List of people burned as heretics
Encyclopedia
This list contains persons burned by various religious groups, after being deemed heretics. This list does not attempt to encompass the list of those executed by burning (such a one would include many other people such as victims of witch hunts or other persecutions). It is also notable that some of the victims, such as Quirinus Kuhlmann
and Jacques de Molay
, were executed primarily for political purposes; the charges of heresy were simply official excuses.
The book "Acts and Monuments" by John Foxe, commonly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs lists many more than this.
Quirinus Kuhlmann
Quirinus Kuhlmann was a German Baroque poet and mystic. Known for his travels throughout Europe, Kuhlmann spent the last years of his life in Russia, where he was executed because he was considered politically dangerous....
and Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312...
, were executed primarily for political purposes; the charges of heresy were simply official excuses.
Roman Catholic Church
- Ramihrdus of CambraiRamihrdus of CambraiRamihrdus of Cambrai, a known priest who had been practicing his own sects of religion, was accused of heresy in 1076 or 1077 for being unwilling to accept communion from priests, including the bishop, after being summoned to court because he believed that the priesthood was corrupt...
(1076 or 1077) (lynched) - Peter of BruysPeter of BruysPeter of Bruys was a French heresiarch who taught doctrines that were in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church's beliefs. An angry mob killed him in or around the year 1131...
(† 1130) (lynched) - Gerard SegarelliGerard SegarelliGerard or Gherardo or Gherardino Segarelli or Segalelli was the founder of the Apostolic Brethren...
(† 1300) - Fra Dolcino († 1307)
- Sister MargheritaMargheritaMargherita is the Italian language word for "daisy", and may refer to:- Places :* Margherita, Assam - a town in Assam, India* The Italian name for Jamaame, a town in Somalia...
(† 1307) - Brother LonginoLonginoLongino may refer to:* Andrew H. Longino, Governor of Mississippi* Helen Longino, philosopher...
(† 1307) - Marguerite PoreteMarguerite PoreteMarguerite Porete was a French mystic and the author of The Mirror of Simple Souls, a work of Christian spirituality dealing with the workings of Divine Love. She was burnt at the stake for heresy in Paris in 1310 after a lengthy trial, after refusing to remove her book from circulation or recant...
(† 1310) - Botulf BotulfssonBotulf BotulfssonBotulf Botulfsson , from Gottröra, Uppland, was a Swedish man burned at the stake for heresy. His is the only confirmed case of an execution for heresy in Sweden....
(† 1311), the only known heretic executed in Sweden - Jacques de MolayJacques de MolayJacques de Molay was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312...
(1243–1314), burned after conviction by a tribunal under the control of King Philip IV of FrancePhilip IV of FrancePhilip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
. - Guilhèm Belibasta († 1321), last CatharCatharCatharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
- Francesco da Pistoia († 1337)
- Lorenzo Gherardi († 1337)
- Bartolomeo Greco († 1337)
- Bartolomeo da Bucciano († 1337)
- Antonio BevilacquaAntonio BevilacquaAntonio Bevilacqua was an Italian professional road bicycle racer.- Palmares :1940 - Lygie1941 - Dop, Ferroviario Venezia...
(† 1337) - William Sawtre († 1401)
- John BadbyJohn BadbyJohn Badby , one of the early Lollard martyrs, was a tailor in the west Midlands, and was condemned by the Worcester diocesan court for his denial of transubstantiation....
(† 1410) - Jan HusJan HusJan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
(1371–1415), impenitent/unrepentant heretic - Jerome of PragueJerome of PragueJerome of Prague was one of the chief followers and most devoted friends of John Hus.-Biography:...
(1365–1416), relapsed heretic - St.SaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Joan of ArcJoan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
(1412–1431), relapsed hereticTrial of Joan of ArcThe Trial of Joan of Arc, which took place before an English-backed church court in Rouen, France in the first half of the year 1431 was, in the minds of many people, one of the most significant and moving trials ever conducted in human history. It culminated in the execution of the person known to... - Thomas BagleyThomas BagleyThomas Bagley was a priest in England in the Fifteenth Century. In 1431 he was Vicar of "Monenden" and was described as "a valiant disciple and adherent of Wicliffe"...
(† 1431) - Pavel KravařPavel KravařPavel Kravař , or Paul Crawar, Paul Craw, was a Hussite emissary from Bohemia who was burned at the stake for heresy at St Andrews in Scotland on 23 July 1433. He was the first of a succession of religious reformers who were martyred in the town during the course of the subsequent Protestant...
(† 1433) - Girolamo SavonarolaGirolamo SavonarolaGirolamo Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar, Scholastic, and an influential contributor to the politics of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498. He was known for his book burning, destruction of what he considered immoral art, and what he thought the Renaissance—which began in his...
(† 1498) - Joshua Weißöck (1488–1498)
- Jean VallièreJean VallièreJean Vallière was an Augustinian monk burned at the stake for heresy in 1523 for supporting the teachings of Martin Luther.- See also :* List of people burned as heretics...
(† 1523) - Hendrik Voes († 1523), 1st martyr in the Seventeen ProvincesSeventeen ProvincesThe Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...
- Jan van Essen († 1523), 1st martyr in the Seventeen ProvincesSeventeen ProvincesThe Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...
- Jan de BakkerJan de BakkerJan Jansz de Bakker van Woerden was a Roman Catholic priest who was the first preacher in the Northern Netherlands to be martyred as a direct result of his Protestant beliefs.-Biography:Jan de Bakker's father was a sexton in Woerden and also tenant of the brickworks, and...
(† 1525), 1st martyr in the Northern Netherlands - Wendelmoet ClaesdochterWendelmoet ClaesdochterWendelmoet Claesdochter, or Weynke Arisdochter of Monnickendam, , was a Dutch Lutheran. She was executed for heresy by burning, and is known as the first woman victim to the religious persecutions in the Netherlands during the reign of Emperor Charles...
(† 1527), 1st Dutch woman burned as heretic - Michael SattlerMichael SattlerMichael Sattler was a monk who left the Roman Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation to become one of the early leaders of the Anabaptist movement. He was particularly influential for his role in developing the Schleitheim Confession.Born in approximately 1490 in Staufen, Germany....
(† 1527) - Patrick HamiltonPatrick Hamilton (martyr)Patrick Hamilton was a Scottish churchman and an early Protestant Reformer in Scotland. He travelled to Europe, where he met several of the leading reforming thinkers, before returning to Scotland to preach...
(† 1528) - Balthasar HubmaierBalthasar HubmaierBalthasar Hubmaier was an influential German/Moravian Anabaptist leader. He was one of the most well-known and respected Anabaptist theologians of the Reformation.- Early life and education:...
(1485–1528), relapsed heretic - George BlaurockGeorge BlaurockJörg vom Haus Jacob , commonly known as George Blaurock , with Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, was co-founder of the Swiss Brethren in Zürich, and thereby one of the founders of Anabaptism.George Blaurock was born in 1491 in Bonaduz in the Grisons, Switzerland...
(1491–1529) - Hans Langegger († 1529)
- Giovanni Milanese († 1530)
- Richard BayfieldRichard BayfieldRichard Bayfield was an English Protestant martyr. A graduate of the University of Cambridge, he became a Benedictine monk. Whilst acting as Chamberlain of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, he was approached by the Protestant reformer Robert Barnes and given a copy of the New Testament translated into...
(† 1531) - James BainhamJames BainhamJames Bainham was an English lawyer and Protestant reformer, burned as a heretic in 1532.-Life:He was, according to John Foxe, a son of Sir Alexander Bainham, who was sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1497, 1501, and 1516; he was a nephew of William Tracy. He was a member of the Middle Temple, and...
(† 1532) - William TyndaleWilliam TyndaleWilliam Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
(1490–1536) - John FrithJohn FrithJohn Frith was an English Protestant priest, writer, and martyr.Frith was an important contributor to the Christian debate on persecution and toleration in favour of the principle of religious toleration...
(1503–1533) - Jakob Hutter († 1536)
- Aefgen ListincxAefgen ListincxAefgen Listincx, or Aeff Pietersdochter, , was a Dutch anabaptist and prophet.She was married to the wealthy merchant Gerrit Listincx. She was in 1525, 1527, 1530 and 1533 put on trial for violating the religious laws...
(d. 1538) - Anneke EsaiasdochterAnneke EsaiasdochterAnneke Esaiasdochter, Anna Jansz, Anneken Jans or Anneke van Rotterdam, , was a Dutch anabaptist.-Life:Anna Jansz was born in Brielle on the dutch island of Voorne-Putten in 1509 or 1510. She was executed for heresy by drowning due to her connection to David Jorisz on January 24, 1539...
(d. 1539) - Francisco de San RomanFrancisco de San RomanFrancisco de San Roman was the first Protestant burned at the stake in Spain.San Roman was a rich merchant not noted for his learning. During his travels abroad,including time in Germany and the Netherlands, he was influenced by "Lutheranism", as the young Protestant movement was called...
(† 1540) - Giandomenico dell' Aquila († 1542)
- Maria van BeckumMaria van BeckumMaria van Beckum was a Dutch Anabaptist and noble. She was executed for heresy in the Netherlands.She was the sister of John III van Beckum and sister-in-law to Ursula van Beckum and a member of te anabaptists. In 1542, the anabaptists was declared heretics in the Netherlands. She was arrested and...
(d. 1544) - Ursula van BeckumUrsula van BeckumUrsula van Beckum was a Dutch Anabaptist and noble. She was executed for heresy in the Netherlands.She was married to John III van Beckum and sister-in-law to Maria van Beckum and a member of te anabaptists. In 1542, the anabaptists was declared heretics in the Netherlands. She was arrested and...
(d. 1544) - George WishartGeorge WishartGeorge Wishart was a Scottish religious reformer and Protestant martyr.He belonged to a younger branch of the Wisharts of Pitarrow near Montrose. He may have graduated M.A., probably at King's College, Aberdeen, and was certainly a student at the University of Leuven, from which he graduated in 1531...
(1513–1546) - John Rogers († 1555)
- Rowland TaylorRowland TaylorRowland Taylor was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions....
(† 1555) - John HooperJohn HooperJohn Hooper, Johan Hoper, was an English churchman, Anglican Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester. A Protestant Reformer, he was killed during the Marian Persecutions.-Biography:...
(† 1555) - Robert FerrarRobert FerrarRobert Ferrar was a Bishop of St David's in Wales.He was prior of Nostell Priory, embraced the English Reformation, and was made Bishop of St. David's by Edward VI...
(† 1555) - Patrick PakinghamPatrick PakinghamPatrick Pakenham was an English fellmonger who was burned to death at Uxbridge in August 1555 because he refused to recant his Arian beliefs. He is mentioned in John Foxe's Acts and Monuments in the proceedings of Edmund Bonner against John Denley and another.-References:...
(† 1555) - Hugh LatimerHugh LatimerHugh Latimer was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, Bishop of Worcester before the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555, under Queen Mary, he was burnt at the stake, becoming one of the three Oxford Martyrs of Anglicanism.-Life:Latimer was born into a...
(1485–1555), relapsed heretic - Nicholas RidleyNicholas Ridley (martyr)Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
(1500–1555) - Bartolomeo Hector († 1555)
- Paolo Rappi († 1555)
- Vernon Giovanni († 1555)
- Labori Antonio († 1555)
- John BradfordJohn BradfordJohn Bradford was a prebendary of St. Paul's. He was an English Reformer and martyr best remembered for his utterance "'There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford". These words were uttered by Bradford while imprisoned in the Tower of London when he saw a criminal on his way to execution;...
(† 1555) - Thomas CranmerThomas CranmerThomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
(1489–1556), relapsed heretic - Pomponio Angerio († 1556)
- Nicola Sartonio († 1557)
- Thomas von Imbroich († 1558) (beheadedBeheadedBeheaded is a Death metal band from Malta. They were formed in 1991, by singer Marcel Scalpello, guitarist David Bugeja, and drummer Chris Brincat...
) - Fra Goffredo Varaglia († 1558)
- Gisberto di Milanuccio († 1558)
- Francesco Cartone († 1558)
- Antonio di Colella († 1559)
- Antonio Gesualdi († 1559)
- Giacomo Bonello († 1560)
- Mermetto Savoiardo († 1560)
- Dionigi di Cola († 1560)
- Gian Pascali di Cuneo († 1560)
- Bernardino Conte († 1560)
- Giorgio Olivetto († 1567)
- Luca di Faenza († 1568)
- Thomas Szük (1522–1568)
- Bartolomeo Bartoccio († 1569)
- Dirk WillemsDirk WillemsDirk Willems was a martyred Anabaptist who is most famous for turning around to rescue his pursuer, who had fallen through thin ice while chasing Willems after his escape from prison, to then be tortured and killed for his faith.-Life:...
(† 1569) - Fra Arnaldo di Santo Zeno († 1570)
- Alessandro di Giacomo († 1574)
- Benedetto Thomaria († 1574)
- Diego LopezDiego LópezDiego López may refer to:*Diego López , Spanish Renaissance painter*Diego López Garrido, Spanish politician*Diego López Rodríguez, Spanish football goalkeeper*Luis Diego López, Uruguayan football defender...
(† 1583) - Gabriello Henriquez († 1583)
- Borro of Arezzo († 1583)
- Ludovico Moro († 1583)
- Pietro Benato († 1585)
- Francesco Gambonelli († 1594)
- Marcantonio Valena († 1594)
- Giovanni Antonio da Verona († 1599)
- Fra Celestino († 1599)
- Giordano BrunoGiordano BrunoGiordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
(1548–1600) - Maurizio Rinaldi († 1600)
- Bartolomeo Coppino († 1601)
- Kimpa VitaKimpa VitaBeatriz Kimpa Vita , was a Congolese prophet and leader of her own Christian movement, known as Antonianism. Her teaching grew out of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church in Kongo.-Early life:...
(1684–1706) - Maria Barbara CarilloMaria Barbara CarilloMaria Barbara Carillo was burned at the stake for heresy during the Spanish Inquisition. She was executed at the age of 95 or 96 and is the oldest person known to have been executed at the instigation of the Inquisition....
(1625–1721)
The book "Acts and Monuments" by John Foxe, commonly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs lists many more than this.
Anglican Church
- Anne AskewAnne AskewAnne Askew was an English poet and Protestant who was condemned as a heretic...
(1521–1546) - Joan BocherJoan BocherJoan Bocher was an English Anabaptist burned at the stake for heresy. She has also been known as Joan Boucher or Butcher, or as Joan Knell or Joan of Kent....
(† 1550) - George van ParrisGeorge van ParrisGeorge van Parris was a Dutch Arian, who was burnt at the stake in London by his fellow Protestants.George van Parris was a member of the Stranger's Church congregation, and his excommunication and subsequent burning were done with the agreement of the pastor of the congregation, John Lasco...
(† 1551) - Matthew HamontMatthew HamontMatthew Hamont was a Norfolk plowright, accused of heresy, who was burnt at the stake in Norwich Castle by the Church of England.The Bishop of Norwich, Edmund Freke, accused Hamont of denying Christ to be our Saviour.-Life:...
(† 1579) - John Lewes († 1583)
- Peter ColePeter ColePeter Cole is an American Jewish poet who lives in Jerusalem and New Haven.-Early life:Cole was born in 1957 in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended Williams College and Hampshire College, and moved to Jerusalem in 1981.-Literary career:...
(† 1587) - Francis KettFrancis Kett-Life:Kett was born in Wymondham, Norfolk, the son of Thomas and Agnes Kett, and the nephew of the rebel Robert Kett, the main instigator of Kett's Rebellion....
(† 1589) - Bartholomew LegateBartholomew LegateBartholomew Legate was an English anti-Trinitarian martyr.Legate was born in Essex and became a dealer in cloth. In the 1590s, Bartholomew and his two brothers, Walter and Thomas, began preaching around the London area. Their unorthodox message rejected the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of...
(1575–1612) - Edward WightmanEdward WightmanEdward Wightman was an English radical Anabaptist, executed at Lichfield for his activities promoting himself as the divine Paraclete and Savior of the world...
(1566–1612), relapsed heretic
In Eastern Orthodox countries
- Basil the PhysicianBasil the PhysicianBasil the Physician was the Bogomil leader condemned as a heretic by Patriarch Nicholas III of Constantinople and burned at the stake by Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus....
(† 1118), by Emperor Alexius I Comnenus; heresy - Avvakum Petrovich (1620–1682), by Tsar Feodor III of RussiaFeodor III of RussiaFeodor III Alexeevich of Russia was the Tsar of all Russia between 1676 and 1682....
; combating the StaroveryOld BelieversIn the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
movement - Quirinus KuhlmannQuirinus KuhlmannQuirinus Kuhlmann was a German Baroque poet and mystic. Known for his travels throughout Europe, Kuhlmann spent the last years of his life in Russia, where he was executed because he was considered politically dangerous....
(† 1689), by Tsar Ivan V of RussiaIvan V of RussiaIvan V Alekseyevich Romanov was a joint Tsar of Russia who co-reigned between 1682 and 1696. He was the youngest son of Alexis I of Russia and Maria Miloslavskaya. His reign was only formal, since he had serious physical and mental disabilities...
; considered politically dangerous
See also
- Jesus of Nazareth (4 BC–A.D. 33), crucified.
- PriscillianPriscillianPriscillian was bishop of Ávila and a theologian from Roman Gallaecia , the first person in the history of Christianity to be executed for heresy . He founded an ascetic group that, in spite of persecution, continued to subsist in Hispania and Gaul until the later 6th century...
(† 385), beheadedDecapitationDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
. - Solomon MolchoSolomon MolchoSolomon Molcho was a Portuguese mystic and pseudomessiah. A "New Christian" who converted back to Judaism, Molcho declared himself the Messiah, and was burned at the stake for apostasy.-Early life:...
(1500–1532), apostateApostasyApostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
. - Étienne DoletÉtienne DoletÉtienne Dolet was a French scholar, translator and printer.-Early life:He was born in Orléans. A doubtful tradition makes him the illegitimate son of Francis I; but it is evident that he was at least connected with some family of rank and wealth.From Orléans he was taken to Paris about 1521, and...
(1509–1546), apostate. - Pomponio AlgerioPomponio AlgerioPomponio Algerio was a civil law student at the University of Padua whose radical theological beliefs attracted the attention of the Roman Inquisition. At his trial, he wore his academic hat and gown to remind the tribunal that, as a student, he had the right to freely express his ideas...
(1531–1556), boiled to death. - Lucilio VaniniLucilio VaniniLucilio Vanini was an Italian free-thinker, who in his works styled himself Giulio Cesare Vanini.He was born at Taurisano, near Lecce, and studied philosophy and theology at Rome. After his return to Lecce he applied himself to the physical studies which had come into vogue with the Renaissance....
(† 1618), apostate. - Gabriel MalagridaGabriel MalagridaGabriel Malagrida was an Italian Jesuit missionary in Brazil and influential figure in the political life of the Lisbon Royal Court who described the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake as retribution prompted by God's wrath.Malagrida was famously caught up in the Távora affair and executed as a...
(† 1761), strangled.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09565c.htm- List of people executed for witchcraft
- Forty Martyrs of England and WalesForty Martyrs of England and WalesThe Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of men and women who were executed for treason and related offences in the Kingdom of England between 1535 and 1679...