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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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