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.

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.

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!

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”.

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.