witchcraft. He was questioned and confessed to have been "seduce into witchcraft," denied God, flew to Satanic dances, and engaged…
Teenager executed for death of landlady, her corpse sketched by Rembrandt
May 2, 1664 Amsterdam, Netherlands Teenaged killer Elsje Christiaens is executed, then sketched by Rembrandt Christiaens murder was seemingly more self-defense resulting in manslaughter than malicious intent. She had taken up a room while looking for a job as a servant girl, but two weeks later she was still unemployed and her landlady demanded rent.…
Teenaged arsonist burned at the stake
March 29, 1683 Suzugamori execution grounds, near Edo (present-day Tokyo), Japan Would-be arsonist Yaoya Oshichi is executed for attempting to light a fire hoping to see a man she had met during a previous fire Oshichi, a 16-year-old-girl, met a temple page during a fire at the family temple the year before. Hoping to meet…
