Latest Executioner Podcast Episodes
Pugachev the Great
Beheaded - April 23, 2024 21:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsOur 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, als...
Arsenic and Black Widows
Beheaded - April 09, 2024 22:00 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsLife 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 h...
The Rope Drop Flop
Beheaded - March 19, 2024 17:00 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsThe 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...
Tomb Raiders: Treasure or Torture
Beheaded - February 28, 2024 15:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsIt 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...
The Breaking Wheel on the Bayou
Beheaded - February 15, 2024 00:00 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsIn 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 w...
Dying on a Prayer
Beheaded - January 30, 2024 21:00 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWhile 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 f...
Captain Jack & His Bonny Lass
Beheaded - January 17, 2024 18:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsJack 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 pi...
The Nightclub Murderess
Beheaded - January 03, 2024 00:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsRuth 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...
Peter and the Wolf
Beheaded - December 12, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWe'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 stu...
The Heartless Spy
Beheaded - November 28, 2023 23:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsFor 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 Franc...
Perkin the Pretender
Beheaded - November 14, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsBeheaded 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, h...
Special Episode: Interview with Dr. Leah Redmond Chang
Beheaded - September 19, 2023 20:00 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsIn 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 Quee...
Thomas Cromwell: From Statesman to Scaffold (Part II)
Beheaded - July 22, 2023 00:00 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsThomas 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 someon...
Thomas Cromwell: From Statesman to Scaffold (Part I)
Beheaded - July 07, 2023 00:00 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsIn 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 ...
Special Episode: Interview with Dr. Owen Emmerson
Beheaded - June 17, 2023 18:00 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsIn 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...
Not Like a Regular Executioner, But a Cool Executioner
Beheaded - June 08, 2023 18:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWhile 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 a...
The Witch and the Sow
Beheaded - May 19, 2023 01:00 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWhile 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 manu...
Evil Begets Evil
Beheaded - May 04, 2023 23:00 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsNat 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...
End of the Bloodline
Beheaded - April 13, 2023 23:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsThe 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 o...
Bad Boy Buccaneer Turned Beheaded Botanist
Beheaded - March 30, 2023 19:00 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsThe 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 ...
Special Edition: Interview with Megan Clawson
Beheaded - March 15, 2023 16:00 - 48 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsDid 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...
Pick Your Poison
Beheaded - March 02, 2023 00:00 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsLa 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...
Yer a Wizard, George
Beheaded - February 07, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWhile 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 th...
Family of Traitors
Beheaded - January 24, 2023 20:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsEdward 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...
Horsepower Hack
Beheaded - January 06, 2023 06:00 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsRegicide 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 re...
The Beastial Life of the Blood Countess
Beheaded - December 13, 2022 18:00 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsMirror, 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 pre...
Special Edition: Interview with James Peacock from The Queen Anne Boleyn Society
Beheaded - November 22, 2022 16:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWe 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...
Wanted Over the Wireless
Beheaded - November 11, 2022 23:00 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsThe 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...
Let Them Eat (more) Cake... Again...
Beheaded - October 31, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWe 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 educatio...
Let Them Eat (more) Cake... Again...
Beheaded - October 31, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 57 ratingsWe 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 educatio...
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