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History is filled with tales of death and revenge, but some cases go beyond ordinary retribution. In a few instances, a person’s misdeeds are so severe that their enemies deem death insufficient, carrying out an execution on the deceased. Yes, some individuals have been exhumed and executed again to satisfy the demands of vengeance.
Posthumous executions are uncommon—after all, what purpose do they serve? Nonetheless, they do occur, and while rare, a posthumous execution is typically a story that travels far, spreading to every corner. These individuals met their end long before anyone intervened, ordered their execution, and saw it through.
10. Pope Formosus
Pope Formosus held the papacy from October 891 to April 896, though his reign was marred by controversy. Right after assuming the papacy, he found himself at the center of one political scandal after another. During this time, various factions fought for control of territories under the pope's domain, and Formosus became a key player in these conflicts.
The pope opposed Emperor Guy III of Spoleto and persuaded Arnulf of Carinthia to depose him. In February 895, Arnulf seized Rome and declared himself emperor. Formosus passed away in 896 and was laid to rest with full papal honors. His successor lasted only 15 days before Stephen VI assumed the papacy in 897.
Pope Stephen VI despised Formosus and had his exhumed body put on trial for allegedly usurping the papacy. Formosus’s corpse was dressed in royal attire and placed on the papal throne, where Stephen VI conducted a mock trial, condemning him and annulling his papacy. Stephen VI had three fingers removed from Formosus's right hand (the fingers used for blessing), dressed the corpse in rags, reburied it, then exhumed it again and cast it into the Tiber River.
9. Harold Harefoot
Harold I, also known as Harold Harefoot, reigned over England from 1035 to 1040. Initially serving as regent, he became King of the English in 1037. Harefoot ruled in place of his half-brother, Harthacnut, who was embroiled in a rebellion in Norway. Throughout his reign, his family competed for power, culminating in several military confrontations.
Upon their return to England, Harold's stepbrothers Alfred and Edward opposed his rule, but their efforts were swiftly crushed. Harefoot ruled until his death in 1040, after which Harthacnut ascended the throne. Despite taking the crown without conflict, Harthacnut harbored resentment toward his half-brother’s reign and ordered that his body be exhumed.
After his body was exhumed, it was beheaded and discarded in a swamp near the Thames River. However, it was later recovered and reburied in London. While the exact reasons behind Harthacnut's actions remain unclear, it's likely that he despised his half-brother for claiming the crown that Harthacnut believed he was entitled to after their father's death. Additionally, Harthacnut may have held Harefoot responsible for the death of Alfred while acting as regent.
8. Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
England underwent numerous shifts in leadership and government structures before developing into the parliamentary democracy seen today. In the 13th century, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, emerged as a key leader in the reform movement against his brother-in-law, King Henry III. Their conflict spanned years, ultimately erupting into a full-scale civil war.
Montfort triumphed in his campaign and managed to keep Henry as king, though with significant conditions. He established the second English parliament, laying the groundwork for many of the parliamentary practices still in use today. However, his reputation as a reformer is marred by his fervent antisemitism, having been responsible for intensifying the persecution and massacre of English Jews.
Montfort’s rule was unpopular, and eventually, he was overthrown. This led to the Battle of Evesham in Worcestershire in 1265, where he met his defeat. He was killed in battle, but that wasn’t the end. Royalists mutilated his body, hanging his testicles beside his decapitated head. His limbs were sent to his enemies, and only his torso was buried.
7. John Wycliffe
While Martin Luther’s role in the Protestant Reformation is widely recognized today, one of his forerunners, John Wycliffe, played a crucial part in setting the stage for the Catholic schism. Wycliffe was a professor, theologian, priest, and scholar at the University of Oxford, but his most significant identity was that of a reformer. He spoke out against the privileges of the clergy, advocating for poverty and reform.
Wycliffe's followers, later known as the Lollards, took his ideas further, embracing concepts like predestination, iconoclasm, and others. He also supported the translation of the Bible into Middle English, which was fiercely opposed by Catholic Church authorities. While Wycliffe was a thorn in the side of the church, his death from a stroke in 1384 did not end his revolutionary ideas.
Thirty-one years after his death, the Council of Constance officially declared Wycliffe a heretic on May 4, 1415. His writings were banned, and his body was exhumed from consecrated ground and burned. However, this didn’t occur until 1428, 44 years after his death. His ashes were thrown into the River Swift, though this did little to silence his teachings.
6. Vlad the Impaler
Vlad III, known as the Voivode of Wallachia, was a key figure in Romanian history whose extreme cruelty became the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s *Dracula*. As a formidable military leader, Vlad showed no mercy on the battlefield, slaughtering villagers and taking captives, whom he then returned to Wallachia to impale on sharp stakes.
Vlad later came into conflict with the Ottomans after he refused to pay tribute to Sultan Mehmed II. This confrontation eventually led to his imprisonment in Visegrád, Hungary, where he remained from 1463 until 1475. During his time in prison, tales of his brutality spread across Europe. After his release, he resumed his battle against the Ottomans, dying in combat in late 1476 or early 1477.
Even in death, Vlad’s remains angered the Turks, so they dismembered his body. His head was sent to Sultan Mehmed II, who had it impaled on a high stake in Constantinople. Accounts of his death vary, and his final burial site remains unknown. However, it is believed that he was laid to rest at the Comana Monastery.
5. Martin Bucer
Martin Bucer, a Protestant reformer, joined the movement after meeting Martin Luther in 1518. He became a committed member of the Reformation, tirelessly working to advance its goals despite the Catholic Church’s opposition. Bucer married a former nun, which led to his excommunication and forced him to flee to Strasbourg, France, where he joined other reformers.
In his efforts to advance the Reformation, Bucer sought to reconcile Protestants and Catholics over shared issues, but his attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. He was eventually exiled to England, where he continued his work to expand the Reformation until his death in Cambridge at the age of 59 in February 1551.
Sadly, Queen Mary I, known as 'Bloody Mary,' would not allow Bucer's remains to rest in peace. After ascending to the throne, she had Bucer tried for heresy posthumously. His coffin was exhumed, and his remains were burned, alongside all of his writings. However, her successor, Queen Elizabeth I, reversed Mary's actions, and on July 22, 1560, she restored Bucer's honor.
4. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell is a highly controversial figure in English history. Throughout his life, he played many roles, including politician, English statesman, and soldier. Cromwell was convinced that his actions were guided by divine providence. He fought for the Kingdom of England as a Parliamentarian and in various other military capacities.
In 1653, Cromwell became the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, a position he held until his death. He was a powerful figure, and his death in September 1658 created a power vacuum, leading to a revolution that restored Charles II to the throne. This posed a problem, as Cromwell had opposed Charles II and supported the execution of Charles I.
After King Charles came to power, he had Cromwell’s body exhumed and posthumously executed for regicide. Cromwell's head was severed and displayed on a stake outside the Tower of London, where it remained for three decades. His body was briefly displayed at Tyburn Manor in Middlesex. Cromwell’s head was eventually reburied, but only in 1960, 302 years after his death.
3. Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a mystic who held significant influence in the final years of the Russian Empire, particularly within the family of Nicholas II. Rasputin gained favor as a healer, especially for Nicholas's son, Alexei Nikolaevich. Many considered Rasputin a charlatan and sought to undermine his influence over the emperor.
Rasputin’s power solidified when Nicholas left Russia to lead the Imperial Russian Army during World War I. His absence made Rasputin even more despised, and in December 1916, a group of Russian noblemen conspired to assassinate him. There are numerous accounts of what happened that night, but one fact remains—Rasputin died. His body was eventually laid to rest under the watchful eye of the Imperial family.
Nicholas had planned to build a church in honor of Rasputin’s final resting place, but he abdicated before he could do so. His successor, Alexander Kerensky, ordered that Rasputin’s body be exhumed and burned to prevent his grave from becoming a place of support for the Imperial family. This decision wasn’t to further punish Rasputin, but to erase his influence after the fall of the monarchy.
2. Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was a pivotal figure among the Founding Fathers of the United States. He played a crucial role in recruiting Paul Revere and William Dawes, and together, they helped rally the colonists against the British in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Warren was soon commissioned as a Major General, though he did not follow the typical path of a high-ranking officer.
Instead of commanding from the rear, Warren chose to fight alongside his comrades as an ordinary soldier. This decision led him directly into the front lines at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he met his demise on June 17, 1775, just three days after the Continental Army was formed.
After his death, Warren’s body was stripped, mutilated, and discarded in a ditch by British soldiers. Lieutenant James Drew, who had fought at Lexington and Concord, later unearthed the body. In a vile act, Drew spat on Warren’s face, stomped on his stomach, and ultimately decapitated him, subjecting the corpse to further brutalities.
1. Edward Teach
Although Edward Teach may not be a household name, his infamous alias, Blackbeard, is well known. Operating along the Eastern seaboard of Britain's American colonies and in the West Indies, Teach was notorious for seizing ships, blockading ports, and demanding ransoms. He became infamous for commanding the notorious ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Blackbeard's vessel boasted between 30 to 40 cannons and a crew of over 300 men, making him a fearsome force during his piratical reign in the 17th and 18th centuries. His notorious actions eventually caught the attention of Virginia's governor, Alexander Spotswood, who orchestrated a plan to capture the pirate. Teach met his end in battle along with many of his men, ensuring he couldn’t be taken alive, though his body was still captured and brought to Virginia.
Robert Maynard, leader of the expedition, examined Blackbeard's body and decapitated him. He hung Teach's severed head from his ship's bowsprit and delivered it to the governor to collect the bounty. Once Teach's head was returned, it was placed on a pole at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay as a grim warning to other pirates. Teach’s surviving crew were tried and executed, while the dead were buried.
