Beheaded Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:01 -0400 http://beheaded.buzzsprout.com/ en-us © 2026 Beheaded yes Support this Podcast b4e06566-ed91-5bc5-8caa-feac55816808 beheaded.podcast@gmail.com Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black episodic true Torture. Execution. Death. Listen as two die-hard fans chat about some of history's most gruesome death sentences. From famous queens and kings to the uncommon names in history, no conviction will be left untouched. Try not to lose your head over this comical approach to the shocking and disturbing stories of treason and crime (whether found guilty or not). 

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Execution, History, Death, Comedy, Torture, Crime, Guilty, Beheaded, Guillotine, Executioner, Funny, Girls, Conversation, Stories, Tudors, Medieval, Treason, British History Podcast Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black beheaded.podcast@gmail.com https://storage.buzzsprout.com/m22y9qxw5cott5vrdzahr828w8b6?.jpg Beheaded http://beheaded.buzzsprout.com/ How to Win Friends Then Guillotine People | Maximilien Robespierre (Part 2) How to Win Friends Then Guillotine People | Maximilien Robespierre (Part 2) In part two of our season finale, Robespierre reaches the peak of his power as the Revolution descends into the Reign of Terror. He sends thousands to the guillotine in the name of protecting the Republic. But as fear consumes France, Robespierre's allies become his enemies, and the architect of the Terror finds himself facing the very machine he used against so many others. In our final episode, we discuss his dramatic fall from power and the execution that brought one of history's bloodiest chapters to an end.


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]]> In part two of our season finale, Robespierre reaches the peak of his power as the Revolution descends into the Reign of Terror. He sends thousands to the guillotine in the name of protecting the Republic. But as fear consumes France, Robespierre's allies become his enemies, and the architect of the Terror finds himself facing the very machine he used against so many others. In our final episode, we discuss his dramatic fall from power and the execution that brought one of history's bloodiest chapters to an end.


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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-19566946 Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0700 3443 7 14 full true How to Win Friends Then Guillotine People | Maximilien Robespierre (Part 1) How to Win Friends Then Guillotine People | Maximilien Robespierre (Part 1) Maximilien Robespierre believed he could save France. A poor boy turned lawyer, he built his reputation defending the forgotten and fighting for equality. But when revolution came, his desire to create a perfect republic led him down a dangerous path. In part one of our season finale, we follow Robespierre’s rise from an ambitious young politician to one of the men responsible for the downfall of the monarchy, setting the stage for the Terror that would follow.

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]]> Maximilien Robespierre believed he could save France. A poor boy turned lawyer, he built his reputation defending the forgotten and fighting for equality. But when revolution came, his desire to create a perfect republic led him down a dangerous path. In part one of our season finale, we follow Robespierre’s rise from an ambitious young politician to one of the men responsible for the downfall of the monarchy, setting the stage for the Terror that would follow.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-19501683 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0700 2909 7 13 full true Roman Mothers Know Best: Agrippina the Younger Roman Mothers Know Best: Agrippina the Younger Agrippina the Younger, also known as Julia Agrippina, was one of the most powerful women in ancient Rome. She played a pivotal role in securing the throne for her son, the infamous (and villainous) Emperor Nero, only for their relationship to end in one of history’s greatest betrayals. Life in ancient Rome was an ongoing story of ambition, revenge, death, and execution. But when it comes to Agrippina’s own fate, the answer may not be so clear. Was her death a formal and legal execution? Or was it just straight murder? Listen, weigh the evidence, and decide for yourself.

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]]> Agrippina the Younger, also known as Julia Agrippina, was one of the most powerful women in ancient Rome. She played a pivotal role in securing the throne for her son, the infamous (and villainous) Emperor Nero, only for their relationship to end in one of history’s greatest betrayals. Life in ancient Rome was an ongoing story of ambition, revenge, death, and execution. But when it comes to Agrippina’s own fate, the answer may not be so clear. Was her death a formal and legal execution? Or was it just straight murder? Listen, weigh the evidence, and decide for yourself.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-19434600 Thu, 02 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0700 3986 7 12 full true Witch, Please: The First Irish Witch Trial | Petronilla de Meath Witch, Please: The First Irish Witch Trial | Petronilla de Meath In 1324, the town of Kilkenny became the setting for Ireland's first recorded witch trial. When wealthy noblewoman Alice Kyteler was accused of witchcraft, her servant Petronilla de Meath was swept into the investigation. Rumors of mysterious deaths and dark magic soon captured the attention of church authorities, turning a local scandal into a deadly trial. In this episode, we explore the legal case that would leave a lasting mark on Irish history and help shape the future of witch trials.

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]]> In 1324, the town of Kilkenny became the setting for Ireland's first recorded witch trial. When wealthy noblewoman Alice Kyteler was accused of witchcraft, her servant Petronilla de Meath was swept into the investigation. Rumors of mysterious deaths and dark magic soon captured the attention of church authorities, turning a local scandal into a deadly trial. In this episode, we explore the legal case that would leave a lasting mark on Irish history and help shape the future of witch trials.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-19369228 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0700 3422 7 11 full true He Didn't Start the Fire | Robert Hubert He Didn't Start the Fire | Robert Hubert The Great Fire of London in 1666 left people not only homeless and terrified, but desperate for answers. Accepting that a catastrophic disaster could begin with a simple accident wasn't nearly satisfying enough. London wanted to know who started the fire.

In this episode, we dive into the bizarre case of Robert Hubert, the Frenchman who somehow became London's prime suspect after the city went up in flames. There's just one problem: the evidence against him was remarkably thin. In fact, parts of it blatantly contradicted his confession.

This may be our first episode where the accused practically had to convince the authorities to convict him. Yet despite the glaring holes in the case, London got the villain it wanted.

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]]> The Great Fire of London in 1666 left people not only homeless and terrified, but desperate for answers. Accepting that a catastrophic disaster could begin with a simple accident wasn't nearly satisfying enough. London wanted to know who started the fire.

In this episode, we dive into the bizarre case of Robert Hubert, the Frenchman who somehow became London's prime suspect after the city went up in flames. There's just one problem: the evidence against him was remarkably thin. In fact, parts of it blatantly contradicted his confession.

This may be our first episode where the accused practically had to convince the authorities to convict him. Yet despite the glaring holes in the case, London got the villain it wanted.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-19291534 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0700 3429 7 10 full true Getting Westinghoused: The Execution that Shocked America | William Kemmler Getting Westinghoused: The Execution that Shocked America | William Kemmler In 1888, hangings in America were falling out of favor, and a task force was assembled to find a more “humane” method of capital punishment. At the very same time, electricity was transforming the modern world , and the infamous Current Wars were raging.

On one side was George Westinghouse, backed by Nikola Tesla, advocating for AC (alternating current). On the other was Thomas Edison, pushing for the widespread use of DC (direct current). When the electric chair emerged as a possible new method of execution, the debate over which type of current it would use became a deadly serious issue.

Enter William Kemmler, the first person in history sentenced to die in the electric chair. What followed was a gruesome spectacle that horrified witnesses, fueled propaganda in the Current Wars, and changed executions in America forever.


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]]> In 1888, hangings in America were falling out of favor, and a task force was assembled to find a more “humane” method of capital punishment. At the very same time, electricity was transforming the modern world , and the infamous Current Wars were raging.

On one side was George Westinghouse, backed by Nikola Tesla, advocating for AC (alternating current). On the other was Thomas Edison, pushing for the widespread use of DC (direct current). When the electric chair emerged as a possible new method of execution, the debate over which type of current it would use became a deadly serious issue.

Enter William Kemmler, the first person in history sentenced to die in the electric chair. What followed was a gruesome spectacle that horrified witnesses, fueled propaganda in the Current Wars, and changed executions in America forever.


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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-19213345 Thu, 21 May 2026 06:00:00 -0700 3700 7 9 full true The Fate of the Faithful | The Martyrs of Compiègne The Fate of the Faithful | The Martyrs of Compiègne In the final, chaotic days of the French Revolution, a small community of Carmelite nuns made a decision that would echo through history.

In this episode, we tell the haunting and deeply moving story of the Martyrs of Compiègne—sixteen women who refused to abandon their religious vows, even under the looming threat of the guillotine. As the Reign of Terror intensified, they were arrested, tried, and sentenced to death simply for living out their faith. What followed at the scaffold became unforgettable.

This is not just a story about death, but a story of courage, and the price one is willing to pay to remain faithful to their beliefs.

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]]> In the final, chaotic days of the French Revolution, a small community of Carmelite nuns made a decision that would echo through history.

In this episode, we tell the haunting and deeply moving story of the Martyrs of Compiègne—sixteen women who refused to abandon their religious vows, even under the looming threat of the guillotine. As the Reign of Terror intensified, they were arrested, tried, and sentenced to death simply for living out their faith. What followed at the scaffold became unforgettable.

This is not just a story about death, but a story of courage, and the price one is willing to pay to remain faithful to their beliefs.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18986077 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0700 3226 7 8 full true The Sayre Slayer of New Jersey | Antoine Le Blanc The Sayre Slayer of New Jersey | Antoine Le Blanc In 1833, the quiet town of Morristown, New Jersey became the site of one of the most disturbing crimes in early American history. When French immigrant Antoine Le Blanc arrived in the United States looking for work, he found a job with the Sayre family. Within weeks, the arrangement ended in brutal violence.

Le Blanc went down in history not only for committing the town’s only triple homicide, but also for what happened after his execution. What was done to his body shocked the community and has continued to fascinate historians and true crime enthusiasts for nearly two centuries. His story is one of murder, punishment, and a postmortem fate far more disturbing than the crime itself.

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]]> In 1833, the quiet town of Morristown, New Jersey became the site of one of the most disturbing crimes in early American history. When French immigrant Antoine Le Blanc arrived in the United States looking for work, he found a job with the Sayre family. Within weeks, the arrangement ended in brutal violence.

Le Blanc went down in history not only for committing the town’s only triple homicide, but also for what happened after his execution. What was done to his body shocked the community and has continued to fascinate historians and true crime enthusiasts for nearly two centuries. His story is one of murder, punishment, and a postmortem fate far more disturbing than the crime itself.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18871027 Thu, 19 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0700 3487 7 7 full true Special Edition Episode: Interview with Adam Pennington Special Edition Episode: Interview with Adam Pennington We’re joined by historian, author, and podcaster Adam Pennington for an in-depth conversation on power, lineage, and survival in Tudor England.

Adam is the creator and host of "The Tudor Chest" website and podcast series, where he brings a fresh and thoughtful perspective to one of history’s most dramatic periods. He is also the author of the highly praised Henry VIII and the Plantagenet Poles: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, which examines the perilous fate of the Pole family during the reign of Henry VIII.

In this discussion, we examine how the Poles came to be viewed as a serious threat to the Tudor crown, resulting in the Exeter Conspiracy and the execution of eight individuals, along with twelve arrests. We also take a closer look at one of the most shocking moments of the period: the brutal execution of Margaret Pole.

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]]> We’re joined by historian, author, and podcaster Adam Pennington for an in-depth conversation on power, lineage, and survival in Tudor England.

Adam is the creator and host of "The Tudor Chest" website and podcast series, where he brings a fresh and thoughtful perspective to one of history’s most dramatic periods. He is also the author of the highly praised Henry VIII and the Plantagenet Poles: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, which examines the perilous fate of the Pole family during the reign of Henry VIII.

In this discussion, we examine how the Poles came to be viewed as a serious threat to the Tudor crown, resulting in the Exeter Conspiracy and the execution of eight individuals, along with twelve arrests. We also take a closer look at one of the most shocking moments of the period: the brutal execution of Margaret Pole.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18697402 Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0700 3866 7 7 full true Priest, Proctor, Prisoner | Bishop John Fisher Priest, Proctor, Prisoner | Bishop John Fisher Bishop John Fisher was one of the most respected minds of Tudor England. He was also one of the very few men who dared to say “no” to King Henry VIII. Rising quickly through a series of early successes, Fisher became Bishop of Rochester, where he openly opposed the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, which named the king as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. His defiance led to imprisonment in the Tower of London and beheading in 1535. Fisher’s story is one of moral courage and the high personal cost of standing firm in one’s beliefs.

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]]> Bishop John Fisher was one of the most respected minds of Tudor England. He was also one of the very few men who dared to say “no” to King Henry VIII. Rising quickly through a series of early successes, Fisher became Bishop of Rochester, where he openly opposed the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, which named the king as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. His defiance led to imprisonment in the Tower of London and beheading in 1535. Fisher’s story is one of moral courage and the high personal cost of standing firm in one’s beliefs.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18620874 Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0700 3773 7 6 full true The Romanov Court: Romance & Ruin | Mary Hamilton The Romanov Court: Romance & Ruin | Mary Hamilton Mary Hamilton was a young woman of Scottish descent who rose to prominence in the Russian court of Peter the Great. Serving as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine I, Mary appeared to have a life worth envying. But behind the elegance of court life, she harbored dark and dangerous secrets.

Set in early 18th-century Russia, this episode examines how power, gender, and fear shaped justice under Peter the Great. While Mary Hamilton’s choices carried deadly consequences, her public execution became one of the most shocking and haunting scandals of the Romanov era.

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]]> Mary Hamilton was a young woman of Scottish descent who rose to prominence in the Russian court of Peter the Great. Serving as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine I, Mary appeared to have a life worth envying. But behind the elegance of court life, she harbored dark and dangerous secrets.

Set in early 18th-century Russia, this episode examines how power, gender, and fear shaped justice under Peter the Great. While Mary Hamilton’s choices carried deadly consequences, her public execution became one of the most shocking and haunting scandals of the Romanov era.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18541544 Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0700 2657 7 5 full true Boys, It's the Bisbee Massacre Boys, It's the Bisbee Massacre In this episode, we travel to the dusty streets of Bisbee, Arizona in 1883, where a robbery quickly spiraled into deadly violence. What was intended to be a targeted crime resulted in the deaths of innocent people and left the town shaken with shock and anger. At the center of it all was John Heath, the man who orchestrated the robbery while keeping his own hands free of blood.

In the aftermath of what became known as the Bisbee Massacre, five men were put on trial for first degree murder. John Heath faced a separate trial for his role in planning the crime, and while he may have believed he escaped the worst punishment, his sentence set the stage for one of the most infamous acts of vigilante justice in the American West.

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]]> In this episode, we travel to the dusty streets of Bisbee, Arizona in 1883, where a robbery quickly spiraled into deadly violence. What was intended to be a targeted crime resulted in the deaths of innocent people and left the town shaken with shock and anger. At the center of it all was John Heath, the man who orchestrated the robbery while keeping his own hands free of blood.

In the aftermath of what became known as the Bisbee Massacre, five men were put on trial for first degree murder. John Heath faced a separate trial for his role in planning the crime, and while he may have believed he escaped the worst punishment, his sentence set the stage for one of the most infamous acts of vigilante justice in the American West.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18464716 Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:00:00 -0700 3585 7 4 full true Paramours and Poison | Madame Marie-Madeleine de Brinvilliers Paramours and Poison | Madame Marie-Madeleine de Brinvilliers Introducing Madame de Brinvilliers: devoted lover, enthusiastic poisoner, and a woman who could hold a truly impressive grudge. Her clever murder spree horrified Paris and helped ignite France’s obsession with secret poisons, eventually leading to the Affair of the Poisons.

Competent, methodical, and alarmingly confident, she nearly got away with it all. Unfortunately for Marie-Madeleine, her own incriminating self-confessions ultimately led to her downfall. What begins as a scandalous love affair ends at the scaffold.

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]]> Introducing Madame de Brinvilliers: devoted lover, enthusiastic poisoner, and a woman who could hold a truly impressive grudge. Her clever murder spree horrified Paris and helped ignite France’s obsession with secret poisons, eventually leading to the Affair of the Poisons.

Competent, methodical, and alarmingly confident, she nearly got away with it all. Unfortunately for Marie-Madeleine, her own incriminating self-confessions ultimately led to her downfall. What begins as a scandalous love affair ends at the scaffold.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18364554 Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:00:00 -0700 4126 7 3 full true Game of Roses | Richard Woodville Game of Roses | Richard Woodville Richard Woodville was the unlikely courtier who rose from modest origins to become Earl Rivers and father of the Queen of England. In the real-life Game of Thrones that was the Wars of the Roses, Woodville climbed from being the son of a chamberlain to the husband of a wealthy duchess. Their daughter, Elizabeth Woodville, rose higher still and married King Edward IV. But swift ascents create swift enemies, and the Woodville rise ignited resentment, rumors, and political backlash. In this episode, we unravel how Richard navigated the treacherous politics of York and Lancaster, how the Woodvilles became the family everyone loved to hate, and how ambition, marriage, and timing reshaped the fate of a dynasty.

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]]> Richard Woodville was the unlikely courtier who rose from modest origins to become Earl Rivers and father of the Queen of England. In the real-life Game of Thrones that was the Wars of the Roses, Woodville climbed from being the son of a chamberlain to the husband of a wealthy duchess. Their daughter, Elizabeth Woodville, rose higher still and married King Edward IV. But swift ascents create swift enemies, and the Woodville rise ignited resentment, rumors, and political backlash. In this episode, we unravel how Richard navigated the treacherous politics of York and Lancaster, how the Woodvilles became the family everyone loved to hate, and how ambition, marriage, and timing reshaped the fate of a dynasty.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18283520 Tue, 02 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0700 3111 7 2 full true The Other Ptolemy Girl | Berenice IV The Other Ptolemy Girl | Berenice IV For over 2,000 years, Cleopatra has remained one of the most recognizable queens in history. Yet despite her fascinating life, Cleopatra’s older sister is often reduced to a footnote. This episode turns our attention to Berenice IV, one of the most overlooked figures in the Ptolemaic Dynasty.

When her father, Ptolemy XII, fled Egypt, Berenice suddenly found herself thrust onto the throne. But with the kingdom strained by political unrest and a dynasty unraveling, her reign was destined to be brief and turbulent.

Join us as we uncover the story of a queen who fought to rule…and paid the ultimate price for it.


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]]> For over 2,000 years, Cleopatra has remained one of the most recognizable queens in history. Yet despite her fascinating life, Cleopatra’s older sister is often reduced to a footnote. This episode turns our attention to Berenice IV, one of the most overlooked figures in the Ptolemaic Dynasty.

When her father, Ptolemy XII, fled Egypt, Berenice suddenly found herself thrust onto the throne. But with the kingdom strained by political unrest and a dynasty unraveling, her reign was destined to be brief and turbulent.

Join us as we uncover the story of a queen who fought to rule…and paid the ultimate price for it.


Support the show

]]> Buzzsprout-18208930 Tue, 18 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0700 3940 7 1 full true Special Edition Episode: Interview with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb Special Edition Episode: Interview with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb We are honored to welcome renowned historian, author, and television presenter Professor Suzannah Lipscomb for a very special interview. Known for her sharp insight into the lives of women throughout history, Suzannah joins us to discuss everything from the impact of the Tudor world to the spread of witchcraft accusations over the centuries. Suzannah uncovers what it really means to reclaim history from a modern feminist lens. Expect wit, warmth, and a few shocking truths as we celebrate the return of Beheaded for Season 7!


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]]> We are honored to welcome renowned historian, author, and television presenter Professor Suzannah Lipscomb for a very special interview. Known for her sharp insight into the lives of women throughout history, Suzannah joins us to discuss everything from the impact of the Tudor world to the spread of witchcraft accusations over the centuries. Suzannah uncovers what it really means to reclaim history from a modern feminist lens. Expect wit, warmth, and a few shocking truths as we celebrate the return of Beheaded for Season 7!


Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-18106060 Fri, 31 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700 3005 7 1 full true Whispers of Maleficium: The Pendle Witch Trials (Part II) Whispers of Maleficium: The Pendle Witch Trials (Part II) Our season finale concludes with the fate of the Pendle Witches. After months in prison, nine men and women accused of witchcraft following a series of strange events in their small town finally face trial in Lancaster, England. But what they didn’t anticipate was the arrival of a most unlikely witness, someone no one had foreseen, who holds all of their fates in her hands.

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]]> Our season finale concludes with the fate of the Pendle Witches. After months in prison, nine men and women accused of witchcraft following a series of strange events in their small town finally face trial in Lancaster, England. But what they didn’t anticipate was the arrival of a most unlikely witness, someone no one had foreseen, who holds all of their fates in her hands.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-17200493 Wed, 21 May 2025 04:00:00 -0700 3585 6 14 full true Whispers of Maleficium: The Pendle Witch Trials (Part I) Whispers of Maleficium: The Pendle Witch Trials (Part I) In 1612, the rural landscape of Lancashire became the backdrop for one of England’s most notable witch trials. This episode explores how village rivalries, deep-rooted superstitions, and a shifting political climate all played a role in the events leading up to the Pendle Witch Trials. King James I's personal fears about witchcraft and his book Daemonologie helped shape a legal system eager to pursue accusations of magic, malice and maleficium. In part one of our season finale, we set the stage for what would become one of the largest mass witch trials in English history.

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]]> In 1612, the rural landscape of Lancashire became the backdrop for one of England’s most notable witch trials. This episode explores how village rivalries, deep-rooted superstitions, and a shifting political climate all played a role in the events leading up to the Pendle Witch Trials. King James I's personal fears about witchcraft and his book Daemonologie helped shape a legal system eager to pursue accusations of magic, malice and maleficium. In part one of our season finale, we set the stage for what would become one of the largest mass witch trials in English history.

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-17158491 Wed, 14 May 2025 07:00:00 -0700 3286 6 13 full true Espionage and the Electric Chair | Ethel & Julius Rosenberg Espionage and the Electric Chair | Ethel & Julius Rosenberg One of the most controversial espionage cases in American history was the trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, the Rosenbergs became symbols of both patriotic betrayal and political scapegoating. Were they truly spies—or victims of a paranoid era? Listen to the evidence and decide for yourself! 

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]]> One of the most controversial espionage cases in American history was the trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, the Rosenbergs became symbols of both patriotic betrayal and political scapegoating. Were they truly spies—or victims of a paranoid era? Listen to the evidence and decide for yourself! 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-17024469 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:00:00 -0700 3848 6 12 full true Ella Disenchanted in Imperial Russia | Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine Ella Disenchanted in Imperial Russia | Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine is a captivating yet often overlooked figure in European royal history. Born into an impressive lineage as the daughter of Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and sister-in-law to the Romanov family, Elisabeth’s life was marked by both privilege and tragedy. Despite the personal challenges she faced, she became one of the most admired and sought-after socialites of early 20th-century Europe, celebrated for her charm and grace. However, her royal blood would eventually become her greatest threat as Russian Revolutionists were on a mission to end anyone connected to the Imperial Family.

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]]> Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine is a captivating yet often overlooked figure in European royal history. Born into an impressive lineage as the daughter of Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and sister-in-law to the Romanov family, Elisabeth’s life was marked by both privilege and tragedy. Despite the personal challenges she faced, she became one of the most admired and sought-after socialites of early 20th-century Europe, celebrated for her charm and grace. However, her royal blood would eventually become her greatest threat as Russian Revolutionists were on a mission to end anyone connected to the Imperial Family.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16908573 Thu, 03 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0700 3494 6 11 full true Forged in Irony | Georg Honauer Forged in Irony | Georg Honauer Georg Honauer was a man of ambition and bold confidence, living during a time when alchemy was at the height of fascination. Seizing the opportunity, he sought to impress Friedrich I, Duke of Württemberg, with his grand claim: the ability to turn ordinary metal into gold. But in his overconfidence, Georg may have miscalculated the risks—leading to a dramatic and tragic downfall. In this episode, the punishment is as fitting as it is "iron"-ic, as we explore the dark consequences of a failed alchemical dream. 

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]]> Georg Honauer was a man of ambition and bold confidence, living during a time when alchemy was at the height of fascination. Seizing the opportunity, he sought to impress Friedrich I, Duke of Württemberg, with his grand claim: the ability to turn ordinary metal into gold. But in his overconfidence, Georg may have miscalculated the risks—leading to a dramatic and tragic downfall. In this episode, the punishment is as fitting as it is "iron"-ic, as we explore the dark consequences of a failed alchemical dream. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16827032 Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:00:00 -0700 2749 6 10 full true The Catherine Wheel | Catherine of Alexandria The Catherine Wheel | Catherine of Alexandria Meet Catherine of Alexandria — the brilliant, fearless, and slightly rebellious saint who gave 4th-century philosophers a run for their money. From outwitting emperors to holding her own in a debate with the greatest minds of her time, Catherine wasn’t just a pretty face (though, she probably had one of those too). One of her biggest legacies was actually having a torture device named after her. Tune in to find out why! 

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]]> Meet Catherine of Alexandria — the brilliant, fearless, and slightly rebellious saint who gave 4th-century philosophers a run for their money. From outwitting emperors to holding her own in a debate with the greatest minds of her time, Catherine wasn’t just a pretty face (though, she probably had one of those too). One of her biggest legacies was actually having a torture device named after her. Tune in to find out why! 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16743103 Wed, 05 Mar 2025 20:00:00 -0700 2823 6 9 full true Aske-ing for a Friend | Robert Aske Aske-ing for a Friend | Robert Aske Though Robert Aske, a well connected English barrister, attempted to keep to himself and live a quiet life of work and faith, the rebels of northern England had other ideas. Aske went from merely speaking ill of King Henry VIII’s  religious reforms to captaining a full-on uprising, becoming the foremost leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Unfortunately for Aske, Henry VIII was not known for his patience or forgiveness. Tune in as we unravel the drama, the politics, and the tragic irony of a man who fought for faith and tradition... only to find himself on the wrong side of the executioner’s scaffold.

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]]> Though Robert Aske, a well connected English barrister, attempted to keep to himself and live a quiet life of work and faith, the rebels of northern England had other ideas. Aske went from merely speaking ill of King Henry VIII’s  religious reforms to captaining a full-on uprising, becoming the foremost leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Unfortunately for Aske, Henry VIII was not known for his patience or forgiveness. Tune in as we unravel the drama, the politics, and the tragic irony of a man who fought for faith and tradition... only to find himself on the wrong side of the executioner’s scaffold.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16613623 Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:00:00 -0700 3624 6 8 full true Roman Thirst for Glory and Gold | Manius Aquillius Roman Thirst for Glory and Gold | Manius Aquillius The Roman's never missed the opportunity for a classic metaphorical (and gruesome) death sentence. Manius Aquillius was a Roman politician and military commander in about 100 BC. During an era of epic battles and rebellions, he wasn't short on enemies. As a symbolic measure for his thirst for wealth, Aquillius faced one of the most unique and grotesque executions we've shared on this podcast: death by having molten gold poured down his throat. If you, like us, are curious how this would even work, then you're going to want to listen to this episode. 

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]]> The Roman's never missed the opportunity for a classic metaphorical (and gruesome) death sentence. Manius Aquillius was a Roman politician and military commander in about 100 BC. During an era of epic battles and rebellions, he wasn't short on enemies. As a symbolic measure for his thirst for wealth, Aquillius faced one of the most unique and grotesque executions we've shared on this podcast: death by having molten gold poured down his throat. If you, like us, are curious how this would even work, then you're going to want to listen to this episode. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16522870 Wed, 29 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0700 3257 6 7 full true Rebel of the Red Cross | Edith Cavell Rebel of the Red Cross | Edith Cavell Edith Cavell was a British nurse and World War I hero. Known for her unwavering commitment to saving lives, Cavell played a pivotal role in helping over 200 Allied soldiers and civilians escape German-occupied Belgium through an underground network. In this episode, we discuss the rise of her nursing career and how she went above and beyond in her efforts to save lives. Unfortunately, her actions were not seen as acts of humanity from the German perspective, and they were prepared to subject Edith to the full punishment for being labeled a traitor.

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]]> Edith Cavell was a British nurse and World War I hero. Known for her unwavering commitment to saving lives, Cavell played a pivotal role in helping over 200 Allied soldiers and civilians escape German-occupied Belgium through an underground network. In this episode, we discuss the rise of her nursing career and how she went above and beyond in her efforts to save lives. Unfortunately, her actions were not seen as acts of humanity from the German perspective, and they were prepared to subject Edith to the full punishment for being labeled a traitor.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16399489 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0700 3432 6 6 full true Served on a Silver Platter: The Execution of John the Baptist Served on a Silver Platter: The Execution of John the Baptist Support the show

]]> Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16336303 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0700 3175 6 5 full true The Black Dinner: A Meal to Die For The Black Dinner: A Meal to Die For The infamous feast that later became known as the Black Dinner represents a dark chapter in Scottish history. Set in 15th-century Scotland, during an era of crusades and violence, our story details how the young brothers of the Douglas clan were betrayed during a celebratory dinner, marked by the ominous presentation of a bull's head. We explore the political motives and repercussions of a banquet that turned into a bloodbath and later inspired the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.

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]]> The infamous feast that later became known as the Black Dinner represents a dark chapter in Scottish history. Set in 15th-century Scotland, during an era of crusades and violence, our story details how the young brothers of the Douglas clan were betrayed during a celebratory dinner, marked by the ominous presentation of a bull's head. We explore the political motives and repercussions of a banquet that turned into a bloodbath and later inspired the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16255213 Wed, 11 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0700 3379 6 4 full true The Forbidden Tale of the Duke and the Witch | Agnes Bernauer The Forbidden Tale of the Duke and the Witch | Agnes Bernauer The story of Agnes Bernauer is a haunting blend of love and tragedy that has been passed down for generations. Born in the early 1400's Bavaria, Agnes ascended from the working class to the Munich court by capturing the heart of a duke’s son. Duke Ernest of Bavaria, however, had other plans for his son. With accusations of witchcraft looming, her lover’s father took drastic measures to ensure Agnes would not be in his son's life for long. 

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]]> The story of Agnes Bernauer is a haunting blend of love and tragedy that has been passed down for generations. Born in the early 1400's Bavaria, Agnes ascended from the working class to the Munich court by capturing the heart of a duke’s son. Duke Ernest of Bavaria, however, had other plans for his son. With accusations of witchcraft looming, her lover’s father took drastic measures to ensure Agnes would not be in his son's life for long. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16184034 Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:00:00 -0700 3138 6 3 full true Raid Against the Machine | Jeremiah Brandreth Raid Against the Machine | Jeremiah Brandreth In this episode, we delve into the life and legacy of Jeremiah Brandreth, a key figure in the Luddite rebellion. Known as 'The Nottingham Captain,' Brandreth led a desperate uprising of workers against the mechanization that threatened their jobs and livelihoods in early 19th-century England. We take a look at the impact of the Industrial Revolution who the Luddites were, as well as the harsh punshment they received for rebelling against the government. 

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]]> In this episode, we delve into the life and legacy of Jeremiah Brandreth, a key figure in the Luddite rebellion. Known as 'The Nottingham Captain,' Brandreth led a desperate uprising of workers against the mechanization that threatened their jobs and livelihoods in early 19th-century England. We take a look at the impact of the Industrial Revolution who the Luddites were, as well as the harsh punshment they received for rebelling against the government. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16094429 Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0700 3357 6 2 full true Madame du Barry: The Girl from Nothing & Ready for Anything Madame du Barry: The Girl from Nothing & Ready for Anything In this episode, we take you back to the court of Versailles to share the story of Madame du Barry—the last mistress of King Louis XV. Was she truly the frivolous scandal history remembers? Or a woman of surprising wit, charm, and ambition? Pour yourself a glass of something French and let’s dive into the life of this infamous enchantress who found herself both beloved and betrayed by the world’s most glittering court.

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]]> In this episode, we take you back to the court of Versailles to share the story of Madame du Barry—the last mistress of King Louis XV. Was she truly the frivolous scandal history remembers? Or a woman of surprising wit, charm, and ambition? Pour yourself a glass of something French and let’s dive into the life of this infamous enchantress who found herself both beloved and betrayed by the world’s most glittering court.

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-16020738 Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:00:00 -0700 5060 6 1 full true Elisabeth de France and the Holy Guillotine: Part II Elisabeth de France and the Holy Guillotine: Part II In part two of our season finale, we share the tragic ending of Elisabeth de France and how she stood by her brother, King Louis VXI, throughout the bloody French Revolution. While Elisabeth was notorious for her cheeky and even stubborn behavior as a child, she blossomed into a virtuous young adult who held firm to her devotion to the monarchy. While her sentence was controversial, unfortunately, Elisabeth's piousness could not save her from the sharp edge of the guillotine. 

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]]> In part two of our season finale, we share the tragic ending of Elisabeth de France and how she stood by her brother, King Louis VXI, throughout the bloody French Revolution. While Elisabeth was notorious for her cheeky and even stubborn behavior as a child, she blossomed into a virtuous young adult who held firm to her devotion to the monarchy. While her sentence was controversial, unfortunately, Elisabeth's piousness could not save her from the sharp edge of the guillotine. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-15277870 Tue, 16 Jul 2024 16:00:00 -0700 3177 5 14 full true Elisabeth de France and the Holy Guillotine: Part I Elisabeth de France and the Holy Guillotine: Part I While Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were dealing with revolutionists in France, there was one person behind the scenes who has received very little recognition: Elisabeth de France, King Louis' youngest sister. Elisabeth grew up in the royal court of Versailles as a French Princess. While her education and upbringing was standard for the times, nothing could prepare her for the French Revolution that was to come. In this two part finale, we start off with the early life of young Elisabeth and the tumultuous climate of France that she was raised in.

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]]> While Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were dealing with revolutionists in France, there was one person behind the scenes who has received very little recognition: Elisabeth de France, King Louis' youngest sister. Elisabeth grew up in the royal court of Versailles as a French Princess. While her education and upbringing was standard for the times, nothing could prepare her for the French Revolution that was to come. In this two part finale, we start off with the early life of young Elisabeth and the tumultuous climate of France that she was raised in.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-15233586 Tue, 11 Jun 2024 13:00:00 -0700 3334 5 13 full true The Last of the Gurus | Sikh Gurus The Last of the Gurus | Sikh Gurus Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in world and was founded in India in the late 15th century. It emphasizes the worship of one God, equality of all people, selfless service, and devotion to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

While these Gurus had a mission to live peaceful lives, they couldn't avoid a pattern of violence and death throughout their generations. In this episode, we share the story of three generations of Guru's who all faced persecution and even execution for their beliefs and explore their fierce determination to fight for a more harmonious world.

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]]> Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in world and was founded in India in the late 15th century. It emphasizes the worship of one God, equality of all people, selfless service, and devotion to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

While these Gurus had a mission to live peaceful lives, they couldn't avoid a pattern of violence and death throughout their generations. In this episode, we share the story of three generations of Guru's who all faced persecution and even execution for their beliefs and explore their fierce determination to fight for a more harmonious world.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-15042172 Thu, 09 May 2024 14:00:00 -0700 3570 5 12 full true Pugachev the Great | Yemelyan Pugachev Pugachev the Great | Yemelyan Pugachev Our story begins with Tsar Peter III of Russia being overthrown by his own wife, the infamous Catherine the Great, only to be declared deceased soon after for vague medical reasons. Years later, Yemelyan Pugachev, a peasant who claimed to be the late Peter III, emerges. Pugachev's Rebellion, also known as the Cossack Rebellion, gained support from various social groups, including peasants and some nobles who opposed Catherine's rule. Their goal was to dethrone her and reinstate "Peter III," despite the fact that their "Peter" was just an imposter, probably with bad teeth. Whether his supporters didn’t care that he was a fraud or simply were oblivious to the truth, Pugachev managed to disrupt Russia with his attempts to seize the throne and champion the peasants and serfs who have suffered under Catherine's reign. However, evading arrest can only be accomplished so many times.

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]]> Our story begins with Tsar Peter III of Russia being overthrown by his own wife, the infamous Catherine the Great, only to be declared deceased soon after for vague medical reasons. Years later, Yemelyan Pugachev, a peasant who claimed to be the late Peter III, emerges. Pugachev's Rebellion, also known as the Cossack Rebellion, gained support from various social groups, including peasants and some nobles who opposed Catherine's rule. Their goal was to dethrone her and reinstate "Peter III," despite the fact that their "Peter" was just an imposter, probably with bad teeth. Whether his supporters didn’t care that he was a fraud or simply were oblivious to the truth, Pugachev managed to disrupt Russia with his attempts to seize the throne and champion the peasants and serfs who have suffered under Catherine's reign. However, evading arrest can only be accomplished so many times.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14944038 Tue, 23 Apr 2024 14:00:00 -0700 3610 5 11 full true Arsenic and Black Widows | Catherine and Margaret Flannagn Arsenic and Black Widows | Catherine and Margaret Flannagn Life in 1800’s Liverpool, England was rough. It was a port city with a high population of hard-working immigrants all trying to make ends meet. However, some were more desperate than others to ensure their living was made. Catherine and Margaret Flannagn, two Irish sisters who owned a boarding house, found themselves in the middle of a dark network of women who took advantage of insurance organizations after the death of a loved one. This network, which became known as the “Black Widows of Liverpool”, discovered the quickest way to a paycheck was with some arsenic and a compromised conscious. Unfortunately, the sisters tested their luck one two many times.

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]]> Life in 1800’s Liverpool, England was rough. It was a port city with a high population of hard-working immigrants all trying to make ends meet. However, some were more desperate than others to ensure their living was made. Catherine and Margaret Flannagn, two Irish sisters who owned a boarding house, found themselves in the middle of a dark network of women who took advantage of insurance organizations after the death of a loved one. This network, which became known as the “Black Widows of Liverpool”, discovered the quickest way to a paycheck was with some arsenic and a compromised conscious. Unfortunately, the sisters tested their luck one two many times.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14860259 Tue, 09 Apr 2024 15:00:00 -0700 3142 5 10 full true The Rope Drop Flop | Margaret Ward The Rope Drop Flop | Margaret Ward The Tudor Dynasty was notorious for creating religious tension across England as they swayed between Protestantism and Catholicism, depending on who wore the crown. With Elizabeth I on the throne, Catholics were forced to practice their beliefs in hiding. Margaret Ward was empathetic towards the Catholic priests being imprisoned and went so far as to help one of them escape. Known as the 'Pearl of Tyburn', she paid the highest price for another man's freedom.

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]]> The Tudor Dynasty was notorious for creating religious tension across England as they swayed between Protestantism and Catholicism, depending on who wore the crown. With Elizabeth I on the throne, Catholics were forced to practice their beliefs in hiding. Margaret Ward was empathetic towards the Catholic priests being imprisoned and went so far as to help one of them escape. Known as the 'Pearl of Tyburn', she paid the highest price for another man's freedom.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14721609 Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:00:00 -0700 3107 5 9 full true Egyptian Tomb Raiders: Treasure or Torture Egyptian Tomb Raiders: Treasure or Torture It can be said that the ancient Egyptians were quite materialistic. The pyramids housed more than just the mummies and dust of pharaohs and queens, but also the lifetime of riches of the nobility to ensure they could bring them with them to the afterlife. In modern-day currency, these tombs were filled to the brim with hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of gold, jewels, and other valuables.

While local Egyptians were haunted by the thought of not having a peaceful afterlife, it didn't stop many from raiding these tombs. Throughout the reigns of the ancient pharaohs, tomb raiding became a serious issue, resulting in arrests and court cases almost daily. It was a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. In this episode of Beheaded, we discuss the gruesome fates of those found guilty of tomb raiding and the torture and execution methods faced by the robbers.

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]]> It can be said that the ancient Egyptians were quite materialistic. The pyramids housed more than just the mummies and dust of pharaohs and queens, but also the lifetime of riches of the nobility to ensure they could bring them with them to the afterlife. In modern-day currency, these tombs were filled to the brim with hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of gold, jewels, and other valuables.

While local Egyptians were haunted by the thought of not having a peaceful afterlife, it didn't stop many from raiding these tombs. Throughout the reigns of the ancient pharaohs, tomb raiding became a serious issue, resulting in arrests and court cases almost daily. It was a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. In this episode of Beheaded, we discuss the gruesome fates of those found guilty of tomb raiding and the torture and execution methods faced by the robbers.

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14593932 Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700 3931 5 8 full true The Breaking Wheel on the Bayou | Jean Baptiste Baudreau II The Breaking Wheel on the Bayou | Jean Baptiste Baudreau II In the early 1700's, Jean Baptiste Baudreau II had a unique mixed heritage that enabled him to forge connections with both the French colonists of the American south and the Native American tribes. He was a rebel without a cause.... no really, we aren't quite sure what his cause was.... but he was found untrustworthy amongst the white colonists because of his strong ties to the indigenous people.  After spending years in prison for crimes we, again, aren't quite sure of, the local officials decided to use him as an example by sentencing him to death using a very medieval device: the breaking wheel. In this Mardi Gras themed episode, we talk about how this execution method worked and the legacy Jean Baptiste has on modern day New Orleans.

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]]> In the early 1700's, Jean Baptiste Baudreau II had a unique mixed heritage that enabled him to forge connections with both the French colonists of the American south and the Native American tribes. He was a rebel without a cause.... no really, we aren't quite sure what his cause was.... but he was found untrustworthy amongst the white colonists because of his strong ties to the indigenous people.  After spending years in prison for crimes we, again, aren't quite sure of, the local officials decided to use him as an example by sentencing him to death using a very medieval device: the breaking wheel. In this Mardi Gras themed episode, we talk about how this execution method worked and the legacy Jean Baptiste has on modern day New Orleans.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14506588 Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:00:00 -0700 3269 neworleans, history, darkhistory, truecrime, historylovers, americanhistory 5 7 full true Dying on a Prayer | Mabel Brigge Dying on a Prayer | Mabel Brigge While King Henry VIII wasn't particularly known for being afraid of witches, he was certainly paranoid about assassination... even if it was only through a prophetic attempt. Mabel Brigge claimed she was a devout Catholic who used fasting as a method to pray for those in need, whether it meant finding lost money or potentially praying for the death of the King of England! In this episode of Beheaded, we discuss how the Tudor dynasty viewed witches and the Dark Arts, and what happened to the women accused of possessing powerful magic.

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]]> While King Henry VIII wasn't particularly known for being afraid of witches, he was certainly paranoid about assassination... even if it was only through a prophetic attempt. Mabel Brigge claimed she was a devout Catholic who used fasting as a method to pray for those in need, whether it meant finding lost money or potentially praying for the death of the King of England! In this episode of Beheaded, we discuss how the Tudor dynasty viewed witches and the Dark Arts, and what happened to the women accused of possessing powerful magic.

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14408229 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 14:00:00 -0700 3397 5 6 full true Captain Jack & His Bonny Lass | Calico Jack Captain Jack & His Bonny Lass | Calico Jack Jack Rackham, known as Calico Jack, was a true pirate of the Caribbean. With his Jolly Roger hoisted high and his bonny lass by his side, Jack and his crew sailed the seas during the Golden Age of Piracy. Jack stood apart from other pirates, though, as he had not one, but two notorious female pirates on his ship: Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Like most pirates of the age, Jack and much of his crew did not live to see a ripe old age, but instead met their demise at the end of a short drop and a sudden stop. Anne and Mary, however, were meant for a different fate and their stories soon passed to legend.

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]]> Jack Rackham, known as Calico Jack, was a true pirate of the Caribbean. With his Jolly Roger hoisted high and his bonny lass by his side, Jack and his crew sailed the seas during the Golden Age of Piracy. Jack stood apart from other pirates, though, as he had not one, but two notorious female pirates on his ship: Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Like most pirates of the age, Jack and much of his crew did not live to see a ripe old age, but instead met their demise at the end of a short drop and a sudden stop. Anne and Mary, however, were meant for a different fate and their stories soon passed to legend.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14328035 Wed, 17 Jan 2024 11:00:00 -0700 4085 5 5 full true The Nightclub Murderess | Ruth Ellis The Nightclub Murderess | Ruth Ellis Ruth Ellis, a young and alluring nightclub manager in 1950s England, came from a rough background. She was introduced early on in life to the consenquences of   untrustworthy men, alcohol, and the unsavory underworld of London's nightlife. Things only got worst when she found herself in a jelous rage aiming a revolver directly at her lover. At the young age of 28, Ruth Ellis left a lasting mark in history as not only the last woman to be hanged in Britain, but also as a catalyst for the United Kingdom's reevaluation of death penalty policies. 

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]]> Ruth Ellis, a young and alluring nightclub manager in 1950s England, came from a rough background. She was introduced early on in life to the consenquences of   untrustworthy men, alcohol, and the unsavory underworld of London's nightlife. Things only got worst when she found herself in a jelous rage aiming a revolver directly at her lover. At the young age of 28, Ruth Ellis left a lasting mark in history as not only the last woman to be hanged in Britain, but also as a catalyst for the United Kingdom's reevaluation of death penalty policies. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14237653 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 17:00:00 -0700 4324 truecrime, murder, hanging, britishhistory, england, ruthellis 5 4 full true Peter and the Wolf | Peter Stumpp Peter and the Wolf | Peter Stumpp We've all  heard of people being accused of witchcraft, sorcery, and engaging in the dark arts. However, have you ever come across a case where someone was found guilty of being a werewolf? During the 1500s in Germany, a man named Peter Stumpp (given the nickname due to his left hand being a stump) was accused of being the perpetrator behind a series of mysterious murders in his village, but under rather peculiar circumstances. In an era where folklore and reality intertwined, his fellow villagers firmly believed that Peter magically transformed into the local wolf at night to reek havok amongst his neighbors and even loved ones. After being subjected to severe forms of torture, the small German town bore witness to one of the most brutal and violent executions documented. In this episode of Beheaded, we tell the real tale of "Peter and the Wolf".

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]]> We've all  heard of people being accused of witchcraft, sorcery, and engaging in the dark arts. However, have you ever come across a case where someone was found guilty of being a werewolf? During the 1500s in Germany, a man named Peter Stumpp (given the nickname due to his left hand being a stump) was accused of being the perpetrator behind a series of mysterious murders in his village, but under rather peculiar circumstances. In an era where folklore and reality intertwined, his fellow villagers firmly believed that Peter magically transformed into the local wolf at night to reek havok amongst his neighbors and even loved ones. After being subjected to severe forms of torture, the small German town bore witness to one of the most brutal and violent executions documented. In this episode of Beheaded, we tell the real tale of "Peter and the Wolf".

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14137333 Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:00:00 -0700 3892 5 3 full true The Heartless Spy | Francois Henry de la Motte The Heartless Spy | Francois Henry de la Motte For any poor soul standing in front of a judge awaiting their sentence, the last thing they want to hear is that they would be hanged, drawn, and quartered. This heinous act was reserved for traitors or those who have committed an extreme crime, such being a spy during war. Our dear friend Francois Henry de la Motte, a French spy from the 1780s, was unfortunate enough to receive no mercy from the benevolent English. He went down in history for having a crowd of eighty thousand people witness his heart being ceremoniously pulled out of his body. Such a joyous spectacle, isn't it? Enjoy!

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]]> For any poor soul standing in front of a judge awaiting their sentence, the last thing they want to hear is that they would be hanged, drawn, and quartered. This heinous act was reserved for traitors or those who have committed an extreme crime, such being a spy during war. Our dear friend Francois Henry de la Motte, a French spy from the 1780s, was unfortunate enough to receive no mercy from the benevolent English. He went down in history for having a crowd of eighty thousand people witness his heart being ceremoniously pulled out of his body. Such a joyous spectacle, isn't it? Enjoy!

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-14052251 Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:00:00 -0700 3452 darkhistory, crime, truecrime, frenchhistory, britishhistory, british, historylover, history 5 2 full true Perkin the Pretender | Perkin Warbeck Perkin the Pretender | Perkin Warbeck Beheaded is back with our 5th season, and we are starting off with the well-known story of the Princes in the Tower. This is the legacy of the two innocent boys who went mysteriously missing while staying at the Tower of London. For centuries, people have assumed their uncle, King Richard III, had them both murdered. 

But the story does not end there. Shortly after their disappearance, there were rumbles that the younger of the two brothers survived - and he wants his crown back. Perkin Warbeck started gathering followers across Europe and the UK as he claimed he was the true prince and heir to the English throne. This would mean removing King Henry VII, the first Tudor king, and replacing him with a Yorkist king. After years of war and bloodshed, this scandal left everyone with just one question: who is telling the truth?

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]]> Beheaded is back with our 5th season, and we are starting off with the well-known story of the Princes in the Tower. This is the legacy of the two innocent boys who went mysteriously missing while staying at the Tower of London. For centuries, people have assumed their uncle, King Richard III, had them both murdered. 

But the story does not end there. Shortly after their disappearance, there were rumbles that the younger of the two brothers survived - and he wants his crown back. Perkin Warbeck started gathering followers across Europe and the UK as he claimed he was the true prince and heir to the English throne. This would mean removing King Henry VII, the first Tudor king, and replacing him with a Yorkist king. After years of war and bloodshed, this scandal left everyone with just one question: who is telling the truth?

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-13970207 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0700 3979 tudorhistory, darkhistory, historypodcast, thetudors, princesinthetower, toweoflondon, britishhistory, truecrime, executions, london, warsoftheroses, kinghenryviii, richardiii, kings, royalty 5 1 full true Special Episode: Interview with Dr. Leah Redmond Chang Special Episode: Interview with Dr. Leah Redmond Chang In this very special episode, we have the opportunity to speak with author and former professor Dr. Leah Redmond Chang to discuss her latest book, Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power. This narrative history looks at the intertwined lives of Catherine de’ Medici (the Queen of France from 1547 to 1559), Elisabeth de Valois (Queen of Spain from 1559 through 1568) and Mary, Queen of Scots (Queen of Scotland from 1542 through 1567). Leah's extensive research showcases how the history of these three queens represent the trials and tribulations women faced in the 16th century and the parallels to modern society. Listen today and be sure to get your copy of Young Queens from your favorite bookseller! Signed copies can also be found at Politics and Prose Bookstore (politics-prose.com).     

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]]> In this very special episode, we have the opportunity to speak with author and former professor Dr. Leah Redmond Chang to discuss her latest book, Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power. This narrative history looks at the intertwined lives of Catherine de’ Medici (the Queen of France from 1547 to 1559), Elisabeth de Valois (Queen of Spain from 1559 through 1568) and Mary, Queen of Scots (Queen of Scotland from 1542 through 1567). Leah's extensive research showcases how the history of these three queens represent the trials and tribulations women faced in the 16th century and the parallels to modern society. Listen today and be sure to get your copy of Young Queens from your favorite bookseller! Signed copies can also be found at Politics and Prose Bookstore (politics-prose.com).     

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-13621716 Tue, 19 Sep 2023 13:00:00 -0700 3503 history, author, interviewauthor, interview, maryqueenofscots, book, bookreview, booklover, historylover 4 14 full false Thomas Cromwell: From Statesman to Scaffold (Part II) Thomas Cromwell: From Statesman to Scaffold (Part II) Thomas Cromwell quickly and unapologetically became one of King Henry VIII's closest advisors.  As he continued to give the King whatever he asked for, Cromwell was rewarded with titles and wealth, making him one of the most powerful men in the Tudor court.  Very rarely, though, do we see someone rise to power so quickly without a quick downfall. Inevitably, Cromwell found himself with fewer and fewer alliances in court. For a man who was known for hating  traitors, he suddenly found the tables turned. In part two of our season finale, we discuss the downfall and execution of Thomas Cromwell and how much we despise King Henry VIII. 

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]]> Thomas Cromwell quickly and unapologetically became one of King Henry VIII's closest advisors.  As he continued to give the King whatever he asked for, Cromwell was rewarded with titles and wealth, making him one of the most powerful men in the Tudor court.  Very rarely, though, do we see someone rise to power so quickly without a quick downfall. Inevitably, Cromwell found himself with fewer and fewer alliances in court. For a man who was known for hating  traitors, he suddenly found the tables turned. In part two of our season finale, we discuss the downfall and execution of Thomas Cromwell and how much we despise King Henry VIII. 

Support the show

]]> Buzzsprout-13266008 Fri, 21 Jul 2023 17:00:00 -0700 3514 thetudors, tudorhistory, kinghenryVIII, thomascromwell, anneboleyn, history, darkhistory, britshhistory 4 13 full true Thomas Cromwell: From Statesman to Scaffold (Part I) Thomas Cromwell: From Statesman to Scaffold (Part I) In part one of our season finale, we tell the story of one of King Henry VIII's closest confidants: Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is known for many things in history, primarily being a noble statesman in the court of King Henry VIII. He was self-made, coming from a low background and rising all the way up to Chief Minister of the King's Privy Council. Cromwell can be seen as a driver for both prosperity and destruction. He was arguably the creator of Anne Boleyn's success as well as the cause of her downfall; he tore apart monasteries and fought for England's separation from the Catholic Church, but also was a strong advocate and leader of the Reformation. Regardless of his motive, he had the advantage of being the right-hand man of one of England's most powerful monarchs. In part one, we chat about the roots and uprising of one of England's most notable characters who helped shape the Tudor era. 

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]]> In part one of our season finale, we tell the story of one of King Henry VIII's closest confidants: Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is known for many things in history, primarily being a noble statesman in the court of King Henry VIII. He was self-made, coming from a low background and rising all the way up to Chief Minister of the King's Privy Council. Cromwell can be seen as a driver for both prosperity and destruction. He was arguably the creator of Anne Boleyn's success as well as the cause of her downfall; he tore apart monasteries and fought for England's separation from the Catholic Church, but also was a strong advocate and leader of the Reformation. Regardless of his motive, he had the advantage of being the right-hand man of one of England's most powerful monarchs. In part one, we chat about the roots and uprising of one of England's most notable characters who helped shape the Tudor era. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-13176294 Thu, 06 Jul 2023 17:00:00 -0700 2865 4 13 full true Special Episode: Interview with Dr. Owen Emmerson Special Episode: Interview with Dr. Owen Emmerson In this special episode, Dr. Owen Emmerson joins us to talk about his amazing career as a cultural historian and assistant curator of Hever Castle (Anne Boleyn's childhood home).  As a Boleyn and Tudor history expert, you may recognize him from shows such as Netflix's Blood, Sex & Royalty, BBC's Who Do You Think You Are and The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family,  along with multiple other shows on the BBC, HistoryHit, Amazon, etc. He is also the co-author of four books, his newest being Holbein's Latest Gem.

Dr. Emmerson and his fellow curators at Hever Castle recently made a remarkable discovery: finding and identifying Thomas Cromwell's Book of Hours. This is a groundbreaking revelation, as they have confirmed links between Cromwell's Book of Hours with both Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon's prayer books. In this episode, we have the exclusive opportunity to learn more about this extraordinary study and what it means for not only developing Tudor history, but how it shapes our overall connection with the past. 



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]]> In this special episode, Dr. Owen Emmerson joins us to talk about his amazing career as a cultural historian and assistant curator of Hever Castle (Anne Boleyn's childhood home).  As a Boleyn and Tudor history expert, you may recognize him from shows such as Netflix's Blood, Sex & Royalty, BBC's Who Do You Think You Are and The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family,  along with multiple other shows on the BBC, HistoryHit, Amazon, etc. He is also the co-author of four books, his newest being Holbein's Latest Gem.

Dr. Emmerson and his fellow curators at Hever Castle recently made a remarkable discovery: finding and identifying Thomas Cromwell's Book of Hours. This is a groundbreaking revelation, as they have confirmed links between Cromwell's Book of Hours with both Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon's prayer books. In this episode, we have the exclusive opportunity to learn more about this extraordinary study and what it means for not only developing Tudor history, but how it shapes our overall connection with the past. 



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]]> Megan Moore, Elizabeth Black & Dr. Owen Emmerson Buzzsprout-13057182 Sat, 17 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0700 3588 thetudors, anneboleyn, Boleyn, tudorhistory, britishhistory, thomascromwell, hevercastle, owenemmerson, historyinterview, BBC, kinghenryviii, Holbein 4 12 full true Not Like a Regular Executioner, But a Cool Executioner | Bohemian Revolt Not Like a Regular Executioner, But a Cool Executioner | Bohemian Revolt While Prague was not known for mass, bloody executions, there was at least one known as the Old Town Square Execution in 1621 that made the history books. This was the result of the Bohemian Revolt where 27 of the revolt leaders were found guilty and made an example of with an unusually brutal and public execution. Even more fascinating, the execution was conducted by the infamous Master Executioner of Prague: Jan Mydlář. In this episode of Beheaded, we take a closer look at Jan's life as the local executioner and how he stood out from any other executioner in history.

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]]> While Prague was not known for mass, bloody executions, there was at least one known as the Old Town Square Execution in 1621 that made the history books. This was the result of the Bohemian Revolt where 27 of the revolt leaders were found guilty and made an example of with an unusually brutal and public execution. Even more fascinating, the execution was conducted by the infamous Master Executioner of Prague: Jan Mydlář. In this episode of Beheaded, we take a closer look at Jan's life as the local executioner and how he stood out from any other executioner in history.

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]]> Buzzsprout-13004001 Thu, 08 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0700 2997 beheaded, darkhistory, history, historypodcast, crime, europeanhistory, historylover, bohemianrevolt, austriahistory, exeuctioner 4 12 full true The Witch and the Sow | Elizabeth Sawyer The Witch and the Sow | Elizabeth Sawyer While we've heard of the Salem Witch Trials, we tend to forget that the Puritans adopted their fear of witches from back home in England. King James I brought panic and terror to England when he became obsessed with witch hunting. He even wrote a book called "Daemonologie" which worked as a manual on how to identify, prosecute, and execute witches. While many of the victims' names were lost in history, one woman has remained in the textbooks over the centuries: Elizabeth Sawyer. Perhaps it was because of her stereotypical "witch like" attributes, or perhaps it was because of her confusing trial, Elizabeth Sawyer has been used as an example of what one woman's fate could look like during a witch pandemic. 

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]]> While we've heard of the Salem Witch Trials, we tend to forget that the Puritans adopted their fear of witches from back home in England. King James I brought panic and terror to England when he became obsessed with witch hunting. He even wrote a book called "Daemonologie" which worked as a manual on how to identify, prosecute, and execute witches. While many of the victims' names were lost in history, one woman has remained in the textbooks over the centuries: Elizabeth Sawyer. Perhaps it was because of her stereotypical "witch like" attributes, or perhaps it was because of her confusing trial, Elizabeth Sawyer has been used as an example of what one woman's fate could look like during a witch pandemic. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12878220 Thu, 18 May 2023 18:00:00 -0700 3063 4 11 full true Evil Begets Evil | Nat Turner Evil Begets Evil | Nat Turner Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion was the deadliest revolt in American history.  Born into slavery in southern America, Nat was a prophet who believed God was sending him messages to raise a rebellion. After hundreds of years of oppression, he was finally able to raise a small "army" to fight against the white slave owners. Despite hundreds of people losing their lives that day, his rebellion in 1831 was not enough to overthrow American slavery. Nat Turner has gone down in history as a hero of the resistance in this heart-wrenching story of violence and bloodshed. 

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]]> Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion was the deadliest revolt in American history.  Born into slavery in southern America, Nat was a prophet who believed God was sending him messages to raise a rebellion. After hundreds of years of oppression, he was finally able to raise a small "army" to fight against the white slave owners. Despite hundreds of people losing their lives that day, his rebellion in 1831 was not enough to overthrow American slavery. Nat Turner has gone down in history as a hero of the resistance in this heart-wrenching story of violence and bloodshed. 

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]]> Buzzsprout-12786746 Thu, 04 May 2023 16:00:00 -0700 3520 americanhistory, history, darkhistory, southernhistory, blackstoriesinhistory 4 10 full true End of the Bloodline | The Távora Affair End of the Bloodline | The Távora Affair The Távora Affair was one of Portugals' bloodiest scandals that resulted in the extinction of an entire noble bloodline. What started with wanting to do away with a powerful political family ended with massive arrests, torture and execution. To this day, historians still debate on the validity of the claims. One thing is certain: the Portuguese knew how to put on an execution performance of epic proportions. 

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]]> The Távora Affair was one of Portugals' bloodiest scandals that resulted in the extinction of an entire noble bloodline. What started with wanting to do away with a powerful political family ended with massive arrests, torture and execution. To this day, historians still debate on the validity of the claims. One thing is certain: the Portuguese knew how to put on an execution performance of epic proportions. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12646621 Thu, 13 Apr 2023 16:00:00 -0700 3469 history, darkhistory, death, crime, scandal, comedy, Portugal, historylovers, history podcast, truecrime 4 9 full true Bad Boy Buccaneer Turned Beheaded Botanist | Sir Walter Raleigh Bad Boy Buccaneer Turned Beheaded Botanist | Sir Walter Raleigh The story of Sir Walter Raleigh is is wild as this episode title. Yes, we are very good at alliteration. 

Sir Walter was one of Queen Elizabeth I's favorite courtiers. And how could he not be!? He was a soldier, explorer, poet, politician and an experienced gardener amongst other things. After fighting battles in foreign lands, he was granted a charter ship to explore the New World in hopes of colonization. His crew came back from unknown lands with tobacco and other mysterious goods, making him a notable person of interest. 

His itch for adventure did come with a rebellious side, though. Unfortunately, King James I wasn't as tolerant to his antics as the previous queen was. Known for being one of the Tower of London's most dedicated residents, Sir Walter Raleigh found himself continuously returning to his well-decorated confinement, and then inevitably to the block. 

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]]> The story of Sir Walter Raleigh is is wild as this episode title. Yes, we are very good at alliteration. 

Sir Walter was one of Queen Elizabeth I's favorite courtiers. And how could he not be!? He was a soldier, explorer, poet, politician and an experienced gardener amongst other things. After fighting battles in foreign lands, he was granted a charter ship to explore the New World in hopes of colonization. His crew came back from unknown lands with tobacco and other mysterious goods, making him a notable person of interest. 

His itch for adventure did come with a rebellious side, though. Unfortunately, King James I wasn't as tolerant to his antics as the previous queen was. Known for being one of the Tower of London's most dedicated residents, Sir Walter Raleigh found himself continuously returning to his well-decorated confinement, and then inevitably to the block. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12551284 Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0700 3547 britishhistory, history, darkhistory, England, englandhistory, englishhistory, tudorhistory, thetudors, royalty, walterraleigh, ElizabethI, QueenElizabeth, toweroflondon 4 8 full true Special Edition: Interview with Megan Clawson Special Edition: Interview with Megan Clawson Did you know that it's possible to live inside the Tower of London!? If not, you are in for a treat. Megan Clawson is an author and daughter of a Yeomen Warder currently residing in the Tower of London, and we can guarantee she has some stories! In this very special episode, Megan shares with us what it's like to live inside one of England's oldest fortresses, including the highs, the lows, and the quirky parts. We also chat about her new novel, "Falling Hard for the Royal Guard", which will be available internationally this Spring 2023.  In this royally humorous rom-com, Maggie Moore (love the name!) finds love through some clumsiness while also living inside the Tower of London, giving us a glimpse of what Tower life might be like in the 21st century. Meet Megan with us and be sure to pre-order your copy of "Falling Hard for the Royal Guard" today! 

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]]> Did you know that it's possible to live inside the Tower of London!? If not, you are in for a treat. Megan Clawson is an author and daughter of a Yeomen Warder currently residing in the Tower of London, and we can guarantee she has some stories! In this very special episode, Megan shares with us what it's like to live inside one of England's oldest fortresses, including the highs, the lows, and the quirky parts. We also chat about her new novel, "Falling Hard for the Royal Guard", which will be available internationally this Spring 2023.  In this royally humorous rom-com, Maggie Moore (love the name!) finds love through some clumsiness while also living inside the Tower of London, giving us a glimpse of what Tower life might be like in the 21st century. Meet Megan with us and be sure to pre-order your copy of "Falling Hard for the Royal Guard" today! 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12446741 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 09:00:00 -0700 2906 #toweroflondon #booklover #bookreview #meettheauthor #author #novelist #england #anneboleyn 4 7 full true Pick Your Poison | La Voisin Pick Your Poison | La Voisin La Voisin was a woman of many trades: fortune teller, midwife, and, of course, one of France's top-selling poison makers. Not only did she assist anyone who needed to do away with someone (for a great profit, of course), she was also more than eager to orchestrate black, satanic masses to ensure their every wish came true. It was only a matter of time before she got caught up in what would be known as "The Affair of the Poison" in 17th century France. In this episode, we talk about the dangers of participating in dark violence, evil sins, and pyramid schemes. 

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]]> La Voisin was a woman of many trades: fortune teller, midwife, and, of course, one of France's top-selling poison makers. Not only did she assist anyone who needed to do away with someone (for a great profit, of course), she was also more than eager to orchestrate black, satanic masses to ensure their every wish came true. It was only a matter of time before she got caught up in what would be known as "The Affair of the Poison" in 17th century France. In this episode, we talk about the dangers of participating in dark violence, evil sins, and pyramid schemes. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12357627 Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:00:00 -0700 3526 Frenchhistory, lavoison, darkhistory, history, darkhumor, comedy 4 7 full true Yer a Wizard, George | George Burroughs Yer a Wizard, George | George Burroughs While now of days you might be excited to find out you're a wizard, that was not the case in 1692. The Salem Witch Trials resulted in 19 people hanged, 1 person pressed to death, and 2 dogs being shot. In this episode, we revisit this gruesome time in America's history (mostly to follow up on the 2 dogs), but also to tell the story of George Burroughs, who was amongst the 19 people hanged for witchcraft. Not only was he one of the few men to be found guilty, but he is also the only pastor to be executed for these crimes in American history. Once you were accused of conspiracy with the Devil, it was difficult to escape the executioner's noose regardless of title, and Burroughs was no exception. 

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]]> While now of days you might be excited to find out you're a wizard, that was not the case in 1692. The Salem Witch Trials resulted in 19 people hanged, 1 person pressed to death, and 2 dogs being shot. In this episode, we revisit this gruesome time in America's history (mostly to follow up on the 2 dogs), but also to tell the story of George Burroughs, who was amongst the 19 people hanged for witchcraft. Not only was he one of the few men to be found guilty, but he is also the only pastor to be executed for these crimes in American history. Once you were accused of conspiracy with the Devil, it was difficult to escape the executioner's noose regardless of title, and Burroughs was no exception. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12207000 Tue, 07 Feb 2023 16:00:00 -0700 3643 salem, history, witch, witchcraft, wizard, wizardry, darkhistory, americanhistory, salemwitchtrials, witchtrials 4 6 full true Family of Traitors | Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Family of Traitors | Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, was well acquainted with the politics of Tudor court. His father and grandfather were both noblemen who served several different kings on the English throne, from King Henry V to Richard III. Edward Stafford learned at a young age the price one can pay if their allegiance to the king is questioned. With a strong royal bloodline himself, the 3rd Duke of Buckingham had to play the game carefully in an effort to keep the young King Henry VIII on his good side. And as we all know, that can be the hardest game of all. 

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]]> Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, was well acquainted with the politics of Tudor court. His father and grandfather were both noblemen who served several different kings on the English throne, from King Henry V to Richard III. Edward Stafford learned at a young age the price one can pay if their allegiance to the king is questioned. With a strong royal bloodline himself, the 3rd Duke of Buckingham had to play the game carefully in an effort to keep the young King Henry VIII on his good side. And as we all know, that can be the hardest game of all. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-12111458 Tue, 24 Jan 2023 13:00:00 -0700 3772 kinghenryviii, tudorcourt, thetudors, tudorhistory, tudordynasty, darkhistory, history, comedy 4 5 full true Horsepower Hack | François Damiens Horsepower Hack | François Damiens Regicide has always been addressed with the most severe punishments. However, in 18th century France, it didn't matter if it was a successful assassination or a failed attempt, as the culprit could still receive the worst of ends. In 1757, Robert-François Damiens' crimes against King Louis XV resulted in hours of public torture and execution, and included a number of creative methods (horses included). So the question must be asked: does the crime fit the punishment? 

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]]> Regicide has always been addressed with the most severe punishments. However, in 18th century France, it didn't matter if it was a successful assassination or a failed attempt, as the culprit could still receive the worst of ends. In 1757, Robert-François Damiens' crimes against King Louis XV resulted in hours of public torture and execution, and included a number of creative methods (horses included). So the question must be asked: does the crime fit the punishment? 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-11990752 Thu, 05 Jan 2023 23:00:00 -0700 3094 comedy, dark humor, history, dark history, frenchhistory, Frenchrevolution, kinglouis, kinglouisxv, crime 4 4 full true The Beastial Life of the Blood Countess | Elizabeth Bathory The Beastial Life of the Blood Countess | Elizabeth Bathory Mirror, mirror on the wall.... who is the bloodiest countess of them all? Why, no other than Elizabeth Bathory. She was a rich and beautiful noblewoman in mid-16th century Hungary. While she dripped in jewels and velvet, she also was known to soak herself in the blood of young local girls to preserve her youth and beauty. Bathory can be easily considered one of Europe's most notorious female serial killers, even centuries before the term was coined. Her sadistic killing spree could only last for so long, though, before ending in betrayal, torture, and execution. In this episode, Megan and Elizabeth pull apart the bloody and frightening tale of the Blood Countess. 

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]]> Mirror, mirror on the wall.... who is the bloodiest countess of them all? Why, no other than Elizabeth Bathory. She was a rich and beautiful noblewoman in mid-16th century Hungary. While she dripped in jewels and velvet, she also was known to soak herself in the blood of young local girls to preserve her youth and beauty. Bathory can be easily considered one of Europe's most notorious female serial killers, even centuries before the term was coined. Her sadistic killing spree could only last for so long, though, before ending in betrayal, torture, and execution. In this episode, Megan and Elizabeth pull apart the bloody and frightening tale of the Blood Countess. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-11865591 Tue, 13 Dec 2022 11:00:00 -0700 3242 blood countess, dark history, history, true crime, Hungary, Hungarian, bathory 4 3 full true Special Edition: Interview with James Peacock from The Queen Anne Boleyn Society Special Edition: Interview with James Peacock from The Queen Anne Boleyn Society We have a special guest! In this unique episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with the one and only James Peacock. James is the manager and founder of one of the most successful social media communities for all things regarding Anne Boleyn: The Queen Anne Boleyn Society. Not only does he run all of these platforms, but he is also a Palace Host at Hampton Court Palace, making him a top Queen Anne expert. Get to know James with us and hear from a true professional on our favorite subject. Enjoy!

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]]> We have a special guest! In this unique episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with the one and only James Peacock. James is the manager and founder of one of the most successful social media communities for all things regarding Anne Boleyn: The Queen Anne Boleyn Society. Not only does he run all of these platforms, but he is also a Palace Host at Hampton Court Palace, making him a top Queen Anne expert. Get to know James with us and hear from a true professional on our favorite subject. Enjoy!

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-11743697 Tue, 22 Nov 2022 09:00:00 -0700 2467 anneboleyn, history, thetudors, tudors, tudorhistory, kinghenryviii, britishhistory, toweroflondon, england, london, darkhistory, queenanneboleyn, tudorera, monarchs, royalty, britishroyals 4 2 full true Wanted Over the Wireless | Dr. Crippen Wanted Over the Wireless | Dr. Crippen The notorious case of Dr. Crippen is that of transatlantic proportions. He was a homeopathic American doctor in the early 20th century who moved to London with his lovely (yet unfaithful) wife, Cora. Affairs can go both ways, however… after Cora goes mysteriously missing, Dr. Crippen and his own lover are on the run. Their story makes history as London police tracked down their suspects using a wireless telegraph for the first time. Don't be a creep - listen to Dr. Crippen's notorious tale today.


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]]> The notorious case of Dr. Crippen is that of transatlantic proportions. He was a homeopathic American doctor in the early 20th century who moved to London with his lovely (yet unfaithful) wife, Cora. Affairs can go both ways, however… after Cora goes mysteriously missing, Dr. Crippen and his own lover are on the run. Their story makes history as London police tracked down their suspects using a wireless telegraph for the first time. Don't be a creep - listen to Dr. Crippen's notorious tale today.


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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-11678578 Fri, 11 Nov 2022 16:00:00 -0700 3346 crime, truecrime, darkhistory, history, london, crippen, comedy 4 2 full true Let Them Eat (more) Cake... Again... | Marie Antoinette Let Them Eat (more) Cake... Again... | Marie Antoinette We are back with season 4! And what better way to kick off a new season than by re-doing our first episode? Queen Marie Antoinette is easily one of the most famous beheadings in history, so we need to do her justice and get her story right. This time with better audio quality and better education, we start with Marie’s early childhood and discuss her life all the way to her downfall. This time, we even explain why she was executed! So come eat some cake with us (again) as we listen to some of our most cringe-worthy moments together from season 1. 

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]]> We are back with season 4! And what better way to kick off a new season than by re-doing our first episode? Queen Marie Antoinette is easily one of the most famous beheadings in history, so we need to do her justice and get her story right. This time with better audio quality and better education, we start with Marie’s early childhood and discuss her life all the way to her downfall. This time, we even explain why she was executed! So come eat some cake with us (again) as we listen to some of our most cringe-worthy moments together from season 1. 

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-11604900 Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:00:00 -0700 3827 marieantoinette, French, Antoinette, versailles, frenchhistory, frenchrevolution, beheaded, beheadedqueen, france, darkhistory, comedy, dark comedy, history, historypodcast 4 1 full true And Her: Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen (Part II) And Her: Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen (Part II) Our season 3 finale comes to a close with recounting the final days of Lady Jane Grey and her fellow supporters. In part one of this episode, we discussed Jane's rise to power: Edward VI quickly added a very important annotation to the succession document  changing "Lady Jane's male heirs" to "Lady Jane and her male heirs", making her the next queen of England. At this point, Jane's supporters are few and Mary Tudor is building up an army to take the crown she has fought long and hard for. In part two, we reveal Jane's downfall and gruesome fate. The question still remain: does she deserve the title of being a British monarch if she was only crowned for nine days? Or should she be skipped over in the line of royals? Elizabeth and Megan discuss this and more in this final episode. 

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]]> Our season 3 finale comes to a close with recounting the final days of Lady Jane Grey and her fellow supporters. In part one of this episode, we discussed Jane's rise to power: Edward VI quickly added a very important annotation to the succession document  changing "Lady Jane's male heirs" to "Lady Jane and her male heirs", making her the next queen of England. At this point, Jane's supporters are few and Mary Tudor is building up an army to take the crown she has fought long and hard for. In part two, we reveal Jane's downfall and gruesome fate. The question still remain: does she deserve the title of being a British monarch if she was only crowned for nine days? Or should she be skipped over in the line of royals? Elizabeth and Megan discuss this and more in this final episode. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-10713408 Tue, 31 May 2022 11:00:00 -0700 3487 darkhistory, tudorhistory, janegrey, maryI, toweroflondon, britishhistory, elizabethi, kinghenryviii, history, London, tudormonarchs, royalty 4 13 full true And Her: Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen (Part I) And Her: Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen (Part I) You may think you know all of the kings and queens of the Tudor Dynasty. We know King Henry VIII had 3 children, all of whom made their way to the throne at one point or another. But we tend to forget about another queen who reigned for a mere 9 days between King Edward VI and Queen Mary I. She was a young teenage girl by the name of Jane Grey. Later in history, she becomes known as the 9-day queen. The course of history was changed forever when the Edward VI added the the words 'and her' into his line of succession, making Jane next in line after his death. Those two words resulted in an epic fight for the crown, ending with battles and bloodshed. In part one of the season finale, Elizabeth and Megan walk through the final days of of the young girl who was used as a pawn in history's greatest chess game. 

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]]> You may think you know all of the kings and queens of the Tudor Dynasty. We know King Henry VIII had 3 children, all of whom made their way to the throne at one point or another. But we tend to forget about another queen who reigned for a mere 9 days between King Edward VI and Queen Mary I. She was a young teenage girl by the name of Jane Grey. Later in history, she becomes known as the 9-day queen. The course of history was changed forever when the Edward VI added the the words 'and her' into his line of succession, making Jane next in line after his death. Those two words resulted in an epic fight for the crown, ending with battles and bloodshed. In part one of the season finale, Elizabeth and Megan walk through the final days of of the young girl who was used as a pawn in history's greatest chess game. 

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-10593400 Tue, 10 May 2022 09:00:00 -0700 3259 tudorhistory, thetudors, tudordynasty, kinghenryviii, maryi, elizabethi, edwardVI, britishhistory, history, darkhistory, queen, royalty, britishroyalty, janegrey, queenjanegrey, ladyjanegrey 3 13 full true The Cutting Edge Chemist | Antoine Lavoisier The Cutting Edge Chemist | Antoine Lavoisier Few may recognize his name, however, we owe much of our modern chemistry to Antoine Lavoisier, a chemist who revolutionized science in the 18th century. While he was revolutionizing chemistry, though, the French people were revolutionizing their country. The Reign of Terror lasted for one year during the French Revolution (1793-1794) and resulted in 17,000 citizens being executed. The French people attacked anyone under suspicion of not supporting their cause.  Despite Antoine Lavoisier's breakthrough's in science and humanitarian efforts, this chemist faced the guillotine just like many other French citizens during this bloody year in history. 


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]]> Few may recognize his name, however, we owe much of our modern chemistry to Antoine Lavoisier, a chemist who revolutionized science in the 18th century. While he was revolutionizing chemistry, though, the French people were revolutionizing their country. The Reign of Terror lasted for one year during the French Revolution (1793-1794) and resulted in 17,000 citizens being executed. The French people attacked anyone under suspicion of not supporting their cause.  Despite Antoine Lavoisier's breakthrough's in science and humanitarian efforts, this chemist faced the guillotine just like many other French citizens during this bloody year in history. 


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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-10553966 Tue, 03 May 2022 17:00:00 -0700 3266 frenchhistory, frenchrevolution, darkhistory, history, France, Paris, comedichistory, reignofterror 3 12 full true Torture Gone Askew | Anne Askew Torture Gone Askew | Anne Askew During the final years of King Henry VIII's reign, Catholics were in charge and Protestantism was illegal. Despite this danger, Anne Askew very proudly and publicly shared her Protestant beliefs around London. Up until her imprisonment at the Tower of London, torturing women on the rack was also illegal. Anne refused to reveal the names of her fellow Protestant friends (perhaps including Queen Catherine Parr herself) and her inquisitors felt the need to take extra measures. Shockingly, this could have been the only incident on record where King Henry VIII believed in equal rights for women. Unfortunately for Anne, that meant getting her limbs slowly and painfully pulled apart.  At only 25 years, Anne Askew was the first women to have been both tortured at the Tower of London and burnt at the stake. 

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]]> During the final years of King Henry VIII's reign, Catholics were in charge and Protestantism was illegal. Despite this danger, Anne Askew very proudly and publicly shared her Protestant beliefs around London. Up until her imprisonment at the Tower of London, torturing women on the rack was also illegal. Anne refused to reveal the names of her fellow Protestant friends (perhaps including Queen Catherine Parr herself) and her inquisitors felt the need to take extra measures. Shockingly, this could have been the only incident on record where King Henry VIII believed in equal rights for women. Unfortunately for Anne, that meant getting her limbs slowly and painfully pulled apart.  At only 25 years, Anne Askew was the first women to have been both tortured at the Tower of London and burnt at the stake. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-10467636 Tue, 19 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0700 2993 tudorhistory, tudors, kinghenryviii, anneaskew, catherineparr, queencatherine, tudor, thetudors, darkhistory, history, britishhistory 3 11 full true Keeping Up With the Medici's | the Pazzi Conspiracy Keeping Up With the Medici's | the Pazzi Conspiracy Florence, Italy during the Renaissance was an era of lavish art, scientific discoveries, and powerful families. The wealth and popularity of the Medici family was not to be questioned. They owned one of Italy's largest banks and if you needed a favor, you needed the Medici's approval. The Pazzi family had plans of their own, though, and decided they wanted to be the top players. What became known as the Pazzi Conspiracy ended in bloodshed and capital punishment. Get ready for the Italian accents, because we're talking about pizza and executions in this episode of Beheaded!

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]]> Florence, Italy during the Renaissance was an era of lavish art, scientific discoveries, and powerful families. The wealth and popularity of the Medici family was not to be questioned. They owned one of Italy's largest banks and if you needed a favor, you needed the Medici's approval. The Pazzi family had plans of their own, though, and decided they wanted to be the top players. What became known as the Pazzi Conspiracy ended in bloodshed and capital punishment. Get ready for the Italian accents, because we're talking about pizza and executions in this episode of Beheaded!

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]]> Buzzsprout-10385833 Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:00:00 -0700 3365 italianhistory, Italian, darkhistory, history, medicis, florence, romanhistory, comedy, darkcomedy, renaissance, renaissancera, renaissancehistory, pazziconsipiracy, pazzi, consipiracy, crimeandpunishment, italy 3 10 full true "The Most Wretched of All" | Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex "The Most Wretched of All" | Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Tudor monarchs are notorious for executing their lovers, and it didn’t stop with King Henry VIII. In full Tudor fashion, Queen Elizabeth I dappled in romance with the young Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (despite being 34 years his senior). While Elizabeth was enamored with his energy, spirit, and good looks, the rest of the court rolled their eyes at Robert’s arrogance. No doubt, they were excited to see his inevitable and bloody downfall after one too many slip-ups. In his own final words, he is the “most wretched of all”.

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]]> Tudor monarchs are notorious for executing their lovers, and it didn’t stop with King Henry VIII. In full Tudor fashion, Queen Elizabeth I dappled in romance with the young Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (despite being 34 years his senior). While Elizabeth was enamored with his energy, spirit, and good looks, the rest of the court rolled their eyes at Robert’s arrogance. No doubt, they were excited to see his inevitable and bloody downfall after one too many slip-ups. In his own final words, he is the “most wretched of all”.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-10258043 Tue, 15 Mar 2022 21:00:00 -0700 3100 tudorhistory, the tudors, tudors, tudor, elizabethI, henryviii, toweroflondon, britishhistory, truecrime, history, darkhistory 3 9 full true Livin' La Vida Voodoo | Affaire de Bizoton Livin' La Vida Voodoo | Affaire de Bizoton Voodoo (also known as Vodou or Vundun) is an ancient practice that has gone back over 6,000 years with origins from West Africa. While perhaps a very misunderstood religion, people of all cultures have been fascinated and intrigued by its mysterious virtues. Despite Catholicism being claimed as the primary religion of Haiti in the 1860's, without a doubt, Vodou was the popular religion amongst citizens. But is it evil? Those on the jury during the Affaire de Bizoton may argue so. In 1864, eight Vodou practitioners were put on trial and sentenced to death for sacrificing and eating a 12-year-old girl during a Vodou ceremony.  In this episode, we talk about the grotesque and disturbing (as usual) that ends with severe and pitiful capital punishment.  

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]]> Voodoo (also known as Vodou or Vundun) is an ancient practice that has gone back over 6,000 years with origins from West Africa. While perhaps a very misunderstood religion, people of all cultures have been fascinated and intrigued by its mysterious virtues. Despite Catholicism being claimed as the primary religion of Haiti in the 1860's, without a doubt, Vodou was the popular religion amongst citizens. But is it evil? Those on the jury during the Affaire de Bizoton may argue so. In 1864, eight Vodou practitioners were put on trial and sentenced to death for sacrificing and eating a 12-year-old girl during a Vodou ceremony.  In this episode, we talk about the grotesque and disturbing (as usual) that ends with severe and pitiful capital punishment.  

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-10127449 Tue, 22 Feb 2022 23:00:00 -0700 3697 voodoo, vodou, magic, darkhistory, Haiti, history, dark, creepy, cannibalism, scary, witchcraft 3 8 full true The Three Reigns of Queen Brunhilda The Three Reigns of Queen Brunhilda Brunhilda of Austrasia was Queen Consort  of the Merovingian age from 575 - 613 AD. She was a fierce and brave leader of the Frankish dynasty, despite having to rule through her sons and grandsons. Her story, though not widely popular, is a tale of confusing names and violence, making it sound like something out of a fable. It includes assassinations, murder, suicide, family rivalry, and brutal wars. Her execution was no different as she paid the price for decades of a savage lifestyle. 

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]]> Brunhilda of Austrasia was Queen Consort  of the Merovingian age from 575 - 613 AD. She was a fierce and brave leader of the Frankish dynasty, despite having to rule through her sons and grandsons. Her story, though not widely popular, is a tale of confusing names and violence, making it sound like something out of a fable. It includes assassinations, murder, suicide, family rivalry, and brutal wars. Her execution was no different as she paid the price for decades of a savage lifestyle. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9954373 Tue, 25 Jan 2022 23:00:00 -0700 3005 3 7 full true The Unlucky Knight of Friday the 13th | The Knights Templar The Unlucky Knight of Friday the 13th | The Knights Templar The myths and legends of the Knights Templar goes back almost a century. At their peak of power, these glorious and brave heroes  escorted pilgrims through the Holy Land while also protecting their territories in the Crusades. They were rich and above any law, making them the ultimate celebrity of 13th century Europe. King Phillip IV got caught up in some bad debt with the Knights, though, and his only way to financial freedom was arresting, torturing, and burning thousands of members. In another 'mass execution' style episode, Elizabeth and Megan take on the epic story of that fatal night on Friday the 13th, 1307. 

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]]> The myths and legends of the Knights Templar goes back almost a century. At their peak of power, these glorious and brave heroes  escorted pilgrims through the Holy Land while also protecting their territories in the Crusades. They were rich and above any law, making them the ultimate celebrity of 13th century Europe. King Phillip IV got caught up in some bad debt with the Knights, though, and his only way to financial freedom was arresting, torturing, and burning thousands of members. In another 'mass execution' style episode, Elizabeth and Megan take on the epic story of that fatal night on Friday the 13th, 1307. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9910033 Tue, 18 Jan 2022 16:00:00 -0700 2881 knights, knightstemplar, europeanhistory, europe, frenchhistory, fridaythe13th, danjones, medievalhistory, medieval, darkhistory, history, britishhistory 6 6 full true Lions and Tigers and Bears... Oh Sh*t! | Roman Colosseum Lions and Tigers and Bears... Oh Sh*t! | Roman Colosseum Let's start with saying the ancient Romans loved a good halftime show. Very similar to modern day sporting events, it involved large stadium seating, great concessions, a boisterous crowd of thousands of people, and solid entertainment. Rather than watching a ball get tossed around, though, their form of entertainment was watching people get torn to shreds by wild animals. In this episode, Elizabeth and Megan discuss a plethora of ways the Romans executed criminals in the infamous Colosseum. From crucifixion to elephant stampedes, the Romans were notorious for their creative execution styles. The question was never if the victim would survive, but rather, how long could they survive? 

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]]> Let's start with saying the ancient Romans loved a good halftime show. Very similar to modern day sporting events, it involved large stadium seating, great concessions, a boisterous crowd of thousands of people, and solid entertainment. Rather than watching a ball get tossed around, though, their form of entertainment was watching people get torn to shreds by wild animals. In this episode, Elizabeth and Megan discuss a plethora of ways the Romans executed criminals in the infamous Colosseum. From crucifixion to elephant stampedes, the Romans were notorious for their creative execution styles. The question was never if the victim would survive, but rather, how long could they survive? 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9833453 Tue, 04 Jan 2022 22:00:00 -0700 3942 history, romanhistory, Colosseum, RomanColosseum, gladiator, gore, darkhistory 3 5 full true The Nazi's Painted the White Rose Red | Sophie Scholl The Nazi's Painted the White Rose Red | Sophie Scholl Sophie and Hans Scholl were brother and sister who shared more than blood, but a passionate hatred towards the Nazi's during their rise to power. As two young Germans who went from Hitler's Youth Program to attending the University of Munich, it was extremely illegal and beyond dangerous to speak out against the Nazi's. With a small group of their university friends who privately shared the same liberal perspective, they formed a secret society called the White Rose. Together, they worked to spread anti-Nazism belief and the truth behind the horrors of what was happening right under the German people's noses in the form of pamphlets and leaflets that were spread across their campus and country.  They knew the risk  going into it... but did they know the outcome could be losing their heads? 

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]]> Sophie and Hans Scholl were brother and sister who shared more than blood, but a passionate hatred towards the Nazi's during their rise to power. As two young Germans who went from Hitler's Youth Program to attending the University of Munich, it was extremely illegal and beyond dangerous to speak out against the Nazi's. With a small group of their university friends who privately shared the same liberal perspective, they formed a secret society called the White Rose. Together, they worked to spread anti-Nazism belief and the truth behind the horrors of what was happening right under the German people's noses in the form of pamphlets and leaflets that were spread across their campus and country.  They knew the risk  going into it... but did they know the outcome could be losing their heads? 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9759431 Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0700 3018 worldwarIII, WWII, nazis, darkpodcast, darkhistory, wwIIhistory, history, darkcrimes, truecrime, sophiescholl, germanhistory, germany, whiterose 3 4 full true Devil at the Murder Castle | H.H. Holmes Devil at the Murder Castle | H.H. Holmes H.H Holmes is one of America's oldest serial killers who met his fate with an excruciating hanging. While he confessed to 27 murders, historians believe there could have been as many as 200 victims. Evidence suggests the majority of his crimes took place in his own Chicago based building conveniently blocks away from the World's Fair. The building was primarily retail space and apartment living, but later became known as the Murder Castle due to its vast size and and terrifying presence. The building was a series of maze-like hallways, mysterious hidden rooms, chutes that lead to the basement, and, not to mention, an entire torture chamber. Despite Holmes' wit and charming allure, he was a villain loose on a killing spree and eventually received his well deserved ending.                                   

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]]> H.H Holmes is one of America's oldest serial killers who met his fate with an excruciating hanging. While he confessed to 27 murders, historians believe there could have been as many as 200 victims. Evidence suggests the majority of his crimes took place in his own Chicago based building conveniently blocks away from the World's Fair. The building was primarily retail space and apartment living, but later became known as the Murder Castle due to its vast size and and terrifying presence. The building was a series of maze-like hallways, mysterious hidden rooms, chutes that lead to the basement, and, not to mention, an entire torture chamber. Despite Holmes' wit and charming allure, he was a villain loose on a killing spree and eventually received his well deserved ending.                                   

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9660562 Fri, 03 Dec 2021 23:00:00 -0700 3845 crime, crimepodcast, historypodcast, darkhumor, darkhistory, dark, serialkiller, hhholmes, americanhistory, execution 3 3 full true Burnt to a Cosmic Crisp | Giordano Bruno Burnt to a Cosmic Crisp | Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno was an Italian philosopher born too early for his time.  Despite starting his early career as a monk, he quickly traded out his priesthood attire for some travel breeches and started teaching his progressive beliefs about the infinite universe across Europe. His views about religion and philosophy were groundbreaking, yet controversial. In the 16th century, this was the perfect recipe to get the Roman Inquisition coming after you. Elizabeth and Megan pull out their terrible Italian accents again in this episode of Beheaded. 

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]]> Giordano Bruno was an Italian philosopher born too early for his time.  Despite starting his early career as a monk, he quickly traded out his priesthood attire for some travel breeches and started teaching his progressive beliefs about the infinite universe across Europe. His views about religion and philosophy were groundbreaking, yet controversial. In the 16th century, this was the perfect recipe to get the Roman Inquisition coming after you. Elizabeth and Megan pull out their terrible Italian accents again in this episode of Beheaded. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9562627 Tue, 16 Nov 2021 22:00:00 -0700 3089 history, darkhistory, crime, heretic, italianhistory, catholichistory, monk, crimepodcast, historypodcast 3 2 full true Oh, and Parliament, You’re Fired | Charles I Oh, and Parliament, You’re Fired | Charles I Charles I was the first and only king of England to be found guilty of high treason and executed for his crimes. This outcome was especially a shock to poor old Chuck, as he was convinced that there was no higher power than him besides God himself. However, England wasn't so happy about his constant desire to "dissolve" Parliament and use his own subjects to financially invest in his love for war. Elizabeth and Megan rejoin in the kickoff to season 3 of Beheaded with one of our favorite kings of England who proved having nice hair and shoes just may not be enough. 

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]]> Charles I was the first and only king of England to be found guilty of high treason and executed for his crimes. This outcome was especially a shock to poor old Chuck, as he was convinced that there was no higher power than him besides God himself. However, England wasn't so happy about his constant desire to "dissolve" Parliament and use his own subjects to financially invest in his love for war. Elizabeth and Megan rejoin in the kickoff to season 3 of Beheaded with one of our favorite kings of England who proved having nice hair and shoes just may not be enough. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-9481405 Tue, 02 Nov 2021 21:00:00 -0700 3409 history, darkhistory, englishhistory, britishhistory, british, london, england, royalty, kingofengland, charlesI, king, elizabeth, elizabethI, tudors, stuarts, monarchy, revolution, civilwar 3 1 full true Interview with Rebecca Larson: A Special Edition Episode on Thomas Seymour Interview with Rebecca Larson: A Special Edition Episode on Thomas Seymour SPECIAL EDITION! Rebecca Larson, owner of the website and podcast Tudors Dynasty, shares her expertise on the very notable Thomas Seymour. Rebecca sheds light on some of the most controversial rumors about Thomas Seymour, who was uncle to King Edward VI and the younger brother of  Sir  Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset. As an author and well-known podcast host herself, Rebecca started her blog Tudors Dynasty in 2015 and it has since exploded into a go-to source for Tudor knowledge. She has interviewed herself a variety of well-known historians such as Tracy Borman, Margaret George, Alison Weir, Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb and so many more. In this exclusive interview, Rebecca and Megan chat about everything from Thomas Seymour's romantic appeal to the 33 charges his own brother and nephew threw at him, leading him to the dreaded scaffold. Enjoy this off-season interview-style episode and, of course, please be sure to check out tudorsdynasty.com for more on Rebecca Larson and Tudor history. 

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]]> SPECIAL EDITION! Rebecca Larson, owner of the website and podcast Tudors Dynasty, shares her expertise on the very notable Thomas Seymour. Rebecca sheds light on some of the most controversial rumors about Thomas Seymour, who was uncle to King Edward VI and the younger brother of  Sir  Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset. As an author and well-known podcast host herself, Rebecca started her blog Tudors Dynasty in 2015 and it has since exploded into a go-to source for Tudor knowledge. She has interviewed herself a variety of well-known historians such as Tracy Borman, Margaret George, Alison Weir, Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb and so many more. In this exclusive interview, Rebecca and Megan chat about everything from Thomas Seymour's romantic appeal to the 33 charges his own brother and nephew threw at him, leading him to the dreaded scaffold. Enjoy this off-season interview-style episode and, of course, please be sure to check out tudorsdynasty.com for more on Rebecca Larson and Tudor history. 

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]]> Megan Moore, Elizabeth Black & Rebecca Larson Buzzsprout-8782604 Tue, 29 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0700 3739 tudors, tudorhistory, darkhistory, history, britishhistory, london, british, interview, historyinterview, historian, thomasseymour, edwardVi, royalty, royals, crime, truecrime, henryviii, anneboleyn, the tudors, renaissance, execution, beheading, beheaded bonus false "The Time Will Come - I, Anne Boleyn" (Part 2) "The Time Will Come - I, Anne Boleyn" (Part 2) The time has finally come. On May 19, 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn was guided to a scaffold at the Tower of London and was the first queen in history to be publicly executed. Just two days before, her brother and 4 other men were also beheaded for adultery and treason. Anne's final words at the scaffold were "If any person will meddle of my cause, I require thee to judge the best", and so, we shall. Anne Boleyn's trial and execution has been investigated by historians from all angles, and while she has been misunderstood or censored, we are here to share her real story. In this very special season finale we have the pleasure of having Stefanie, a historian from The Historic Royal Palaces, join us as we discuss the final days of our favorite monarch: Anne Boleyn. 

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]]> The time has finally come. On May 19, 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn was guided to a scaffold at the Tower of London and was the first queen in history to be publicly executed. Just two days before, her brother and 4 other men were also beheaded for adultery and treason. Anne's final words at the scaffold were "If any person will meddle of my cause, I require thee to judge the best", and so, we shall. Anne Boleyn's trial and execution has been investigated by historians from all angles, and while she has been misunderstood or censored, we are here to share her real story. In this very special season finale we have the pleasure of having Stefanie, a historian from The Historic Royal Palaces, join us as we discuss the final days of our favorite monarch: Anne Boleyn. 

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]]> Megan Moore, Elizabeth Black & Stefanie Eulrich Buzzsprout-8549485 Wed, 19 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700 4736 beheadedpodcast, anneboleyn, boleyn, tudors, thetudors, tudorhistory, kinghenryviii, henryviii, toweroflondon, london, britishhistory, historypodcast, darkhistory, historian, history, sixthemusical, renaissance, reign, tudorrose, themosthappy, tudor, crim 2 13 full true "The Time Will Come - I, Anne Boleyn" (Part I) "The Time Will Come - I, Anne Boleyn" (Part I) "The time will come -  I, Anne Boleyn". These are the words Anne Boleyn wrote in her Book of Hours, and the phrase could not be more fitting. History has become obsessed with the mysterious and foreboding figure of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's second wife. Her passionate love for the king of England forever changed history and the shape of Europe, making her one of the most intriguing and complex characters in history. In part 1 of our season finale, we start with the early life and uprise of Anne with her arrival to the English Court, her intense romance with the king, and her grueling fight for marriage and the crown. Anne Boleyn has been written out as a ruthless and cunning woman who will stop at nothing to see herself and her lineage on the throne. But modern historians now grasp to understand the type of woman she truly was - a woman ahead of her times. She was intelligent, witty and ambitious, all virtues that took her to the top quickly, but can come with an even quicker downfall. Whether this is a familiar story for you or you are just being introduced to Henry's second wife, listen to our two part finale of 'Beheaded' today! 

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]]> "The time will come -  I, Anne Boleyn". These are the words Anne Boleyn wrote in her Book of Hours, and the phrase could not be more fitting. History has become obsessed with the mysterious and foreboding figure of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's second wife. Her passionate love for the king of England forever changed history and the shape of Europe, making her one of the most intriguing and complex characters in history. In part 1 of our season finale, we start with the early life and uprise of Anne with her arrival to the English Court, her intense romance with the king, and her grueling fight for marriage and the crown. Anne Boleyn has been written out as a ruthless and cunning woman who will stop at nothing to see herself and her lineage on the throne. But modern historians now grasp to understand the type of woman she truly was - a woman ahead of her times. She was intelligent, witty and ambitious, all virtues that took her to the top quickly, but can come with an even quicker downfall. Whether this is a familiar story for you or you are just being introduced to Henry's second wife, listen to our two part finale of 'Beheaded' today! 

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-8500152 Tue, 11 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700 4010 beheadedpodcast, anneboleyn, boleyn, tudors, thetudors, tudorhistory, kinghenryviii, henryviii, toweroflondon, london, britishhistory, historypodcast, darkhistory, historian, history, sixthemusical, renaissance, reign, tudorrose, themosthappy, tudor, engl 2 13 full true Remember, Remember the 5th of November! | Guy Fawkes Remember, Remember the 5th of November! | Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes may just be the baddest English Catholic around. His story has been re-told throughout history as the 'guy' who was caught red-handed and ready to plow up Parliament in the year 1605. While there were at least 13 conspirators involved in the "Gunpowder Plot", Guy is one of the most memorable and seen as the main instigator behind the failed assassination. And well deserved, shall we say, as he took the real heat on the rack before giving up some names. To this day, Brits across England celebrate Guy Fawkes day. But did you ever wonder what it was really about? Remember, remember the 5th of November by listening to this latest episode of 'Beheaded'. 

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]]> Guy Fawkes may just be the baddest English Catholic around. His story has been re-told throughout history as the 'guy' who was caught red-handed and ready to plow up Parliament in the year 1605. While there were at least 13 conspirators involved in the "Gunpowder Plot", Guy is one of the most memorable and seen as the main instigator behind the failed assassination. And well deserved, shall we say, as he took the real heat on the rack before giving up some names. To this day, Brits across England celebrate Guy Fawkes day. But did you ever wonder what it was really about? Remember, remember the 5th of November by listening to this latest episode of 'Beheaded'. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-8278227 Tue, 06 Apr 2021 10:00:00 -0700 3154 guyfawkes, vforvendetta, history, darkhistory, britishhistory, historynerds, truecrime, comedy, englishhistory, englishroyalty, thecrown, tudorhistory, thetudors, jamesI, toweroflondon, england, kinghenryviii, maryqueenofscots, elizabethI, historylovers, 2 12 full true You Got Burked | William Burke & William Hare You Got Burked | William Burke & William Hare In the early 1800s, the progression of medical discovery was thriving. However, doctors were running short on cadavers, which were necessary to dissect and research in order to further develop their scientific breakthroughs. If it weren’t for some of the more seedier characters of the time, the ‘spare parts' would have been harder to come by. William Burke and William Hare, two Scottish men with an appetite for whiskey and money,  learned the hard way that killing in the name of science (and greed) comes at a high price. In this episode of “Beheaded”, you’ll find that the punishment can fit the crime. 

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]]> In the early 1800s, the progression of medical discovery was thriving. However, doctors were running short on cadavers, which were necessary to dissect and research in order to further develop their scientific breakthroughs. If it weren’t for some of the more seedier characters of the time, the ‘spare parts' would have been harder to come by. William Burke and William Hare, two Scottish men with an appetite for whiskey and money,  learned the hard way that killing in the name of science (and greed) comes at a high price. In this episode of “Beheaded”, you’ll find that the punishment can fit the crime. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-8197369 Tue, 23 Mar 2021 13:00:00 -0700 3831 history, darkhistory, crime, scotland, execution, hanging, truecrime, scottishhistory, science, medicine 2 11 full true The Tale of Half-Hangit Maggie | Maggie Dickson The Tale of Half-Hangit Maggie | Maggie Dickson Maggie Dickson is a Scottish legend known not just for her trial and execution... but for what came after! This gal truly earned the nickname "Half-Hangit Maggie" after the unexpected turn of events at her public hanging. Megan and Elizabeth share the story of this resilient young woman who now has a pub named after her in Old Town Edinburgh. 

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]]> Maggie Dickson is a Scottish legend known not just for her trial and execution... but for what came after! This gal truly earned the nickname "Half-Hangit Maggie" after the unexpected turn of events at her public hanging. Megan and Elizabeth share the story of this resilient young woman who now has a pub named after her in Old Town Edinburgh. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-8115704 Wed, 10 Mar 2021 10:00:00 -0700 3434 darkhistory, history, crime, truecrime, scotland, scottish, maggiedickson, edinburgh 2 10 full true The Defender of Mother Russia | Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya The Defender of Mother Russia | Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya may have a complicated name, but, nonetheless, upheld the Soviet spirit in the midst of World War II. At the tender age of 18 years old, she joined the 'sabotage school' to help ward off the invading Nazis. Her relentlessness and courage inspired Stalin himself to use her as the face of nationalist propaganda to help encourage others to fight for Mother Russia. Listen to yet another strong,  heroine story in this episode of Beheaded. 

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]]> Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya may have a complicated name, but, nonetheless, upheld the Soviet spirit in the midst of World War II. At the tender age of 18 years old, she joined the 'sabotage school' to help ward off the invading Nazis. Her relentlessness and courage inspired Stalin himself to use her as the face of nationalist propaganda to help encourage others to fight for Mother Russia. Listen to yet another strong,  heroine story in this episode of Beheaded. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-8017572 Tue, 23 Feb 2021 17:00:00 -0700 3092 russia, historypodcast, history, russianhistory, russianrussiaexecution, crime, darkhistory, truecrime, comedy, femalehosts, worldwarII, zoya, sovietunion, worldwarIIhistory, WWII, WWIIhistory, europe, eurpeanhistory 2 9 full true Beauty and the Bawd | Alice Tankerville Beauty and the Bawd | Alice Tankerville There have only been a few known attempted escapes from the Tower of London, but only one involved a rendezvous between a flirtatious woman and her jailer. Alice (Wolfe) Tankerville was very familiar with the Tower due to her frequent visits with her husband to finally ending up as a prisoner herself. She was a smart woman who learned how to make friends behind bars, which brought her so close to successfully escaping in the dark of the night… but of course, if it were successful, then we wouldn’t have this story. This Tudor-era love triangle between Alice Tankerville, John Wolfe, and John Bawd makes for the perfect Valentine’s day execution story. 

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]]> There have only been a few known attempted escapes from the Tower of London, but only one involved a rendezvous between a flirtatious woman and her jailer. Alice (Wolfe) Tankerville was very familiar with the Tower due to her frequent visits with her husband to finally ending up as a prisoner herself. She was a smart woman who learned how to make friends behind bars, which brought her so close to successfully escaping in the dark of the night… but of course, if it were successful, then we wouldn’t have this story. This Tudor-era love triangle between Alice Tankerville, John Wolfe, and John Bawd makes for the perfect Valentine’s day execution story. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-7775371 Tue, 09 Feb 2021 17:00:00 -0700 3163 historypodcast, history, ddarkhistory, thetudors, tudors, henryviii, tudor, anneboleyn, history, renaissance, henrytudor, boleyn, toweroflondon, london, tower, Britishhistory, tudorhistory, reign, england , englishhistory, henryviiiwives, sixwives, sixwiv 2 8 full true Le Incompétent King: Louis XVI of France Le Incompétent King: Louis XVI of France King Louis XVI was ill-prepared to be king of France at the tender age of 19. He was, however, fully prepared to meet his fatal end at the guillotine. Hated by the majority of France, he and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were tried for high treason amidst the French Revolution. Louis just wanted to have fun and be adored by all of his subjects, though! Too bad incompetent kings don't make it past the age of 40. Come back to Versailles as Elizabeth and Megan re-visit the French Revolution and share the story of King Louis XVI. 

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]]> King Louis XVI was ill-prepared to be king of France at the tender age of 19. He was, however, fully prepared to meet his fatal end at the guillotine. Hated by the majority of France, he and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were tried for high treason amidst the French Revolution. Louis just wanted to have fun and be adored by all of his subjects, though! Too bad incompetent kings don't make it past the age of 40. Come back to Versailles as Elizabeth and Megan re-visit the French Revolution and share the story of King Louis XVI. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-7507327 Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:00:00 -0700 3890 historypodcast, history, podcast, darkhistory, crimepodcast, marieantoinette, versailles, france, louisxvi, thefall, versaillespalace, frenchhistory, frenchrevolution, paris , france, worldhistory, comedy, beheadedpodcast 2 7 full true Thomas More or Thomas Less? Thomas More or Thomas Less? Thomas More was not only one of King Henry VIII’s closest advisors in the Tudor court, but some would even argue his best friend. Henry wasn't known for being a very forgiving friend, though, and with good reason. Especially when his friends don't show their allegiance to his policies. Sir Thomas More, named a saint by the Catholic church, stood up for his beliefs and morals even when it meant losing his head. Listen to Elizabeth and Megan (who will be sure to brag about being a blood relative to this famous 'executionee') as they share another favorite Tudor execution at the hand of King Henry VIII.

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]]> Thomas More was not only one of King Henry VIII’s closest advisors in the Tudor court, but some would even argue his best friend. Henry wasn't known for being a very forgiving friend, though, and with good reason. Especially when his friends don't show their allegiance to his policies. Sir Thomas More, named a saint by the Catholic church, stood up for his beliefs and morals even when it meant losing his head. Listen to Elizabeth and Megan (who will be sure to brag about being a blood relative to this famous 'executionee') as they share another favorite Tudor execution at the hand of King Henry VIII.

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-7157254 Tue, 05 Jan 2021 22:00:00 -0700 3612 history, historypodcast, darkhistory, tudorhistory, thetudors, tudor, kinghenryViii, toweroflondon, london, britishhistory, anneboleyn, tudor, thomasmore, crime, execution, truecrime, crimepodcast, elizabethi, renaissance 2 6 full true The Exotic Dancer Who Knew How to Die | Mata Hari The Exotic Dancer Who Knew How to Die | Mata Hari During World War I the Germans and French had at least one thing in common: Mata Hari, the exotic dancer turned double agent. Her history as a seductive dancer for the elite made it an easy disguise to cross borders and spill details for both sides. But working as a double spy can be dangerous, and the consequences fatal. 

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]]> During World War I the Germans and French had at least one thing in common: Mata Hari, the exotic dancer turned double agent. Her history as a seductive dancer for the elite made it an easy disguise to cross borders and spill details for both sides. But working as a double spy can be dangerous, and the consequences fatal. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-6974926 Tue, 22 Dec 2020 16:00:00 -0700 3375 history, crime, darkhistory, worldwarI, wwI, french, german, frenchhistory, germanhistory, matahari, doubleagent, crimepodcast 2 5 full true The Relapsed Heretic | Joan of Arc The Relapsed Heretic | Joan of Arc Joan of Arc was only 17 years old when she led the French army into battle during the Middle Ages. After hearing prophetic messages from angels saying she needed to save France from the English, she convinced the dauphine to supply her with an army that would guarantee victory. Not only was she a young, teenage girl fighting amongst experienced soldiers, she was also a peasant without any education. As our youngest "executionee", Joan of Arc will forever be a legend representing female empowerment, faith, and courage. 

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]]> Joan of Arc was only 17 years old when she led the French army into battle during the Middle Ages. After hearing prophetic messages from angels saying she needed to save France from the English, she convinced the dauphine to supply her with an army that would guarantee victory. Not only was she a young, teenage girl fighting amongst experienced soldiers, she was also a peasant without any education. As our youngest "executionee", Joan of Arc will forever be a legend representing female empowerment, faith, and courage. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-6757249 Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:00:00 -0700 3911 history, historypodcast, darkhistory, joanofarc, frenchhistory, war, warhistory, crime, france, 2 4 full true Russian Raiders & Rebels | Stepan Razin Russian Raiders & Rebels | Stepan Razin If you thought Russian pirates didn't exist, think again, matey! Stepan Razin- or Stenka to his friends - was a rebellious leader of the Cossacks who raised a political uprising against the Russian elite in the 1670s. Some may see him as a Robin Hood-type figure, others see him as a swashbuckling and violent revolutionist. Either way, his fearless movement didn't end very pleasantly. Megan and Elizabeth bring out the vodka and stroganoff for yet another Russian execution story. Nostrovia! 

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]]> If you thought Russian pirates didn't exist, think again, matey! Stepan Razin- or Stenka to his friends - was a rebellious leader of the Cossacks who raised a political uprising against the Russian elite in the 1670s. Some may see him as a Robin Hood-type figure, others see him as a swashbuckling and violent revolutionist. Either way, his fearless movement didn't end very pleasantly. Megan and Elizabeth bring out the vodka and stroganoff for yet another Russian execution story. Nostrovia! 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-6520558 Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0700 3275 historypodcast, history, russianhistory, russian, russia, execution, crime, darkhistory, truecrime, comedy, femalehosts 2 3 full true The Woman From Hell | Elizabeth Sugrue The Woman From Hell | Elizabeth Sugrue Elizabeth Sugrue, also known as Lady Betty or, even more foreboding, the Woman From Hell, led an interesting life. She was given the job as Ireland's first and only female executioner in the 18th century. The catch? She would only do the job if her own death sentence was reduced to life in prison. “Set me free and I’ll hang them all!” were the famous words of Lady Betty. Listen to how the 'executionee' turned the tables and became the executioner in this episode of Beheaded. 



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]]> Elizabeth Sugrue, also known as Lady Betty or, even more foreboding, the Woman From Hell, led an interesting life. She was given the job as Ireland's first and only female executioner in the 18th century. The catch? She would only do the job if her own death sentence was reduced to life in prison. “Set me free and I’ll hang them all!” were the famous words of Lady Betty. Listen to how the 'executionee' turned the tables and became the executioner in this episode of Beheaded. 



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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-6315613 Tue, 10 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0700 3422 beheaded, history, historypodcast, ireland, irish, irishhistory, irelandhistory, comedy, funny, darkhistory, crime, truecrime 2 2 full true That Basic B*tch Catherine Howard That Basic B*tch Catherine Howard Season two is finally here! Some may say she's basic (not us, of course!), but love her or hate her, Catherine Howard was next up to the chopping block as King Henry VIII's fifth wife. She played with love and after being called a "sweet little fool", her actions finally caught up with her. Season two of Behedead gets kicked off with one of our favorite queens in British history: the young (and headless) Catherine Howard. 

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]]> Season two is finally here! Some may say she's basic (not us, of course!), but love her or hate her, Catherine Howard was next up to the chopping block as King Henry VIII's fifth wife. She played with love and after being called a "sweet little fool", her actions finally caught up with her. Season two of Behedead gets kicked off with one of our favorite queens in British history: the young (and headless) Catherine Howard. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-6088423 Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0700 4036 podcast, podcastshow, historypodcast, history, darkhistory, thetudors, tudors, henryviii, tudor, anneboleyn, thetudors, history, catherinehoward, renaissance, henrytudor, boleyn, tudorrose, Katherinehoward, Britishhistory, tudorhistory, reign, england, qu 2 1 full true The Red Queen of Scots: Part II | Mary, Queen of Scots The Red Queen of Scots: Part II | Mary, Queen of Scots In our season finale, Megan and Elizabeth finish the terrifying story of Mary Queen of Scots. Queen Mary wasn't one to have good luck, and the events that unfolded during her execution proved just that. Her death has been memorialized as one of the most disturbing and unfair botched executions in Tudor history, and perhaps even in the history of mankind. 

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]]> In our season finale, Megan and Elizabeth finish the terrifying story of Mary Queen of Scots. Queen Mary wasn't one to have good luck, and the events that unfolded during her execution proved just that. Her death has been memorialized as one of the most disturbing and unfair botched executions in Tudor history, and perhaps even in the history of mankind. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-3493483 Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:00:00 -0700 3685 tudorhistory, tudors, tudordynasty, thetudors, tudor, execution, comedy, funny, torture, comedic, history, darkhistory, renaissance, renaissancefaire, renassaincefesteival, kinghenryviii, boleyn, anneboleyn, drama, death, kinghenry, torturemuseum, executi 1 14 full true The Red Queen of Scots: Part I | Mary, Queen of Scots The Red Queen of Scots: Part I | Mary, Queen of Scots Mary Queen of Scots was known to attract enemies since she was a young girl. From her upbringing in France to becoming Queen of Scotland, her life was not easy. In this two-part season finale, Megan and Elizabeth dissect this doomed queen's life from one unfortunate event to the next to try and understand why it had to end with such a miserable execution. 

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]]> Mary Queen of Scots was known to attract enemies since she was a young girl. From her upbringing in France to becoming Queen of Scotland, her life was not easy. In this two-part season finale, Megan and Elizabeth dissect this doomed queen's life from one unfortunate event to the next to try and understand why it had to end with such a miserable execution. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-3275362 Tue, 07 Apr 2020 15:00:00 -0700 2994 tudorhistory, tudors, tudordynasty, thetudors, tudor, execution, comedy, funny, torture, comedic, history, darkhistory, renaissance, renaissancefaire, renassaincefesteival, kinghenryviii, boleyn, anneboleyn, drama, death, kinghenry, torturemuseum, executi 1 13 full true Ketchum If You Can! | Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum Ketchum If You Can! | Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum was an unfortunate soul who robbed trains in the wild, wild west. Eventually, the law caught up with him and he was hanged in front of a public crowd. Too bad the executioners didn't know what they were doing! In this episode, Dr. John (a real-life doctor!) joins the show to give a medical perspective on what happens to a body during a botched hanging like this. Yee haw! 

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]]> Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum was an unfortunate soul who robbed trains in the wild, wild west. Eventually, the law caught up with him and he was hanged in front of a public crowd. Too bad the executioners didn't know what they were doing! In this episode, Dr. John (a real-life doctor!) joins the show to give a medical perspective on what happens to a body during a botched hanging like this. Yee haw! 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-3119956 Wed, 25 Mar 2020 08:00:00 -0700 3847 history, darkhistory, wildwildwest, historypodcast, medical, doctor, blackjackketchum, trainrobber, americanhistory, goldrush, crime, truecrime, crimepodcast 1 12 full true Saint or Charlatan? | Elizabeth Barton Saint or Charlatan? | Elizabeth Barton The Nun of Kent. The Holy Maid of Kent. And eventually...The Mad Maid of Kent. These were all nicknames for Elizabeth Barton, the young and spunky nun who supposedly was receiving prophetic messages from Gods and angels (all of whom had very big opinions about King Henry VIII and his bride-to-be Anne Boleyn). King Henry VIII wasn’t having this and needed to put an end to these treasonous prophecies about his downfall. To this day, the question still remains: Was Elizabeth the pious and prophetic nun she was made to be? Or was she a mischievous charlatan eager for attention? 

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]]> The Nun of Kent. The Holy Maid of Kent. And eventually...The Mad Maid of Kent. These were all nicknames for Elizabeth Barton, the young and spunky nun who supposedly was receiving prophetic messages from Gods and angels (all of whom had very big opinions about King Henry VIII and his bride-to-be Anne Boleyn). King Henry VIII wasn’t having this and needed to put an end to these treasonous prophecies about his downfall. To this day, the question still remains: Was Elizabeth the pious and prophetic nun she was made to be? Or was she a mischievous charlatan eager for attention? 

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2904475 Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:00:00 -0700 3366 tudorhistory, tudors, tudordynasty, thetudors, tudor, execution, comedy, funny, torture, comedic, history, darkhistory, renaissance, renaissancefaire, renassaincefesteival, kinghenryviii, boleyn, anneboleyn, drama, death, kinghenry, crime, truecrime, exec 1 11 full true Welcome to Beheaded Welcome to Beheaded Megan and Elizabeth here ready to talk about two of our favorite subjects: torture and execution. Who says history can't be fun, especially when we're chatting about the drop of the axe and swoosh of the noose. Listen, subscribe and follow along on our Instagram (@beheaded.podcast) to hear about the fascinating and dark stories of your favorite, controversial characters in history. Don't lose your head. 

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]]> Megan and Elizabeth here ready to talk about two of our favorite subjects: torture and execution. Who says history can't be fun, especially when we're chatting about the drop of the axe and swoosh of the noose. Listen, subscribe and follow along on our Instagram (@beheaded.podcast) to hear about the fascinating and dark stories of your favorite, controversial characters in history. Don't lose your head. 

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2865109 Thu, 27 Feb 2020 21:00:00 -0700 47 tudorhistory, tudors, tudordynasty, thetudors, tudor, execution, comedy, funny, torture, comedic, history, darkhistory, renaissance, renaissancefaire, renassaincefesteival, kinghenryviii, boleyn, anneboleyn, drama, death, kinghenry, torturemuseum, executi trailer true A Fitting and Glorious End | Benito Mussolini A Fitting and Glorious End | Benito Mussolini World War II was a dark time in Italy's history as they were under the grips of fascist leader and dictator Benito Mussolini. On April 28th, 1945 - just two days before Hitler commits suicide - Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Pettaci, were executed by machine guns. Despite this being a more modern execution story, key questions still remain a mystery: who ordered the execution? Who was the executioner? Was there a legal trial? Elizabeth and Megan take us back to WWII to discuss the downfall of this infamous Italian dictator. 

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]]> World War II was a dark time in Italy's history as they were under the grips of fascist leader and dictator Benito Mussolini. On April 28th, 1945 - just two days before Hitler commits suicide - Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Pettaci, were executed by machine guns. Despite this being a more modern execution story, key questions still remain a mystery: who ordered the execution? Who was the executioner? Was there a legal trial? Elizabeth and Megan take us back to WWII to discuss the downfall of this infamous Italian dictator. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2768374 Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0700 3511 italy, wwII, worldwarII, italianhistory, mussolini, darkhistory, history, comedy, comedic, itallian, dictatorship, fascism, politics, execution, vintage, war, warhistory, warfare, germany, nazigermany, germanhistory 1 10 full true Pay the Cock and Drink the Hemlock | Socrates Pay the Cock and Drink the Hemlock | Socrates Socrates: Greek hero, world-renowned philosopher, scholar, and apparently a very bad influence. So much so, in fact, he was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and refusing to celebrate multiple gods.  Naturally, the punishment for these heinous crimes should be poisoning yourself! Prepare your minds as Elizabeth and Megan get deep and philosophical in this episode of Beheaded. 

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]]> Socrates: Greek hero, world-renowned philosopher, scholar, and apparently a very bad influence. So much so, in fact, he was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and refusing to celebrate multiple gods.  Naturally, the punishment for these heinous crimes should be poisoning yourself! Prepare your minds as Elizabeth and Megan get deep and philosophical in this episode of Beheaded. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2656894 Tue, 04 Feb 2020 08:00:00 -0700 3777 darkhistory, comedy, history, execution, socrates, greek, greece, greekhistory, philosophy, plato, philosopher, Athens, poison, execution, crime, truecrime, drama, murder, death, justice 1 9 full true Freeeeedom! | William Wallace Freeeeedom! | William Wallace We know the story. We've seen the movie. But it's time to talk about the disturbing and gory details of William Wallace's execution: death by being drawn and quartered. Freedom had a hefty price tag in 13th century Scotland, and Wallace paid in full. Beware, disembowelment is not for the faint hearted.   

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]]> We know the story. We've seen the movie. But it's time to talk about the disturbing and gory details of William Wallace's execution: death by being drawn and quartered. Freedom had a hefty price tag in 13th century Scotland, and Wallace paid in full. Beware, disembowelment is not for the faint hearted.   

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2539141 Mon, 20 Jan 2020 18:00:00 -0700 3870 beheaded, history, execution, historypodcast, comedy, williamwallace, braveheart, melgibson, scotland, scottishhistory, rebel, britishhistory, british, england, movie, reign, toweroflondon, renaissancefair, renaissancefestival, middleages, darkhistory 1 8 full true "I Am No Traitor" | Margaret Pole "I Am No Traitor" | Margaret Pole "For traitors on the block should die; I am no traitor, no, not I!"
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, held onto her innocence until the very end. Not only was she one of the oldest women beheaded at the Tower of London, but she was also one of the most pious. Unfortunately, her piety did not save her from King Henry VIII's wrath... or from a "blundering youth" of an executioner who quite literally hacked her to pieces.

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]]> "For traitors on the block should die; I am no traitor, no, not I!"
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, held onto her innocence until the very end. Not only was she one of the oldest women beheaded at the Tower of London, but she was also one of the most pious. Unfortunately, her piety did not save her from King Henry VIII's wrath... or from a "blundering youth" of an executioner who quite literally hacked her to pieces.

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2426342 Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:00:00 -0700 3518 tudorhistory, tudors, tudordynasty, thetudors, tudor, execution, comedy, funny, torture, comedic, history, darkhistory, renaissance, renaissancefaire, renassaincefesteival, kinghenryviii, boleyn, anneboleyn, drama, death, kinghenry, torturemuseum, executi 1 7 full true Death, Disfigurement, and One Verbal Warning | Pharaoh Ramses III's Conspirators Death, Disfigurement, and One Verbal Warning | Pharaoh Ramses III's Conspirators Ancient Egypt was well known for its zero-tolerance policy when it came to scandal and murder; especially with the murder of Pharaoh Ramses III. Elizabeth and Megan go back to one of the most archaic execution stories in history, using the evidence found from mummies to reveal what really happened in Ramses' harem. Don't worry, at least one person gets off with just a stern warning. 

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]]> Ancient Egypt was well known for its zero-tolerance policy when it came to scandal and murder; especially with the murder of Pharaoh Ramses III. Elizabeth and Megan go back to one of the most archaic execution stories in history, using the evidence found from mummies to reveal what really happened in Ramses' harem. Don't worry, at least one person gets off with just a stern warning. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2356478 Thu, 26 Dec 2019 10:00:00 -0700 3728 Egypt, Egyptian, Egyptianhistory, Egypthistory, history, darkhistory, beheaded, execution, torture, mummy, mummies, archeologist, egyptology, creepy, comedy, funny, ramsesIII, pharaoh, kingsandqueens, royalty, king, queen 1 6 full true In the Dark of the Night | Romanov Family In the Dark of the Night | Romanov Family The 300-year reign of the Russian Romanov family ended one very sad night with the execution of Czar Nicholas II and his whole family, including the mysterious Anastasia. What better way to talk about this than with our very own, legit Russian (accent and all)? Megan, Elizabeth, and our VERY special guest star Elena talk about the tragic story of Anastasia and the last of the Romanov dynasty. Hate to ruin the ending, but this is nothing like the animated movie. 


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]]> The 300-year reign of the Russian Romanov family ended one very sad night with the execution of Czar Nicholas II and his whole family, including the mysterious Anastasia. What better way to talk about this than with our very own, legit Russian (accent and all)? Megan, Elizabeth, and our VERY special guest star Elena talk about the tragic story of Anastasia and the last of the Romanov dynasty. Hate to ruin the ending, but this is nothing like the animated movie. 


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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2243675 Sun, 08 Dec 2019 13:00:00 -0700 3728 historical, funny, comedic, comedichistory, darkhistory, comedy, history, execution, romanov, russia, russian, russianhistory, anastasia, czar, czarnicholas, ctsar, russiangirl, tsar, romanovdynasty, royal, royalty, imperialrussia, royalfamily, royals, ro 1 5 full true Boiling Point | Richard Roose Boiling Point | Richard Roose Double double, BOIL, and trouble. Megan and Elizabeth talk about one of the many Tudor era executions: Richard Roose. King Henry VIII lives up to his reputation as being one of the most unforgivable kings by sentencing poisoners to be boiled to death. Richard Roose sets this example and gets boiled alive like a lobster. 

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]]> Double double, BOIL, and trouble. Megan and Elizabeth talk about one of the many Tudor era executions: Richard Roose. King Henry VIII lives up to his reputation as being one of the most unforgivable kings by sentencing poisoners to be boiled to death. Richard Roose sets this example and gets boiled alive like a lobster. 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2168975 Mon, 25 Nov 2019 20:00:00 -0700 3637 tudorhistory, tudors, tudordynasty, thetudors, tudor, execution, comedy, funny, torture, comedic, history, darkhistory, renaissance, renaissancefaire, renassaincefesteival, kinghenryviii, boleyn, anneboleyn, drama, death, kinghenry, torturemuseum, executi 1 4 full true Drunk Necks Don't Snap | Captain William Kidd Drunk Necks Don't Snap | Captain William Kidd The tides are changing as Megan and Elizabeth sympathize with one of the most infamous and controversial pirate executions: Captain William Kidd. There may just be enough proof here that drunk necks ARE harder to snap! 

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]]> The tides are changing as Megan and Elizabeth sympathize with one of the most infamous and controversial pirate executions: Captain William Kidd. There may just be enough proof here that drunk necks ARE harder to snap! 

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-2035419 Sun, 10 Nov 2019 17:00:00 -0700 3227 pirate, execution, humor, comedy, beheaded, piratesofthecaribbean, history, darkhumor, darkhistory, funnygirls, williamkidd, britishhistory, british, englishhistory, historical 1 3 full true Mean Girls of 1692 | Salem Witch Trials Mean Girls of 1692 | Salem Witch Trials "SHE'S A WITCH!!" Gossip, betrayal, and - of course - execution. And you thought getting along in the modern world was bad? Try surviving Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 where if you weren't popular, you were being sent to the gallows... as a witch. Listen as Elizabeth Black and Megan Moore give their take on 3 of the most well known Salem Witch Trial victims: Bridget Bishop, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey.  

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]]> "SHE'S A WITCH!!" Gossip, betrayal, and - of course - execution. And you thought getting along in the modern world was bad? Try surviving Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 where if you weren't popular, you were being sent to the gallows... as a witch. Listen as Elizabeth Black and Megan Moore give their take on 3 of the most well known Salem Witch Trial victims: Bridget Bishop, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey.  

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]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-1863301 Sun, 13 Oct 2019 22:00:00 -0700 3253 witches, halloween, salem, salemwitchtrials, execution, history, comedy, funny, girls, crucible, literature, americanhistory, silly, commentary, beheaded, dark, humor, darkhumor, learning 1 2 full true Let Them Eat Cake | Marie Antoinette Let Them Eat Cake | Marie Antoinette In our first episode of Beheaded, go behind the story of Marie Antoinette's final days as she's tried for treason amidst the French Revolution. Royal, wealthy, and found guilty of all crimes. 

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]]> In our first episode of Beheaded, go behind the story of Marie Antoinette's final days as she's tried for treason amidst the French Revolution. Royal, wealthy, and found guilty of all crimes. 

Support the show

]]> Megan Moore & Elizabeth Black Buzzsprout-1844086 Wed, 09 Oct 2019 19:00:00 -0700 3003 history, comedy, funny, marieantoinette, execution, beheaded, guillotine, death, girls, narration, conversation, frenchrevolution, war, france, french, die, letthemeatcake 1 1 full true