“They starved them, tortured them, tore their bodies apart, and called it justice. Some women were imprisoned for life, others were destroyed in minutes. Every punishment was real, each one more gruesome than the last. These stories sound like horror, but they are true.”
Queen Brunhild, torn apart by horses.
“Imagine a queen who reigned for almost 50 years and then ended her reign as a warning to everyone else. This is Brunhild. She is over 70 years old and tough as nails. She made enemies everywhere because she always fought for her family. But when Chlotar I finally catches them, he no longer wants to play games.”
“They did not grant her a quick death. First they paraded her around, mocked her, and imprisoned her. People wanted her to disappear, so they tortured her. Every day she is beaten, starved, and screamed at to make her confess. Lotar wants everyone to see what happens to women who stand in his way.”
“He makes it as public and painful as possible. The final act. They tie you to four horses, arms and legs, and then pull until your body is torn apart before the eyes of the crowd. Some sources say they even burn the remains. It’s a message to everyone who’s thinking of challenging the new boss. This is how your story ends. After all that, nobody talks about Brunhild’s victories anymore.”
“All that is remembered is her brutal death. Another, even more brutal death occurred on the other side of the English Channel, when a woman’s body was stretched and broken. But before we get to that, let’s look at another fate that turns the horror inwards.”
Elizabeth Bathory, walled up alive.
“Imagine being locked in such a small room that someone has to throw your food through a hole in the wall. That’s exactly what happened to Elizabeth Bathory. A powerful countess arrested her in 1609 after years of rumors about missing girls and corpses on her property. The numbers are constantly changing. Some say dozens, others say hundreds. Nobody really knows. But the stories make her the most fruitful woman in Europe. Her servants are brought to trial and some are executed, but Elizabeth is too high-ranking for that.”
“Instead, part of her castle is sealed off and walled up, and she is imprisoned inside. There is hardly any room to move. No windows, no visitors. Guards check the tiny opening every day. Food comes in, waste comes out, but that’s their whole life for four years. She died in this room in 1614. There was no great fuss.”
“Her family kept the details secret, probably out of embarrassment or fear. For centuries, people have told stories about her. Some treat her like a real monster, others consider her the victim of a conspiracy. Even today, there is still disagreement about where the legend ends and the facts begin. But the idea that a woman was walled up alive makes everyone who hears about it shudder.”
“Now let us turn to the tragic execution of a woman who placed her loyalty above her own life.”
Anne Askew, torture rack and stake.
“One summer in 1546 in London, a young woman refuses to betray her friends, and this decision leads her directly to the rack. Anne Askew grows up reading the holy scriptures herself, speaking her mind publicly, and remaining steadfast in a tense city. By the time she turns 20, she is already considered a problem by the authorities. But they want even more from her. They want names, especially the names of Protestant women close to the queen. She is taken to the Tower of London. The men interrogating her expect that fear will break her. She reminds them of the laws. They are threatening her with legal action.”
“Then they drag them into the torture chamber. The torture of women is unusual in Tudor England, but the pressure surrounding this case makes the rules stand in the way. Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley and Sir Richard Rich themselves step forward and grasp the handles of the rack. Anne refuses to give in. They keep turning the wheels until their joints are torn apart and their limbs hang down uselessly.”
“When they stopped, she could no longer walk. She can no longer lift her arms. Nevertheless, she doesn’t mention any names. Guards carry her back to her cell like a broken doll, where she awaits the execution she knows will follow. Weeks later, she is carried to Smithfield on a chair. Chains hold them upright, while three men stand next to her at the stake. The fire flares up. Witnesses later repeat their last words from their writings: ‘I would rather die than break my conscience.’ Her words spread throughout England through printed pages and quiet conversations.”
“Her death shook the capital, another murder because of her faith in a country tearing itself apart. And far away from London many years earlier, the final moments of another woman show how a city can destroy its brightest minds when religion and politics clash.”
Hypatia, mob attack.
“Imagine Alexandria in the year 415. The streets are loud, full of merchants, priests, soldiers, philosophers, and spies. The story centers on Hypatia, a woman who is different from everyone else in the city. She is a mathematician, philosopher, and teacher of the ancient tradition. Students travel from faraway countries just to hear them speak. Some call her the last of Hellenism because she stands for reason in a rapidly changing world.”
“But Alexandria is no place for people who cannot choose a side. Two men rule the city: Orestes, the Roman governor, and Bishop Cyril, who vigorously promotes the power of the Christians. Hypatia supports Orestes, helps him govern, and refuses to hide her Athenian roots. It is considered a bridge between old and new, but bridges are trampled in power struggles. March 415. Tensions escalate. A rumor is circulating. Some say Hypatia uses magic. Others described them as an obstacle to peace. A crowd, incited by Cyril’s followers, is forming. They stop their car and drag her into the Caesareum.”
“Once a temple, now a church. Eyewitnesses later described the horror. The crowd strips them naked, grabs roof tiles or clay discs and chops them into pieces. Some say her limbs were dragged through the city before the body was burned. Everyone in Alexandria is shocked. Rumors spread quickly. Some whisper that she was killed because of her science. Others blame the politicians. Letters from this period speak of the loss of reason and the rise of madness. For years, people debated what really happened. But the lesson remains: a woman’s mind and voice can threaten those in power. Long after the mob has dispersed, Hypatia’s death will be remembered as the day Alexandria lost its soul.”
Joan of Arc, convicted of heresy and burned at the stake.
“The year is 1431 and all of Rouen is watching. In the marketplace stands a wooden stake, surrounded by soldiers, judges, priests, and a crowd of people drawn by the prospect of a burning. The story centers on Joan of Arc, a teenager, a powerhouse girl, a force that changed the course of the hundred-year war. She led men into battle, broke sieges, and placed a French king on the throne. But power in the wrong hands is always dangerous, especially when it belongs to a young woman who claims that God guides her every action. Joan’s trial drags on for months. The questions come quickly and sharply.”
“‘Who gave you permission to wear armor? Have you really spoken with saints?’ Her answers frustrated her enemies. She stands by her visions without wavering and without ever deviating from her cause. It is a show trial from beginning to end. Her fate is sealed even before she enters the courtroom. On May 30, 1431, Joan was led out in chains and wearing a simple garment.”
“Eyewitnesses report that the crowd’s reaction fluctuated between awe and pity. She asks for a cross. Someone hands you one that consists of two sticks tied together. As the flames blaze, she repeatedly calls out the name of Jesus. Some say the fire was so hot that her heart did not turn to ash, even when everything else was burned. Guards collect the remains, throw them into the Seine and hope that their memory dies too. But the truth never disappears quietly. 25 years later, she is rehabilitated in a retrial. Joan was canonized in 1920. Their story spans centuries and proves that faith, coupled with courage, can shake the world, even when the world tries to extinguish it.”
“But while Europe is changing, on the other side of the world in Beijing, behind palace walls, hides a woman whose fate is so mysterious that historians still argue about what really happened to her.”
Empress Dowager Zhen, drowned in a well.
“Imagine Beijing in the summer of 1900. The city is filled with fear. Foreign troops – Americans, Russians, British, Japanese – are on the verge of breaching the city walls. The Qing dynasty court is in chaos. Old power structures are collapsing, and rumors are spreading faster than ever within the forbidden city. Empress Zhen is just 24 years old and one of Emperor Guangxu’s favorites. She is courageous, passionate, and speaks out openly in favor of modern reforms that could lead China into a new era.”
“But her openness, especially as a young woman, makes her a target for Empress Dowager Cixi, the true ruler behind the scenes. Cixi sees Zhen as a threat to her iron control, especially as the court falls apart. As the imperial family prepares to flee, Zhen’s fate becomes a whispered story. Some say she begged the Empress to stay and defend Beijing. Others claim Cixi has no reason to disobey. Where the records are incomplete, legend takes over. Eunuchs are ordered to throw concubine Zhen into a well. Her death, hidden in darkness and water, is never officially recorded in the court documents.”
“The Fountain of the Pearl Concubine is still located in the forbidden city, marked only by stories and the coldness of the unresolved. For more than a century, visitors have been asking the same questions. Did Zhen really drown, or did she disappear in some other way? Nobody ever gets a clear answer. In a time of panic and collapse, her death becomes a symbol of what happens when voices for change threaten power and how the palace devours its own secrets.”
“The next story takes us back to medieval Paris, where one woman’s ideas alone are enough to have her burned alive and her book banned for centuries.”
Marguerite Porete, candlery and pyre.
“Paris in the year 1310. The city is full of unrest and debate. Marguerite Porete, a woman without support from the church, wrote a book that was secretly distributed throughout France. She is not a nun, and she is not married. She is a Beguine who lives outside the rules and speaks openly about how to find God without priests or rituals. This idea alone makes Marguerite a target. The church has her arrested and demands that she stop distributing her work, ‘The Mirror of Simple Souls.’ She refuses.”
“For years, church representatives have tried to silence them. But Marguerite remains steadfast and never recants. After months in a Paris prison, the authorities finally labeled her a relapsed heretic. The punishment: death by fire. On June 1, 1310, a crowd of people gathered. Marguerite is burned alive on the Place de Grève. She does not beg for mercy and does not scream, at least not on the recording. Their ideas live on. Her book sometimes survives in secret for centuries. Today it is considered a milestone for the voice of women in religion. Not far from Paris and centuries later, another woman’s head rolls on English soil. Her story is full of betrayal, intrigue and one of the dirtiest royal scandals in history.”
Mary Stuart, conspiracy and beheading.
“Until then, Mary Stuart, once Queen of Scotland, had spent half her life behind closed doors in England. She is a threat to her cousin Elizabeth I, and all Catholics in Europe want her back on the throne. Letters fly across borders and spies track their every move. After nearly two decades as a royal prisoner, Mary is accused of joining a conspiracy to murder Elizabeth. The verdict is delivered quickly. On February 8th, Mary dresses in purple, the color of martyrdom, and goes to the scaffold. The executioner’s first blow misses its target. The second one finally severs her head.”
“Her dog, which had been hidden under her skirt, ran after her. This detail will remain in the memory of everyone present. Mary’s death changes Europe. Catholics mourn, Protestants breathe a sigh of relief, and their son James will soon be King of Scotland and England. For years, her letters, filled with fear and hope, were read in secret. Shortly before Mary dies, another English queen is subjected to a swift, quiet execution. Her crime is personal, but its consequences will reshape a kingdom.”
Anne Boleyn, adultery and betrayal.
“A look back at the year 1536. London is teeming with secrets. Anne Boleyn, the sharp-tongued queen who helped Henry break away from Rome, now sits in mourning, surrounded by rumors and betrayal. She had once won the heart of the king and changed the fate of the country. But now she is a prisoner, guarded day and night, while rumors of adultery, incest, and betrayal confine her. The charges read like a nightmare. Five men, including her own brother, are accused of being her lovers. The truth hardly matters.”
“Anne stands before a jury chosen by her enemies. In May she stands before the court, her famous black eyes flashing, and she defends herself with a composure that astonishes the crowd. But the outcome is predetermined. Henry has already planned his wedding with Jane Seymour. On May 19th, Anne walks to the place of execution in a grey and crimson gown.”
“Henry, perhaps plagued by guilt, summons a French swordsman and promises her a quick end instead of an awkward axe blow. Anne kneels down, prays quietly, and waits. Her life ends with a single, clean blow. Her death shocks England. Some say her spirit wanders through the Tower with her head in her hand and find no peace. Others remembered her as a woman who overthrew an old world order and paid the price for her ambition. Soon another English girl, even younger than Anne, will find herself on the scaffold. Dragged there after ruling for just over a week and losing everything.”
Lady Jane Grey, executed at only 16 years old.
“A teenage girl who is forced onto a throne she never asked for, and then have to carry the burden of England on their shoulders for nine short days. This is Lady Jane Grey in the summer of 1553. She learns languages, reads philosophy, and spends her childhood peacefully in aristocratic homes. Nobody expects her to ever sit on the throne.”
“Then politics captivates her. Powerful men decide that the successor of the dying King Edward must be Protestant. Jane fits into their plan and she will be crowned before she can even take a breath. The crowd barely reacts. Mary Tudor gathers support throughout the country and within a few days Jane is outnumbered. Their followers are dispersing. Jane is taken to the Tower, the same place where Anne Boleyn met her fate years before. For months, people whispered about grace. Jane wrote letters, studied the Holy Scriptures, and waited for news. Her execution seemed unlikely until a rebellion broke out in early 1554, blaming Mary Jane’s family for it. Hope is fading.”
“The guards inform Jane that she will die the next morning, and she spends the night in prayer, calm and collected. On February 12th, she will be led to a scaffold within the tower grounds. Witnesses describe how she speaks softly and stabilizes herself in front of the block by leaning on it. She is only 16 or 17 years old. Her death makes her a symbol. Some call her innocent, others see her as part of the politics that brought her down.”
