From Ukraine to Gaza
Reichhart worked as an executioner for the Weimar Republic, for the Nazis, and later for the US military in Germany. Throughout his career, Reichhart executed over 3,000 people.
Richard Brandon was an executioner in London from 1639 to 1649. Brandon is often credited as the executioner of King Charles I.
Jan Mydlář was a 17th-century executioner from Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic). He was known for wearing a red hood when performing executions. Mydlář is credited with the executions of 27 Bohemian Revolt leaders at the Old Town Square in Prague in 1621.
Also known as Mastro Titta (aka "Master of Justice"), Bugatti worked as an executioner for the Papal States (parts of modern-day Italy) between 1796 and 1864—nearly 70 years!
During his tenure, Giovanni Battista Bugatti is said to have conducted over 500 papal executions.
The first person to be hanged by William Marwood using the new hanging method was William Frederick Horry (grave pictured), who was sentenced to capital punishment for murdering his wife.
James Berry began his career as an assistant to William Marwood. He went on to become a famous executioner in his own right during the Victorian era.
France's royal executioner came from a long lineage of executioners. Henri-Sanson performed his job for over 40 years, and is said to have executed nearly 3,000 people!
The Duke of Alba was active during the Spanish Inquisition, and is also known for executing thousands of Dutch people during his tenure as Governor of the Netherlands, where he was known as the "Iron Duke."
Sources: (History) (TopTenz) (Ranker)
Marwood was a British Crown executioner. He developed a new hanging method called the "long drop," which killed the victim faster by breaking the neck.
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba was King Phillip of Spain’s chief executioner.
Albert Pierrepoint is said to have executed over 400 people (some sources claim as many as 600) between 1932 and 1956. Among these were over 200 Nazi war criminals, following the Nuremberg trials.
Anatole Deibler was a French executioner. He is said to have beheaded over 395 people throughout his career.
Albert Gustaf Dahlman was a Swedish executioner. He was Sweden's last executioner, and the last one to carry out capital punishment in the country.
The last execution of a woman to be carried out by Dahlman (pictured) took place in August 1890. The woman was named Anna Månsdotter.
Like his father and uncle, Albert Pierrepoint became an executioner—and quite a famous one—in Britain. Pierrepoint was the country's last official hangman.
Deibler died in 1939, aged 75, from a heart attack at a metro station. He was on his way to conduct an execution.
Anna Månsdotte was beheaded as a punishment for her crime, which was the murder of her daughter-in-law. The case became famous, not only because of the murder itself, but also because Månsdotte and her son had an incestuous relationship.
Deibler kept 14 notebooks containing the records of all of his executions. In 2003, Deibler’s diaries were sold at auction for €100,249 (adjusted for inflation, that would be about US$150,000 today).
Deibler came from a family of executioners and became quite (in)famous in the country. In 1899, he was appointed Executioner-in-Chief.
Pierrepoint performed some high-profile executions, including those of Nazi officials Irma Grese and Josef Kramer (pictured), John Haigh (the "Acid Bath Murderer") John Christie (the "Rillington Place Strangler"), and Gordon Cummins (the "Blackout Ripper"), to name a few.
Among the 176 people Marwood hanged over a period of nine years were also several members of of the Irish National Invincibles gang (aka the Invincibles).
From 1884 to 1891, Berry is said to have performed over 130 executions. Among these was the execution of William Henry Bury (pictured), a man who was suspected of being the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.
The New York State Electrician (the title given to the executioner) conducted electric chair executions from 1926 to 1939. Elliott is known for having executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Americans spying on behalf of the Soviets.
Though this is likely, the identity of the executioner remains unconfirmed, as he wore a mask. In 1649, a pamphlet surfaced allegedly containing a confession from Richard Brandon as being the executioner of Charles I.
John Ketch became famous as an executioner in England for performing his job in quite a sadistic way. He reportedly used to take several swings of his axe to perform the deed, failing multiple times to perform the execution with a single blow.
Perhaps the most high-profile execution performed by Charles Henri-Sanson was that of King Louis XVI (pictured) on January 21, 1793.
Franz Schmidt worked as an executioner in Bavaria (Germany) from 1573 to 1617. According to his diary, Schmidt performed 361 executions.
Ketch is also known for the executions of William Russell, Lord Russell and James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (pictured), among others.
Capital punishment has been practiced for many, many years. From hanging to the guillotine, executioners utilized a number of methods to perform their jobs throughout history. Ultimately, the goal was to apply the ultimate punishment for a crime: death. But who were these men, and how much do we know about them?
In this gallery, you'll discover more about history's most infamous executioners and their stories. Click on.
History's most merciless executioners
Some were responsible for famous executions of important historical figures
LIFESTYLE Capital punishment
Capital punishment has been practiced for many, many years. From hanging to the guillotine, executioners utilized a number of methods to perform their jobs throughout history. Ultimately, the goal was to apply the ultimate punishment for a crime: death. But who were these men, and how much do we know about them?
In this gallery, you'll discover more about history's most infamous executioners and their stories. Click on.